Wiki stands for "What I Know Is", which describes the essence of Wiki; the sharing and learning of information. Because of its rise in popularity Webster has made Wiki a real word, so scrabble players rejoice. So why do we love Wiki's and what are they good for anyway?

Wiki's provide a way for people to create useful content on the web in a very organic way. One person posts a topic they are familiar with, then others who have knowledge in the same field add to or even correct the original content. Over time any given topic in the Wiki is rich and deep, deeper than what any one person could provide. Another benefit to us is that Wiki's help us as humans fulfill, in a small way, our sense of community and togetherness along with quenching our thirst for knowledge.

In each Wiki entry you have the ability to add links to words that allows the reader to dig as deep as they want on a particular topic. For the writer the Wiki links provide an easy way to dive deeper into a subject with out making the initial entry to long and risk losing the audience. Words in blue or red denote links to additional information about that particular thought, which then also links to more information and relevant topics. It's a piece of virtual string that connects thoughts and themes together to let the reader get as much or as little information on a topic as they chose.

The single greatest appeal is that anybody and every body can write on a Wiki, because they are very easy to use. If you can use word you can write a Wiki. No programming knowledge is needed to create, update or publish a Wiki entry. They most famous Wiki today is Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia, published in over 25 languages, lets its users update and add content on any topic that people have knowledge about.

Critics of Wiki's question the accuracy and creditability of the information. Registration is not required to create or update entries so you can't really know who the author is or if the information is accurate. It's a good idea to double check the information against an expert or creditable source if you plan to write a research paper or use the advise or information on the Wiki.

Learn more about this author, Audrey Kerchner.
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