The Rise And Rise Of Wikis

A Quick Way To Influence

The word wiki is a Hawaiian word that means ‘quick’. However in its more common usage the word wiki typically defined as a website or database developed in a collaborative way by a community of users, professionals or general enthusiasts on any general or specific topic, where any or all of the users are able to add and edit content within the database.

I.M.D.B.

Over the last twenty to thirty years we have seen the development and growth of some of the most impressive and powerful of the wikis.   This last week has seen the twenty fifth anniversary of the launch of one of the world’s great wikis in IMDB i.e. The Internet Movie Data Base.

Perhaps as you read this post you can remember twenty years ago when you were buying your home computer you would always ask for a copy of Cinemania thrown in. Well these days of course there is no longer a Cinemania option and what you’ll find is that in the same way Wikipedia (the world’s biggest and best known wiki) put Encarta out of business by the end of 2009.

Cloud Based

The reason for the inevitable demise of these other, formally highly sought after products is simple. When you bought the product you would get a CD or DVD that would from the moment of its release, start to become more and more out of date.  Whereas these remarkable wikis being cloud based are able to be update and refined perpetually and on an ongoing basis, ensuring that the users are always being provided with the most important, relevant and timely information available on that topic and not something that is up to a year out of date.

Editorial Standards

Over time there has also been a pleasing and steady improvement over time that has also been seen in regards to the editorial standards of wikis as well that for me was highlighted by the recent announcement that Wikipedia is now though to be as accurate in its content accuracy as The doyen of encyclopaedia, The Encyclopaedia Britannica. This progressive development has then meant that not only is the information updated and more relevant than other more traditional options but now with a comparable level of accuracy and therefore reliability.

Commercial Applications

The commercial applications for a wiki have only really began to be explored and what is clear is that over time, such a data base can become a key focal point for a specific market or sub market and can have the power to attract, educate and ultimately influence in a positive way thousands and perhaps even millions of target audience members that require some remedy related to your businesses’ are of expertise and focus.

 To learn more about Wikis or any other aspect of social media please join me in any of the upcoming VECCI business courses with a full listing at:
 http://www.vecci.org.au/business-solutions/training/short-courses/marketing-sales-and-service/social-media-fundamentals

So until next time we meet, good luck and good marketing.
Regards,
Daniele.