Wicked Wikis

I just finished the wiki training on CHPL learning and this is another one of those items on the internet that I use quite frequently. In fact, I have been using Wikipedia quite frequently over the past few years. Wiki's are an excellent source for sharing information. However, the one thing that everyone needs to be aware of is that sites like Wikipedia can be written and modified by EVERYONE and not everyone will give accurate, or even factual, information. There has even been instances in the past few years of newscasters and news writers using blogs and wikis to base a particular news reports on and the information they used turned out to be false. A few of these newscasters and writers have even lost their jobs over these false stories. I have used this example to point out one of the hazzards of using wikis for research information. Unless you know the source, you need to check out the facts for yourself. Encyclopedia Wikis serve as good starting points, but it always pays to do your own research. Other types of wikis, such as our own CHPL wiki, are excellent sources for exchanging information and sharing technical details in a quick and easy manner. Others adding to the wiki contribute their own knowledge and experiences that can be shared with others. Adding lines in an wiki operations manual can be a good way for someone to shaer an easier procedure with others, or give helpful hints from their experiences.