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What is a Wiki?
A Wiki enables documents to be written collaboratively, in a simple markup language using a web browser. A Wiki is essentially a database for creating, browsing, and searching through information, allowing the easy creation and editing of any number of interlinked Web pages, using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor, within the browser. Wikis are often used to create collaborative Web sites, to power community Web sites, and for personal note taking.
Most Wikis serve a specific purpose, and off topic material is promptly removed by the user community. Such is the case of the collaborative encyclopedia Wikipedia. In contrast, open purpose Wikis accept all sorts of content without rigid rules as to how the content should be organized. Wikis generally provide one or more ways to categorize or tag pages to support the maintenance of such sort of content.
A defining characteristic of Wiki technology is the ease with which pages can be created and updated. Generally, there is no review before modifications are accepted. Many Wikis are open to alteration by the general public without requiring them to register user accounts. Sometimes logging in for a session is recommended, to create a "Wiki-signature" cookie for signing edits automatically. Many edits, however, can be made in real-time and appear almost instantly on-line. This can facilitate abuse of the system. Private Wiki servers require user authentication to edit pages, and sometimes even to read them.
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