cogdogblog: What the Wiki is Happening? A Blank Wall, Free Spray Paint, and .... Comments and Trackbacks

CDB Entry: What the Wiki is Happening? A Blank Wall, Free Spray Paint, and ....

Tue, 08 Jun 2004 22:28:06 -0700

We're closely watching the NMC 2004 presentation on "Small Pieces Loosely Joined" wiki, checking the changes.. but beyond a few individuals, it is a pretty quiet place. Okay, so I wrote a bit harshly on Martin for his own thoughts...

comment by: Scott Leslie

Wed, 09 Jun 2004 08:47:48 -0700

Are there not perhaps other lessons to draw from the lack of contributions to the wiki other than we are all lazy or busy? Could it be that asking a bunch of bloggers to use a wiki runs counter to their need to possess/publish their *own* words? Could it be that wiki spaces that are already somewhat well populated intimidate people from adding to them, especially when they're to be used for a presentation? Could it be that a wiki is just another technology like a disucssion board, and similar to a dicussion board can flop for many reasons, none of them having to do with it being a wiki?

What's interesting to me is that the discussion topic has been framed around whether using centralized or decentralized approaches is the right way, and yet the presentation itself, and the technologies supporting it, seem to me to clearly already have decided that using 'loosely coupled' or decentralized technologies is the best approach, and rather than promoting debate are themselves *advocating* for this approach. Is this tension, between debate and advocacy, possibly not also one of the reasons for the phenomenom you're commenting on?

Just a thought, now I'd better go add something to the wiki ;-) Cheers, Scott.

comment by: Alan Levine

Wed, 09 Jun 2004 10:02:02 -0700

Ahh, you nailed us, Scott. Sure the "topic" chosen conflicts with our approach, but the point is not to really decided if centralists or de-centralists is better, but to play the game. We chose s stupid topic just to polarize people.

It looks like you could have done which is better, Blogs, Wikis, or CMS-es? or Mac vs PC vc Linux? or Coke vs Pepsi vs Dr Pepper??

comment by: Scott Leslie

Wed, 09 Jun 2004 16:19:05 -0700

Clearly you're joking Alan; who could argue that there's anything better that using a CMS on a PC while drinking a Coke!

comment by: Seb

Sat, 19 Jun 2004 07:53:25 -0700

I think wikis are so hard to take off that the right question to ask is, why _should_ it happen?

Trackback from "It's so easy to miss the Wiki "sweet spot""

Wed, 09 Jun 2004 04:28:26 -0700

Excerpt: I've been silently following the progress of the NMC 2004 Wiki/blog/presentation/project (What it actually is, defies description). As a long-time Wiki fan, blogger, and educator I h...

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