Comparing Wikis with Other Online Communication Tools
Wikis are toolkits for creating Web pages. Here's how a wiki differs from other forms of Internet collaborative tools, such as e-mail, blogs, bulletin boards, forums, content management systems, and Web publishing systems.
- Wikis are not e-mail. Individual e-mails share some wiki properties — they are easy to create, they can be quickly formatted, and almost anyone can create an e-mail. And, e-mail can also be used for one-to-one or multiple communication by sending mail to many people or by using mailing lists. However, e-mail lacks a central place where everyone can work at once. And e-mail also doesn't allow many authors to work on the same page or for pages to be linked. E-mails are also usually short whereas wiki pages can be as long as needed.
- Wikis are not blogs. A blog is a set of pages on which short entries are posted, usually appearing in a list with the most recent entries on top. Comments can appear attached to each posting. RSS (really simple syndication, a format for live online data feeds) feeds allow people to be notified when new blog content appears. (Note that RSS feeds can apply to any sort of content, but they seem to be wildly popular with blogs.)
Wiki pages can be made to look like blog pages, but they don't come out of the box with all the pages needed to automatically write and publish blog entries. Blogs are usually focused on one-to-many communication, but wikis are more oriented to many-to-many communication about shared content.
- Wikis are not bulletin boards or forums. Bulletin boards (sometimes called forums) are Web pages where you can ask a question, make a comment, or put forth a proposition to which others can respond. The list of comments about a topic appears in a long list of entries, which sometimes branches into subtopics.
Wiki pages can be used like bulletin boards in a style called thread mode, in which new comments are added to the bottom of a wiki page, but this is a style (not a structure) that is enforced by the wiki. In bulletin boards, the structure of the pages and the communication are always the same and cannot be changed by the people using the board.
- Wikis are not content management or Web publishing systems. Content management and Web publishing systems are general purpose engines for creating all sorts of Web sites. Like wikis, content management systems are toolkits; unlike wikis, though, they aren't governed by the rules set down to define wikis.
Almost any kind of Web site, blog, bulletin board system, and wiki can be built by a content management system. Many content management systems have extensions to allow wikis to be included in the Web sites that are built. Usually, content management systems can only be used by expert programmers, but wikis can be used right away by almost anyone.
Skype Glossary
account
1. (noun) The formal establishment of a relationship between the user and a software product that lets the user make use of the technology. 2. (noun) The representation of the details of the user’s relationship with the software, particularly showing what services of the software the reader can use.
Skype Glossary
beta version
An early version of software that is not in its final release form. Consequently, beta software is sometimes prone to quirks and bugs.
Skype Glossary
Bluetooth
A short-range technology used for transferring data wirelessly. It is commonly used for wireless mice, keyboards, and other consumer products.
Skype Glossary
call history
The record of an individual’s Skype calls.
Skype Glossary
case sensitive
An indication that software differentiates uppercase from lowercase capitalization. For example, if JohnDoe123 is a case-sensitive password, typing in JOHNDOE123 will fail.
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conferencing
Hosting or participating in calls with multiple contacts using Skype, which can also extend to landline and mobile phone calls.
Skype Glossary
CrazyTalk
A program that allows you to create animated faces that are synchronized to move as you speak.
Skype Glossary
credit
The method by which you purchase time in advance and later spend it when using various Skype features.
Skype Glossary
End User License Agreement
Sometimes referred to by the acronym EULA, the contract a user agrees to in order to be able to use a specific software. This contract, or license agreement, defines the rights and restrictions of the user regarding the software.
Skype Glossary
firewall
A security program or machine that enables users to use a computer or network while also preventing unauthorized access from other parties over the Internet.
Skype Glossary
GMT zone
The GMT — or Greenwich Mean Time — is the system by which the majority of the world sets time according to global lines of longitude, starting with 0 being the meridian that runs between the poles through Greenwich, England and all other time zones being +/- hours in relationship to the 0 meridian.
Skype Glossary
GSM
Global System for Mobile Communications are the most widely used communications standard for mobile phones in the world.
Skype Glossary
IM
Instant messaging is a form of real-time typed communication between two or more people over the Internet or another network.
Skype Glossary
PayPal
1. (noun) The service that is used to securely make financial transactions over the Internet. 2. (noun) The company that provides the service.
Skype Glossary
profile
Your online Skype identity, including information that is private, shared with your contacts, or shared with the world.
Skype Glossary
proxy settings
The settings used to connect to other computers through the Internet or another network by using a proxy server, as in a networked business environment.
Skype Glossary
Skylook
An add-in that allows you to use Skype seamlessly with Outlook.
Skype Glossary
Skype Global Rate
A single low rate that applies equally to a set of more than 30 popularly called countries, as opposed to the individual county-by country rates that are otherwise charged.
Skype Glossary
Skype Name
Your unique name on Skype that you use to sign in and that others use to contact you.
Skype Glossary
SkypeIn
Your personal Skype online number that people use to call your computer.
Skype Glossary
SkypeOut
Calls made from Skype to mobile and landline phones.
Skype Glossary
SMS
Short Message System is a communication service that allows you to send text messages to and from cell phones and other devices.
Skype Glossary
USB
1. (noun) A rectangular port — universal serial bus — on a device that enables you to connect another device to it. 2. (noun) A cable that connects devices using a USB port. 3. (noun) The technology by which the connection is accomplished.
Skype Glossary
VAT
The Value Added Tax applied in European countries to goods and services.
Skype Glossary
VoIP
The Voice over Internet Protocol technology that allows you to send voice communication over the Internet.
Skype Glossary
voucher
A certificate or number, either purchased or provided as a free promotion with phones or other devices, that can be exchanged for Skype credit.
Skype Glossary
XML
A tag-based markup language that is widely used to create documents and Web services.
Skype Glossary
ZIP files
Files that have been compressed to reduce their size, thereby making file transfer and storage faster and easier.
