Wiki'd

Welcome to the New Year—well, almost. If I have been a silent blogger, it's because, in addition to preparing for the holidays, I've been boning up on how to start a nit-picky Wiki. I say "nit-picky" only because, like some of the aspects of blogging, there are various little things you have to fiddle with to make page navigation easier and to make the Wiki at least sort of visually appealing (and I do mean sort of). On a difficulty level, Wikis are about the same as blogs (but, again, more nit-picky). As far as flexibility and visual artistry, I am not thrilled with the Wiki medium. But, hey, maybe I just have a lot to learn.

Meanwhile, please check out the results of my fiddling by taking a peak at Collection Management's new Reader's Advisory Wiki. You will find there a featured review by non-fiction selector Gail Goodrick, links to blogs by KRL selectors, links to reviews, some really cool book sites, and more. Now, before you say nay to our site or to anything you find or don't find on it, I hope you will remember we are just getting this going. This is our first stab at this and as such, fully in the true nature of the Wiki concept, is a work in progress. We still have much to fix, add (such as tags), and do. Also, our capacity to have anyone change or add to the Wiki is limited right now, but we are working on it. For now, if there is anything you think we should post or add to this Wiki, please contact the Wiki administrator—oh hey, right now that's me. So e-mail me, reply to this post, or be truly wiki'd and scroll down the Wiki's front page and click on Contact Wiki Owner under the Wiki Information tab.

Still wondering "Why Wiki?" Here are a few books to peak discussion. You may not agree with everything you read in them. You may not even finish them, choosing instead to pick around in them like an after-holiday turkey. (I confess that's what I did.) Whatever your reading method, I guarantee these books will raise some questions and maybe even provide a few answers.

Wikinomics, by Don Tapscott. Can well-made Wikis impact business significantly by reducing things like email and meeting time by 50 to 75 percent? Whether it's accurate or not, this book is food for thought and definitely a window into the direction the world is taking. You may not agree with Tapscott style or his conclusions, but to ignore this phenomenon is to be left behind.

The Wisdom of Crowds, by James Surowiecki. Under the right circumstances, are groups really smarter than the smartest people in them? Read Surowiecki's 2004 study on what it takes to make a "wise crowd"—and, believe me, it isn't just everybody gets input; there needs to be, among other things, a method for aggregating all those ideas—and see if you agree with his conclusions.