A wiki is a website that allows the easy creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. The term wiki is a Hawaiian word that means “fast.” True to its roots, the wiki provides users a quick way of creating/editing pages or articles.
The wiki as a concept and as a platform has been popularized by its most successful fruit: the Wikipedia. However, it has already existed way back as a platform for collaboration used by enterprises.
The wiki has three essential characteristics. First, a wiki invites users to edit or create pages within the wiki website using just a web browser. Second, a wiki connects different pages together through page links. This creates a meaningful association of topics between the pages in a wiki site. Third, a wiki is a dynamic, collaborative site that encourages visitors not just to consume content but be part as well of the collaborative process of creating and enhancing one.
Wiki is commonly used as a public site where any user can add or edit contents, but it can also be used for specific purposes that may require only a select number of users to collaborate. For many organizations, the wiki has replaced intranet pages and other content management systems. The adoption of the wiki can be attributed to its simplicity. Users or collaborators need not have HTML skills to be able to use the wiki.
