Lesson 1. Getting to Know Wikipedia

In this lesson, you learn the history of Wikipedia and how it works.

Welcome to the World of Wikis

Wikipedia is, for many users, the primary site for information on the Web; it uses the concept of wikis to create an online encyclopedia. Hence the name, a combination of “wiki” and “encyclopedia.”

But what is a wiki?

How Wikis Work

In essence, a wiki is a collaborative database. That is, different users enter data into the database, and the database becomes a source of information for other users.

What makes a wiki different from a normal database is its collaborative nature. Instead of a single monolithic author, wikis have dozens or hundreds or even thousands of different authors, each contributing his or ...

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