Wikis

I found the information on the creation of wikis interesting, especially the ease with which it can be done. I liked the idea of using them for small group collaboration, as we did for last year’s OLA summaries. I’ve never taken an overly critical view of Wikipedia. It’s not a place to go for serious research, but it’s excellent on topics not generally considered important enough for other reference sources. I experimented with searching for information on German style board games, which my children love. I looked up Reiner Knizia, the creator and designer of many enormously popular games. Wikipedia contained a lengthy article, including a complete list of his games and links to other sites. 360 Search led to three mentions and no real information, Grolier had nothing and Biography Reference Centre had nothing. Despite its limitations, Wikipedia is a useful source for a wide variety of information.