ClappingTree’s Web 2.0

CONFERENCE-BASED WIKIS seem to be the “in” thing nowadays. Did a simple Google search on “conference wiki” and straightaway I get 35,600 English pages for “conference wiki”. :-p

Yes, perhaps not all will be the kind of conference wikis that I’m thinking of. But a quick sampling yields the names of many conferences:

• X-Tech 2005 – May
• Canadian Library Association (CLA) Calgary 2005 – June
• ALA Chicago 2005 – ALA Chicago Wiki – June
• “What The Hack 2005″ conference – July
• OpenEducation2005 – OpenContentWIki – September
• Web 2.0 Conference – October
• WikiSym 2005 – October

AND THE LATEST conference wiki is — Learning 2005. Eliot Masie’s latest newsletter announced:

“A Program as a Wiki: We have placed our entire Conference Program in an interactive wiki. This means that every session is open for comments, extensions and even revisions by our attendees. Quite a difference from a printed traditional program. In the last few days, we have had hundreds of people start to extend the program, volunteer to co-facilitate and add their perspectives. This is evolving the program from an agenda
publication to a dynamic needs assessment and content evolution tool.”

Sure wonder which one was the first conference wiki of them all.

Personally, while attending the eAgenda 2005 conference organized by NTU last August, the thought of using wikis for conferences first crossed my mind. I was supposed to be a scribe for the two-day conference. Ended up bringing my own notebook PC and started entering personal notes on the conference into my wiki. And I couldn’t help thinking, “How wonderful it’d be if all attendees enter their comments/notes into a common wiki.”

And it is happening now — all over the world!