Blistiki

From WeKey
Jump to navigationJump to search

See What's a wiki? for an explanation of wikis.

See Wikipedia for an explanation of weblogs.

See several other Wikipedia entries for descriptions of listservers.

Here's my take on this: When one person is writing diary-like entries meant to be read by others, it is a blog. If several people are keeping blogs on the same server and there is some dialogue going between them, it is more like a public version of the original Email listserver; we could call this a "blist", for lack of a better term. When several people want to coauthor a single document, the wiki is an ideal environment. So if several people want to engage in a dialogue where each grant the other limited editing privileges on their own postings, we need the mechanism of a wiki with a "netiquette" somewhere between that of a normal wiki and a blist. I call this setup a blistiki, and this is one.

Experience has taught me that any of these forms is extremely unstable with respect to collective behavior: a group of people who enthusiastically participate in a listserver will clam up when offered a chance to immortalize their creative efforts and/or critical analyses on a wiki, and yet a wiki that is perceived as "already established" (like the remarkable Wikipedia) will draw participation like a magnet - thoughtful, earnest and self-critical participation to boot! The Tragedy of the Commons seems not to apply to this mode of communication, for some miraculous reason.

So I fully expect to be on my own here. If anyone ever actually reads my blog-like entries, they are welcome to chime in. But, unlike in a "proper" wiki, I'd rather they didn't simply edit or delete my entries; just have your own say, and I'll decide if revisions are called for. I hope I can assume this contract for our blistiki.


Stupid or Free

Political Correctness

Give Him Some Rope!

End Slavery!

Zero Tolerance

How Bad?

The Price of Life

Premature Death

Free Speech and Tolerance

The Tyranny of Stuff

Plant Rights

Please Don't Beam Me Up!

The Evolution of God

Implications of Afterlife

You are God. Me too!

Bear Market

Requiescat Rule of Law

Wide Screen Effect

War On

Good Business

Pit Bulls