One of the technologies that is demonstrative of the new web is the wiki. Some claim this stands for “What I Know Is…” Others say that it gets it name from the Hawaiian word for “quick.” The truth is that it is both- a way for users to posit knowledge into a database quickly and easily. A wiki is an online database that allows users to edit articles using very simple markup as they see fit.

Perhaps the most famous at this point is the Wikipedia, but the first wiki (often graced with a capital “W”) has been around since 1995. So why classify it as Web 2.0? The reason is that the wiki is indicative of what is at the core of the new web – user participation in content generation and classification. As we discussed earlier, the user can be both producer and consumer at the same time. This collaboration saves time and adds to the overall value of the data itself.

So what are the commercial applications? Like blogs, those will come, but for the present, wikis are mainly used by corporations for internal collaboration and knowledge share. Many large companies are finding that wikis are time-savers in that they are just so darn simple. The Worx Group recently launch its own internal wiki for collaboration and knowledge share amongst employees and the early returns are that it is both productivity enhancing and fun. That’s Web 2.0.

Dutch@TheWorxGroup.com