Have you heard tech savvy people talking about Web 2.0? What did you suddenly think after hearing it? You couldn’t believe there are versions for web, right? Yes, same as for any other software, web also has versioning. So, what’s new in web 2.0? Answer is; a lot!
End-user controlled content for websites is one of the key features in Web 2.0. My Space, Face Book and Hi5 are some of the social networking sites with Web 2.0 features already being included. But using Web 2.0 features for knowledge sharing is some thing, that we all should recognize and appreciate. Wikipedia is all about sharing and developing knowledge.
Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia collaboratively written by many of its readers. Wikipedia runs on a special kind of website called “Wiki” exclusively developed for Wikipedia by its developers. Most of the users who refer Wikipedia are active users who write new articles and improve existing articles frequently. Any one can freely register with Wikipedia and then, they can start adding new “knowledge” content to Wikipedia with no restrictions.
When Wikipedia articles are written, the authors will have to go through a short introduction on structuring the article and formatting it. This is a must for new article writers since Wikipedia articles should adhere to higher standards and should be genuine. Just to keep the genuineness of content, Wikipedia tracks the changes made by users with the content added or altered, user registration information and user’s IP address. This way, it is easy to track users if there is any dispute over the content added.
Not all your content will stay in Wikipedia forever. Some of your articles may be improved by other users with additional information and references. Sometimes, others can challenge your articles for facts and genuineness. When such a conflict arises, Wikipedia temporary locks the article until the debate is over in the “discussion” tab of the article. Wikipedia also has its reviewers who review the articles for their standards and facts. If you do not mention enough references for what you present in your article, there is a chance that your article or a part of the article is removed.
