Write it together
[June 2005] Collaborating on a document can be hard work as you send a file to and fro, work out how to incorporate the changes, deal with delays. By using the Internet though, you could experiment with a Wiki for joint efforts.
Wikipedia.
One of the best known applications of the Wiki is Wikipedia, the free-content encyclopedia that anyone can edit, with its 577,000+ articles. For Maori speakers there's also Wikipedia Maori.
In times past an encyclopedia was a big, static, expensive set of books, created by someone and published by someone else after much time-consuming research. We could search in vain for recent developments, Kiwiana or entries reflecting cultural and other minorities.
Wikipedia is an encyclopedia on the web, created by ordinary people and updated and enhanced by ordinary people. Anyone can contribute, edit existing information or create new entries. Wikipedia offers helpful guidelines and a sandbox to experiment in.
Your own Wiki.
Your group doesn't have to engage in such a huge project though, if all you want to do is to formulate your next AGM agenda or Constitution, or funding application, or submission to the local council on its new policies.
Sign up for a free Wiki at Wikispaces, which advertises itself as "a place to grow communities around the topics you care about".
Try our test Wiki.
We've set up a test Wiki you can experiment with at cnawiki.wikispaces.org/test. Just visit that page and click on the Edit page link. Now try changing some of the information and click the Save button. You've just edited the page! Click on the Help link for details on how to make headings and so on. You can create new pages, add discussion, include pictures and so on. If you own the Wiki space you can make pages somewhat private by not including them in the directory.
Other Wikis.
There are other Wiki spaces out there and you can also host your own Wiki on your own website Try our test Wiki and see if it's something your group could use.
And remember, too, you can contribute to the Wikipedia encyclopedia --- English or Maori.
The Internet started out as something we all just "consumed". These days though we don't need to be just passive consumers. Wikis are just one more way of using technology to improve the world around us.
References.