Reading about Wiki's on a basic level is great, who knew that the term WIKI came from a Hawaiian phrase meaning something fast. I also really love the idea that there are "editing wars" going on out there in cyberspace, where various people edit the same entry to alter the entry in line with their opinions. I think that Wikis are a great resource BUT, (oh yes there is a 'but') I am concerned about how kids/users use them as reputible sources of information without questioning where that information originates. Are users able to delineate between information that is informed and reputible and information that is totally subjective?
I could go on about all those post-modern arguements about history simply being one version of events, that is that everything is subjective we just dress it up as objective.
I don't know if I really agree that Wikis 'democratize' Internet, because in a library situation any online forum/ Wiki needs to be monitored for offensive content. I think it would be irresponsible of libraries to not check the content of a Wiki for racist, sexist etc. content and, as such be responsible for not sanctioning such content.
Having said all this..I use Wikipedia alot and find it very useful for quick reference enquiries. I also thought that the video explaining how Wikis work was great
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