Wikia Search is a free and open source search engine that debuted in January 2008.  It is particularly interesting because it is an attempt at a wiki-based internet search. Wikia Search was created by Jimmy Wales, one of the founders of Wikipedia. The platform is interesting -- it uses clustering and word suggestions. You can also skip to other search engines or even suggest your own link to add to the search results. Likewise, users can edit, annotate, spotlight, comment or delete search results. However, the search results are not so authoritative  - many of them come from wikis & input from people using Wikia Search, therefore, a search for something like 'hematoma' is going to yield sites like answers.com & wrongdiagnosis.com until someone suggests something better. Their About page even mentions: "We must significantly improve the relevancy and accuracy of search results and the searching experience."  I think it is an interesting idea though. -- Molly Knapp

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7 Things You Should Know About... Wikis

net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7004.pdf

This document from Educause provides a nice overview of the use of wikis in educational settings. They provide some background information about wikis and then address questions such as why they are significant, their implications for teaching and learning, and some of the downsides of their use. I like the concise nature of this document and think it would be very useful to individuals who are considering implementing the use of wikis in educational settings and libraries. Even though the document was prepared in 2005, since it focuses on general principles and not specific software it is still relevant. -Shari Clifton

Best and Worst Practices from Wiki Grant 2007

http://idea.uwosh.edu/wikigrant2007/index.php/Best_and_Worst_Practices

Web page from a grant at University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, has tips on using wikis in a university classroom, with both suggestions and things to avoid.  Stated goal is "to prevent others from reinventing the proverbial wheel and advance the use of wikis."  Has some useful tips.  Appears to be part of a broader project under WiscWiki (http://wiscwikis.wikispaces.com/) for University of Wisconsin as a whole.  Classroom projects for various subjects are described.  I'm not sure how this would be useful for me personally, but I was surprised at how many courses were using wikis.  Forgot to put my name in--Bonnie Maky Rosen

Nursing Wiki

    en.nursingwiki.org/wiki/Main_Page 

The NursingWiki is a free multilingual wiki for nuses and health care.  It includes articles, and discussions.  The purpose is to share information and use as a lexicon for nursing information.  I did not find any mention of names of an editorial board.  I think it would be useful to find hard to locate articles and/or opinions of articles already published.  It uses blue ink to link to articles that exist and red ink to articles that do not exist.  I also think this would be useful for nurses and nursing students to learn to use a wiki.  Paula Craig

Search Wikia:

Wikia Search is a free and open source search engine that debuted in January 2008.  It is particularly interesting because it is an attempt at a wiki-based internet search. Wikia Search was created by Jimmy Wales, one of the founders of Wikipedia. The platform is interesting -- it uses clustering and word suggestions. You can also skip to other search engines or even suggest your own link to add to the search results. Likewise, users can edit, annotate, spotlight, comment or delete search results. However, the search results are not so authoritative  - many of them come from wikis & input from people using Wikia Search, therefore, a search for something like 'hematoma' is going to yield sites like answers.com & wrongdiagnosis.com until someone suggests something better. Their About page even mentions: "We must significantly improve the relevancy and accuracy of search results and the searching experience."  I think it is an interesting idea though. -- Molly Knapp

TechSoup - Nonprofits Share Their Wiki Success Stories

http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/webbuilding/archives/page9341.cfm

TechSoup.org offers nonprofits a one-stop resource for technology needs by providing free information, resources, and support. In addition to online information and resources, they offer a product philanthropy service called TechSoup Stock. Here, nonprofits can access donated and discounted technology products, generously provided by corporate and nonprofit technology partners.    - Joy Summers-Ables

Using Wikipedia for Academic Research

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBbKDcu_wfg&feature=related - Last Accessed 10 March 2009.

This is a wonderful video produced by students in a library science class at San Jose State University.  So often in academia we use a blanket "DO NOT USE" when it comes to Wikipedia and student research.  Wikipedia does have its benefits as a starting point in learning broadly about a subject and finding links to more scholarly sources.  This video does a great job explaining why your professor might tell you not to use Wikipedia and how to use it responsibly to begin your research journey.  - Holly Hubenschmidt

Using Wikis - Activities - ETIP

http://coe.ilstu.edu/etip/activities/usingwikis.shtml - Last Accessed 10 March 2009.

This Illinois State University Ed Tech Immersion Plus Web site defines wikis, provides helpful resources, and lists general and medical education examples. It also includes links to articles on wikis and notes that WetPain is building a collection of examples and wants to find examples of innovative uses of wikis. This is a nice starting page to learn about wikis. I will use it to explore the medical education examples at some point in the future. This would be a good page for libraries to use as a model all-in-one page on wikis. I recommend it to libraries who need to provide users with a link on wikis or need to create a Web page on wikis. - Lisa Travis

Ward's Wiki Wiki - 

http://wiki.org/wiki.cgi?WhatIsWiki

Gives the history of wikis, design principles.  A good general overview plus lots of details. - Patty Williams

What is a Wiki? http://webtrends.about.com/od/wiki/a/what_is_a_wiki.htm?p=1

Written by Daniel Nations from About.com.

This site gives an overview of the history of wiki and what wikis are.  The information is brief and attempts to put the information that will relate to an inexperienced reader. The author also distinquishes a wiki from a blog. I liked this article because of the shortness and how well the concepts were approached.  -- Lori Graham MSLS

What makes an enterprise wiki?

http://www.cmswatch.com/Feature/145-Wikis-in-the-enterprise 

I found this site useful because it compares Wiki's and Content Management Systems (CMS's) which I had wondered about.  The author concludes "Contrary to their reputation, Wikis are content management systems that can be managed. They simply take a different approach to content management by choosing to emphasize speed and flexibility rather than strict controls. In order to successfully implement a wiki software package you will need to look at workflow from a different perspective and be sure to select wiki software that provides the right level of content monitoring and access control for your organization."  Jacque Doyle

Wiki's in Plain English

http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english | Last accessed 9 March 2009.

Wiki's in Plain English is part of a series of videos created by a company called Common Craft - a company that specializes in explanation. This video clearly and quickly explains wiki's and why you would want to use one in under 4 minutes. It is free for individuals and for limited non-profit use. This is a great video to show people who are new to the concept of wiki's and Web 2.0. I recommend this video and the other videos in their Social Media series to anyone who wants a quick overview wiki's and why you would use one.  -- Ann Kucera

Wikis in Plain English 

     I want to endorse what Ann Kucera says immediately above as my cumulative exercise since I think Wikis in Plain English is the best. It is funny, simple, and got me up to speed before I had to teach others without any instruction myself, and it really does make sense and work.  MMG

Wikia.com at  http://help.wikia.com

There is good video instruction here for this entertaining site.  Information about how to start a wiki is also in text format for those who prefer no video. It has instruction for uploading videos, images, and how to use templates. Since there is so much entertainment info here (movies, gaming, tv, etc) I think this site would be popular and therefore useful.  One could segue from it and its FAQ's to a more academic or formal site since you can add comments here about Star Trek and Star Wars movies; people into such sites can translate the instruction over to places like wikipedia since it is similar.It has pages in 70+ languages so the international scene can get on board easily. I would suggest it for my fellow Star Trek fans and other sci fi fans to get in the wiki world.MMG

Wikipedia: Beneath the Surface (in under 6 minute    

http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/tutorials/wikipedia/ last accessed 13 March 2009

A tutorial overview of Wikipedia for students created by North Carolina State University Libraries "What is a wiki? How does information get into Wikipedia in the first place? Who creates it? This short animation introduces viewers to what goes on behind-the-scenes so they can make the best use of what's on the surface. " Similar to the CommonCraft Wikis in Plain English, but with more of a lean towards academic considerations. (review by The Distant Librarian). -- CS 

WikiTestPrep

http://www.wikitestprep.org/ - Last Accessed 10 March 2009.

This site was actually on the listserv recently.  It has resources for students studying for the USMLE Step 1 or Step 2.  The page allows students to create an account and then use practice questions from either test in a variety of areas to study.  Users can also add their own questions.  This is great for any medical school library since students are always looking for study materials for these tests.  This gives them one more area to look at and prepare.  - Lindsay Blake

Wikipedia: Beneath the Surface (in under 6 minutes)

http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/tutorials/wikipedia/

North Carolina State University Librarians have created a short (under six minutes) flash movie explaining how Wikipedia works .  These librarians have cracked the surface and gone “behind the scenes” to explain how data gets in, what the guidelines are, the caveats about the authority of the authors, the scope of the information, and the authority of the information.   I found it very clear and a wonderful and useful explanation of the worth and reliability of information submitted for Wikipedia.  – Patty Williams, Foundation for Blood Research