Week 9, Thing 17

Wikis are not technology that I was not very familiar with beofre this week. Although I had used Wikipedia before, so many of the instructors I have had demand that Wikipedia not be used at all, I really have not made use of these resources. Individual or group wikis allow people to create online pages without having to know web design- which is helpful. The library related wikis I looked at were all interesting, and definitely more convenient to update than a web page. I also like the option to have editing options blocked to non registered users.
I think a wiki lends itself especially well to topics such as book reviews and recommended reading, as well as being able to plan and organize library events. These information pieces are suited to personal opinion. The drawbacks to wikis are the potential for errors in information. As the New York Times article pointed out, false information is often posted either through error or intentionally. Wikis may be a helpful starting place in learning more about a topic, however everyone, librarians and patrons alike, need to understand that the information on a wiki is not necessarily from an expert and may be subject to errors. Thus, follow-up reading is necessary to determine if the wiki information is accurate.