Wikis

A wiki is a web-based collaboration system that lets users create, edit, and organize content directly in a browser. Pages link to one another and are built with simple markup or a visual editor. A core idea is that many contributors can modify content over time, with a complete edit history.

Wikis began with Ward Cunningham in 1995, who created WikiWikiWeb on the c2.com site. The term wiki, from the Hawaiian word wiki meaning quick, signals rapid collaborative authoring. The approach spawned many software packages and communities, including large public wikis.

Common features include editable pages, revision history and rollback, talk or discussion pages, templates, and categories. Interlinked pages and lightweight markup (notably Wikitext) are typical, and most platforms track attribution and timestamps. Many wikis license content under open terms.

Wikis are used for knowledge bases, documentation, education, and collaborative projects. Wikipedia, Wiktionary, and Wikidata are prominent examples; many organizations run internal wikis for policy and project information. Challenges include vandalism, edit wars, varying quality, and governance needs addressed by moderation and access controls.

Widely used platforms include MediaWiki, DokuWiki, and Confluence. Open public wikis emphasize broad participation, while private wikis focus on restricted collaboration. The wiki model has shaped online information sharing by lowering barriers to contribution and enabling rapid, collective content evolution.