Wiki Way, The: Collaboration and Sharing on the Internet

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Product Description

Wiki discussion servers offer an exceptionally flexible, open source solution for a wide range of collaborative applications. Wiki offers simplicity, broad compatibility with current technologies and standards, and remarkably low cost. Now, there's a complete guide to deploying and managing Wiki servers, co-authored by Wiki's creator Ward Cunningham. The Wiki Way begins with an overview of discussion servers and their applications, and an introduction to Wiki's capabilities and components. The authors walk through installing Wiki, covering key Apache configuration and security issues; then introduce basic procedures for browsing, editing, content development, markup, and structuring Wiki content for diverse applications. The book also presents numerous case studies showcasing Wiki technology in action. An accompanying CD-ROM and companion web site at http://wiki.org/ provide the latest Wiki source code for multiple platforms.

Amazon.com Review

Suitable for system administrators or managers seeking an affordable content-management solution, The Wiki Way shows off how to take advantage of Wiki collaborative software, which allows users to post and edit content remotely. This book is all you need to get up and running with this exciting (and free) way to build and manage content.

This text is first and foremost a guide to what Wiki software is and how to install, customize, and administer it within your organization. Early sections discuss the advantages of Wiki Web sites, which allow all users to add and edit content. While it might sound like a free-for-all, the authors suggest such Web sites have been used successfully in research, business, and education to document project designs, for brainstorming, and for otherwise creating content in a collaborative fashion. Case studies for such organizations as Georgia Tech, New York Times Digital, and Motorola give a glimpse of Wiki used in real settings, so you will get a sense of what to expect.

This book is also a guide to the nuts and bolts of downloading and installing Wiki and customizing it for your site. Sections on basic tweaks to Wiki's Perl scripts will let you customize your site to match your organization's needs. Standout material includes almost three dozen customization tips. This volume is illustrated with actual screen shots of Wiki, so you can get a sense of what it is like for users to work together in such an unrestricted fashion.

Throughout the text, the authors are suitably upbeat about Wiki's prospects for wider adoption, but they are realistic enough to note compromises (such as requiring passwords and restricting edit rights) required in business settings. They also survey the field of Wiki open-source projects and clones, as well as other similar content-management solutions (such as Zope and the emerging WebDAV standard).

While it's hard to predict whether Wiki-based Web sites are for everyone, this book presents the pros and cons of a potentially exciting and useful tool that promotes collaborative content creation. This title can help any organization get going with a Wiki Web site, from the standpoint of planning, deployment, and basic administration. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:

• Collaboration tools explained
• Web-based collaboration
• WebDAV
• Introduction to Wiki
• User conventions with Wiki
• Survey of Wiki open-source projects and clones
• Installing Wiki (including Apache Web Server and security issues)
• Using Wiki (making notes, Wiki used as a PIM, content management and links, page editing)
• How to structure Wiki content (suggested default structure: pros and cons)
• Customizing Wiki
• Tour of Wiki Perl scripts and tips for customizing your Wiki site
• Wiki add-ons (including spellchecking and uploading files)
• Administration in Wiki (viewing events, controlling access and authentication, database administration, and debugging techniques)
• Guidelines for Wiki projects (dos and don'ts)
• Wiki case studies for education
• Business and research