Peer-to-Peer:
Wikis

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A wiki is a freely available software tool that allows you to create and edit a collaborative web space, without the need for training in HTML.

Most wikis allow multiple users to:

• share and edit files (including text-based documents, tables and spreadsheets, audio, video and images);
• track the changes made to the posted documents;
• modify content online from wherever they may be; and
• choose between a password-protected space or a publicly accessible space.

Using Wikis for Project Management

For museums, in-house wikis can:

• act as an Intranet, e.g. to develop internal standards, procedures and policies.
• enable collaborative drafting of exhibit texts, educations lesson plans, and grant applications; and
• be used to develop projects with partners who are geographically dispersed (e.g. exhibit planning).

TIP: Interested in setting-up your own wiki? Open source (i.e. free!) wiki software is available for creating a wiki.

TIP: Interested in using other free online collaborative tools for managing documents and projects?

Wikis as a Collaborative Encyclopaedic Reference

Some wikis act as encyclopaedias and as a reference. They can be used for:

• virtually uniting a community of specialists;
• sharing research and discussing ideas on a specialized topic; and
• cataloguing information.

TIP: Interested in seeing what kind of heritage and museum related encyclopaedic wikis are out there? See CHIN's growing list of encylopaedic wikis.