#16: Goin' To the Luau, Hon!

I'm always curious about catchy new words, like "wiki." Having checked out the PLCMC Info Tech website, I get it. "Wiki" comes from the Hawaiian phrase "wiki wiki" indicating something fast; thus, it has come to mean an easily updatable website. During LATI several years ago, I became familiar with the big one, Wikipedia.

I think it can be a "useful tool for collaborative writing, pooling knowledge or exchanging ideas, especially on a subject that changes or needs updating frequently." My reservations re this tool is the often voiced concern as to the reliability of the info. Not that all the traditional reference materials are 100% correct; however, there is a "history" of vetted resources that is comforting. (SadlyI recently got rid of my Encyclopedia Britannica & lots of its Yearbooks from my college days. They "felt" so solid.)

Here's what I found out about the wikis I explored: These are yet another "impersonal" means of communicating ideas, info, opinions, etc. By that I mean there is real human contact--no eye contact, gestures (very important if you're Italian!), scents, sounds, etc. Not my first choice of communicating.

For library use, I would defer to wikis for Reader's Advisory & Book Talking info. That's about it for now. I'll keep an open mind...

Aloha.