Why wiki's are so popular

Wikis have quickly become popular as they emerge on the wide open spaces of the Internet. What started off rather quietly has taken the global Internet society by storm as people come together to work on a platform in the spirit of teamwork.

Prior to the materialization of the Internet being formed, collaboration was bit of a challenging process, but with the increasingly popular presence of the wiki, this has all changed. With the wiki, Internet users find themselves offered an interesting option to participate on many websites.

WHY WIKI?
With the capabilities to network, people come together through the use of computers, all it takes is an Internet connection and a few clicks of the mouse to embark upon a collective effort, and the wiki helps foster this goal.

Collaborative works have never been easier and the wiki has made this process pretty convenient and painless. The wiki is a tool which has been established on the basis of being "open" which means anyone can add information, make changes or edit work already added; it is a true shared effort.

The wiki is unlike most web pages which are controlled by a webmaster or other designated person to approve changes, suggestions or other various aspects of adding content. With the wiki, there is no need to submit changes or suggestions to a webmaster for approval or to ask permission to make an entry. Instead the fundamental establishment of the wiki is based on freedom to add, edit and refine written work.

POPULAR WITH USERS
Many people using wiki love it because the process of reading and editing is combined and it's a quick way to work (Brian Lamb, EDUCAUSE Review, 2004). In fact, the word "wiki" is taken from the Hawaiian word meaning "quick", which aptly describes what is involved in using a wiki. Putting up a page is a rather fast process.

This capability offers a feeling of empowerment because users are not constrained by access restrictions, denied access or having to work on strict designated procedures. Instead, with wiki there is a definite feeling of freedom for users and many find this a very attractive benefit. Who likes to be confined in a project they enjoy working on? Most people would say they prefer autonomy and the ability to work freely.

An attractive attribute of the wiki is how users don't have to be expert programmers nor do they need to learn complicated programming languages to interact; instead the wiki uses a simplified and stripped version of hypertext markup anguage (HTML) which makes it much easier even for the novice user. This is probably one of the more prevalent reasons and advantages people like to use the wiki format.

Another reason wikis are popular is because they are traditionally immersed in community values where people come together to work with a common goal in mind. The joint efforts of many produce a viable product which is an open portal to share information. Projects are never "finished" because there is never an end to the revision process if someone sees fit to make a change, a true work in progress. People who engage in wiki communities traditionally are problem solvers at heart and like to share information they are knowledgeable about.