Which Wiki is Right for You?

By Shonda Brisco -- School Library Journal, 5/1/2007

If you’ve never created a library Web page (and don’t intend to start learning HTML code anytime soon), but want your library to have a Web-presence, maybe it’s time to consider a library wiki. As more educators and librarians collaborate in an online environment, wikis (which in Hawaiian means “quick” or “very fast”) provide users with a tool that can be easily accessed, edited, and updated. As we create a more collaborative 2.0 school library environment, wikis provide an opportunity for students, teachers, parents, administrators, and community members to actively create new information for others.

There are hundreds of opinions on which wiki software is the best. One helpful guide is Wiki Matrix, which provides a comparison. Users can select wikis, evaluate the contents and features, and compare the software.

Decide ahead of time if you want to participate in a free wiki hosting site, pay a subscription cost to a provider to host your wiki, or set up the wiki yourself using your own server. For many, the ease of using a free hosting site has more advantages. In this article the wikis being evaluated are all hosted by the provider.

To learn more about how wikis are used in education and libraries, check Eric Oatman’s “Make Way for Wikis” and Gail Junion-Metz’s “If You’re Curious about Wikis” (both November, 2005).

PBWiki
pbwiki.com/

Cost PBWiki is free for 10 MB of storage files and attachments, three professional CSS designs, unlimited page revisions, no advertisements, free backup of current versions, and a secure login system. The account can be upgraded with three plans (ranging from $9.95 to $34.95 monthly); these include more storage space, additional designs, traffic statistics, RSS feeds, and custom domain names. To learn more visit pbwiki.com/tour/images/pbwikipricing.jpg

How It Works “PB” stands for “peanut butter” since PBWiki claims it’s as easy to use as making as a peanut butter sandwich. As a fast, custom-coded hosted wiki solution, PBWiki is one of the most popular choices. With clean and simple pages, PBWiki is geared toward educators. Using either the protected public or the private wiki with a password, you can write as easily on a wiki as on the chalkboard. PBWiki provides for custom sub domain, encrypted logins, and both Wikitext and WYSIWYG formats (WYSIWYG stands for “What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get” and is similar to creating a word document). There is additional support through e-mail and a user support forum.

Some of the features include RSS alerts, HTML support, built-in search capabilities, file storage options between 10 MB for free users to 1000 MB for premium users, revision history, one-click ability to backup the wiki, SSL encrypted access, three premade skins for free users and unlimited customization for premium users, as well as free e-mail support.

PBWiki has gotten easier with the new “Point and Click” editing option for word document-style editing; users can easily add content; underline, italicize, or bold words; and insert images, links, tables, and plugins without the use of special codes. Generating a wiki takes only a few steps, which includes naming the wiki and providing the wiki creator’s name and a password. An e-mail is generated for the administrator to access and a link is provided to begin editing or adding content.

Contributors selected by the wiki administrator can add pages, upload files, and edit content through the use of a password. Any changes made to the wiki are automatically generated in an email format to the wiki administrator.

PBWiki allows educators to create a syllabus online in minutes and share it immediately. Through the use of tagging, users can quickly locate specific information without browsing the SideBar.

Pros PBWiki has been listening to educators. An ad-free wiki can be requested by simply clicking the settings link and designating the wiki for educational use. The WalkieTalkie Widget (created by YackPack) allows a wiki contributor to voice chat online with the wiki creator. (See a video example at blip.tv/file/196824)

As the wiki administrator, you have the ultimate control of the administrative password changes. Through administrative authority, pages can be deleted or changed and passwords can be disabled for moderators, contributors, and readers.

In addition, the ability to add content through plugins (that include video content that can be uploaded from TeacherTube, YackPack voice chat options, photos, and other content) provides a new dimension to an already interactive product.

Cons It doesn’t take long before the storage allocations within the free package are filled, especially if several files, videos, or other media content are uploaded. As a result, the free package available for many educators may not be adequate for long-term use and upgrading may quickly become necessary.

Report Card Even with the storage limitations within the free wiki package, PBWiki offers some unique options. As one of the first wikis, PBWiki continues to move forward to provide educators with an opportunity to work beyond the traditional four walls of the classroom or library. For these efforts, PBWiki deserves an A.

WikiSpaces
www.wikispaces.com

Cost A basic subscription for Wikispaces is free, supports an unlimited number of users, and provides 2 GB of storage, a 10 MB file size, WYSIWYG editing, and standard features. Premium subscriptions ranging from $5 to $100 per month provide up to 40 GB of storage, no advertisements, your own domain name, and full privacy.

In January, Wikispaces began a free Plus Plan for K-12 teachers to encourage them to experience wikis. Now Wikispaces is giving away 100,000 free K-12 Plus wikis. That includes all the features and benefits that normally cost $50 per year. Go to www.wikispaces.com/site/for/teachers100K for a list of the different plans, visit www.wikispaces.com/site/pricing.

How It Works Creating a wiki using WikiSpaces is easily done by providing the user’s name and email address, the name of the wiki, and deciding whether it will be public or private. By using the Plus Plan, a private wiki is available that provides access to a small group of users.

Once the wiki is created, the administrator receives a link that allows her to access the page content controls on the left-hand side of the wiki page. Space settings (or descriptions) allow the administrator to describe the contents of the wiki (such as a book club wiki), while additional settings such as space permissions allows you to include the e-mail addresses and names of those who can access and edit the wiki.

Navigation is through the left-hand side of the page and includes adding new pages, reviewing recent changes, and managing the wiki. By clicking Managing Space you can see the pages added to the wiki, list and upload files, check usage statistics, import a blog entry, manage or change the wiki template, and backup the content.

Pros Obviously, Wikispaces’ Plus Plan provides much more flexibility and user-friendly options than the regular free plan. The availability of 2 GB of ad-free space is a bonus. Additional options include customization by changing the template themes, adding customized colors, creating contents to CSS style sheets, and adding a personal or school logo to the front page.

Other unique options allow users to embed media into the wiki which can allow for immediate access to online resources and tools that might otherwise be difficult or awkward to access. For example, embedding a podcast or a streaming video can easily provide users with a one-stop access point for information or resources. This can create a great public relations tool between the school library and the parents or the community. (Examples of educational uses of Wikispaces by instructors can be found at: http://www.educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/Examples+of+educational+wikis).

Cons Even with all of the customized content, getting accustomed to WikiSpaces may be a bit awkward for new users. Wiki users who are not accustomed to RSS feeds, integrating blogs into wikis, or embedding media may not immediately access these elements.

However, while Wikispaces offers the ability to utilize complex elements, users can learn these techniques through the Help button. Educators can click into the Help for K-12 Teachers section as well. With practice, Wikispaces can easily be utilized for classroom instruction or library programs.

Report Card Wikispaces provides a unique and protected wiki environment for educational collaboration. As an incentive to increase the use of wikis in schools, WikiSpaces has created a great opportunity by upgrading their storage and eliminating advertisements. For these efforts, WikiSpaces deserves an A+.

Wetpaint
www.wetpaint.com

Cost Wetpaint is free of charge and provides for unlimited storage, bandwidth, and users.

How It Works To practice working in a wiki environment before actually creating one, Wetpaint invites everyone to the Sandbox (http://www.wikisandbox.com)—an area to try the product before actually signing up.

If users decide to create a Wetpaint site, they name their site and then choose from a gallery of 24 different page styles. Adding content is as easy as clicking and typing. Users may add as many pages, photos, or videos as they want and track contributions made by others.

The wiki allows users to receive e-mail notifications when new information is added or changed, invite new users, and provide RSS feeds. Editing can be done by anyone anonymously, by anyone with a Wetpaint account, or only by authorizing the people that you invite—the choice is yours.

Pros To determine who might use Wetpaint as their library wiki, I searched and found Nancy Pearl’s Book Lust wiki (www.booklust.wetpaint.com). I was surprised to see how the Book Lust wiki resembled a Web page rather than a wiki.

A few more searches from the Wetpaint site and I discovered several schools that had abandoned the more commonly used Web site construction software and created their own wikis as their school’s Web page.

With 24 different templates to choose from, this wiki provides a unique opportunity to create a dynamic and interesting site. In addition, with the ability to change the wiki name at any time and upload an image to the home page banner, Wetpaint offers many options.

Once the wiki is created, a Wetpaint orientation provides more information about how to use the wiki features. Through the settings link, the administrator can easily adjust the template and style, check the site statistics, decide who can contribute, or customize the URL. Contributors or readers can easily search the wiki using keyword tags or bookmark the wiki through Del.icio.us, Digg, Blue Dot, or StumbleUpon.

Through the Help link, wiki contributors can quickly review the Questions Asked page, add information, or upload documents.

Cons While Wetpaint provides a wealth of storage space and options for a collaborative community, it contains advertisements that can be distracting in an educational environment. However, for those groups working on larger projects that involve uploading large files, Wetpaint can provide the space and resources necessary for collaboration, all free of charge.

Report Card For a large forum for collaboration, Wetpaint provides a unique environment that can easily accommodate users at the high school level or beyond; however, for younger groups or new users, Wetpaint may be too distracting. Overall, Wetpaint deserves an A.

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