Thursday, October 05, 2006
Stanford Launches Wiki for Students
byIn a unique twist on social media, Stanford University has launched a wiki on its public web site.
Modeled after Wikipedia, the Stanford Wiki can be viewed by anyone but edited only by students. It only has eight entries so far, but categories have been set up for academics, campus life, food and drink, orientation and technology topics. According to the Stanford Daily, the site was built by a computer science student who had a summer job at Wikia, a spinoff company founded by former Wikipedia employees.
As Steve Rubel points out, it’s a gutsy move by the university – but it certainly has the potential to be a valuable resource for current and prospective students and the general public. At the same time, administrators will need thick skin when editing wars begin or less-than-flattering information is posted. Regardless, it’s an effort worth monitoring.
