Starting and Running a Wiki Website/Print version

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This short booklet is a guide on how to start a wiki website and run it, including the choice of wiki software, whether to host the wiki yourself or go for a hosted wiki, and what choices there are of hosted wikis.

Contents

Overview

Before deciding to start your own wiki, if you plan to write about something that may be of general public interest, there is a good possibility that there is already something similar online. Remember, a bigger wiki (with more participants) is often more fun. If, or rather, when you get hit by spammers and vandals, having a big community and others willing to help out can be invaluable. Perform extensive research using search engines to make sure that a suitable wiki does not already exist. A Google search for 'wiki' currently returns about 419,000,000 results; duplicating efforts is very unhelpful - it only means some helpless soul will end up confusing the two wikis at some point in the future.

Some good places to find out if a wiki already exists include:

Hosting - self or external

If you still want to run your own wiki, you will either need to run your own web server or have someone else manage a server for you.

  • "from scratch": you install whatever wiki engine you choose. You control everything. (Either on your own hardware, or on any suitable web host).
  • "hosted wiki": most technical decisions and support issues are handled by someone else, and you handle the social aspects of growing the wiki.

If you already have a web server, but your web host does not specifically say they host Wikis (for free or a fee) just see if they support the scripting language that the Wiki software you want to run requires. Many wikis require just PHP, Perl, or some other common server-side scripting language that most web hosts provide. Other wikis require a database (e.g. MySQL database) and/or have other requirements.

Self-hosting

For more power and flexibility or for business applications, many people will want to serve their own wikis. This requires considerably more knowledge about how wikis work and especially about wiki software.

Business Environments

Especially in business environments, administrators may be interested in Wiki security. Many people believe that nobody who is granted read access should be denied write access or wikis lose their power, but there are times when administrators will want to restrict which users are allowed to access a wiki.

Another consideration in business environments and other large organizations is whether or not the wiki software can interface with other logins. E.g. Twiki can get the username from Windows NT, allowing users username level access without a login. Such schemes allow the benefits of usernames without discouraging users from participating by making them log in.

Businesses may choose to outsource the hosting of the wiki environment. For intranet installations, companies such as SocialText offer a hardware-based "appliance" solution. For customization, design or production of wiki projects, companies such as Wiki Studios offer professional wiki services to business, non-profit organizations and branches of government.

Customizing software

One of the benefits of hosting a wiki oneself is the ability to recode the wiki software. For an example of this, see Sensei's Library. The administrators of Sensei's added Go markup functionality to their software for easy illustration of Go boards and pieces.

Choosing the wiki software

There are more than one hundred wiki engines available. Some good starting points is to read Comparison of wiki software, Top Ten Wiki engines, WikiMatrix comparison table.

TODO

TODO
This chapter is a stub and needs to expanded. Choosing Wiki software is an important part of starting a wiki.

Hosted Wikis

There are companies that host Wikis for free or for a price. This means that you do not have to deal with complex programs like Ruby, PHP, MySQL, or Apache. The wiki host will do this for you.

Beware! Some hosts delete wikis without notice. Make sure you are saving your own backup copy of the data in your wiki. Some hosts make it easy to download everything you would need to run your wiki somewhere else, by using an open source wiki engine and providing backup dumps with full edit histories. Other hosts lock you in more, e.g. with proprietary wiki markup languages, proprietary wiki engines, or limited backups.

Free wiki hosting

Comparisons of wikifarms can be found here on Wikipedia, and here at editthis.info, and below.

@Wiki(Atwiki)
Includes a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) and Wiki-mode editor. Users receive a sub-domain and personal wiki upon signup. Unlimited pages and users.English documentation is minimal and it is unclear how to backup pages. Now allows MediaWiki-like monobook.
ClearWiki
Extremely easy to use. Includes WYSIWYG editing, raw HTML editing, blogs, RSS feeds, to-do lists, meta-tagging, bookmarks, comments/discussions, member directory, access control lists, document management, full-text search inside content and common files (eg MSOffice), version history of content and files. Free wikis, advert supported wikis, and subscription wikis available.
Cospire
Includes a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor, category tree, annotations, article ratings, member profiles/reputations, and options on article and member permissions. Although current advertising is limited, ads might be added sidebars to cover hosting expenses.
Deki wik.is
Designed to balance ease-of-use with rich features, Deki Wiki allows you to create, organize, aggregate, and mashup information. With our WYSIWYG editor and XHTML diffing, Deki Wiki eliminates the need for complex knowledge of technical wiki markup in order to contribute content. Under the hood, you'll find a wide variety of extensions, the mashup framework for embedding content from diverse web services including Google, Yahoo!, and Microsoft Live.
Frihost
Free webhosting that supports most wikis. Manual installation of a wiki is required. No ads and users receive their own subdomain. Users need to be active at the forum to keep their wiki.
GForge
People who put their source code at GForge also get a free associated wiki.
infogami.com
Hosting based on a custom Python-based engine. Fast setup. No banner ads. New wiki receive their own subdomain. Features: customizable templates; Fine-grained permissions; activity graphs; built-in weblog.
Intodit
User friendly WYSIWYG Editing, Custom Page Hierarchies, Comment and Reply Forums, Page Locking, Keyword Search, Skins, RSS, Profiles, Site Activity Report, Widget Support e.g. YouTube and Google Video.
MemeBot
Hosting based on Oddmuse. FTP and CGI access allows expert users to customize their configuration. Users receive their own sub-domain.
Netcipia
Free public and private wikis, with blog feature. 2GB per wiki created, no time limit, no # users limit, myNetcipia to manage the list of wikis created. Right management, wysiwyg editor, spaces, RSS, comments, attachments, code. Not showing Unicode characters properly in the source yet due to the limitation of XWiki. Non-Western users may have to wait for this issue to be solved.
OddWiki
Hosts wikis up to a certain size with no advertising. Based on the MotherWiki concept. Simple support for backup and migration to your own Oddmuse wiki.
PeanutButterWiki (PBwiki)
Public or private ad-supported wikis. Offers quick setup, SSL logins, RSS 2.0 & Atom 1.0 feeds, .ZIP backups, subdomains, 3 free "skins", and 10 Mb of file upload space. No limits on number of pages, number of wikis, or page size. Paid wikis remove ads, get 1000MB-5000MB of storage, offer full-encrypted sessions, and CSS customization. Wikis use a simple shared edit password to prevent spam; paid users can set different passwords for reading, editing, deleting, and admin.
ScribbleWiki
ScribbleWiki is now down, permanently.
SeedWiki
Has hosted free and paid wikis since 2001 using open source software. Supports WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editing, bare-bone editing, backup capabilities, subdomains, and CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) support. Some of the locking/membership/DNS features are only available for paid accounts. The code base can only run on a proprietary Bluedragon CFML J2EE server or a proprietary Coldfusion MX J2EE server (although it's currently being ported to some other more open platforms).
ServerSideWiki
Collect notes, todos, personal information, you name it. Based on TiddlyWiki. Hosts free and paid wikis.
SourceForge
People who put their source code at SourceForge also get a free associated wiki.
TiddlySpot
Public or private access to wikis based on TiddlyWiki yet fully compatible with MonkeyPirateTW, MonkeyGTD and d3 plugins. Brilliant for notes, todos, follow-ups. Easy for download, edit off-line and keep the online version up-to-date, or even easier to edit on-line (password protected). Hosts free wikis.
WetPaint
True WYSIWYG Editing, Custom Page Hierarchies, Comment and Reply Forums with Comment Ratings, Access Control, Keyword Search, Tags, Tag Filtering, Skins, RSS, Page Locking, Profiles, Site Activity Report, Page and Comment Watching, Uploading YouTube Videos.
Wikia
Community support and development through advertising-supported wiki hosting. Uses the MediaWiki engine with WYSIWYG editing, easy image and video insertion, and a number of extensions. Wikis are community owned, not owned by the person "founding" the wiki. All content is freely licensed under the GFDL to make it compatible with the Wikimedia projects. See Start a new Wikia to create a wiki instantly. Offers free database backups, full CSS customization, spam blacklisting and vandal patrol, help from Community Team.
Wikidot
Offers free Wiki sites in the wikidot.com subdomain and 1 free custom domain mapping. Uses the modified Text_Wiki engine to produce valid XHTML. Growing number of extensions. Several available licenses (Creative Commons, GFDL and others), customizable themes, AJAX interface, no size/traffic limits, full-text search, RSS import and export (for page changes, forum discussions, favorite items, account notifications etc.) and many more features.
Wikihost
Hosting using the GeboGebo engine with all its features (as AutoLink, RSS-Feeds, file and image uploads, etc...). Supported by Google text ads. Offers a scriptable export function for backups.
WikiLot
Wikilot closed down in August 2008. Afterwards, domain and backup data have been purchased by Wikia to offer a new home to the wikis that were hosted there.
Wiki-site.com
MediaWiki with WYSIWYG farm with unlimited pages and users, wiki spam protection user rights control. Interface in 150 languages. Fast setup. A free *.wiki-site.com domain is offered. Google text-ads added to the right sidebar.
Wikispaces
Public (free), protected (paid for), and private (paid for) wikis. Includes WYSIWYG and plain wikitext editing and a personalized sub-domain. Supported by text ads; no limitations on number of pages, members, or space usage. Includes integrated discussion areas and RSS feeds for page changes and messages. Backups of current content available through the site in zip or tgz form. Backups of historical information available by request. Run by Tanigent LLC using proprietary wiki software.
Wiki Spot
Public wikis (free) intended for a community, be it a city, common interest, field of study, or project with several participants. (No private or commercial wikis, please.) Hosted by a non-profit organization supported by donations, you can host your wiki in an established wiki community that can help you out with your project. No advertising, user accounts work on all wikis, use bookmarks and track changes across multiple wikis. Customizable CSS by wiki and user CSS. Simple, intuitive syntax. No limits on pages/disk space. RSS feeds available on all pages. Easy to create a wiki and configure settings. Run on Sycamore, creative commons licensing.
Wikkii
Free wiki hosting allowing full back-end control with FTP and Cpanel access. Wiki farm service also available.
XWiki
Hosting based on the XWiki engine. Features include quick group editing, version control of documents, attached files, searching, wiki syntax, and rights management). Pages can be exported to PDF. Full MySQL exports can be provided by the host admin and installed using the open source XWiki engine.

While most hosts have everything you need to host your wiki, the following specialize in wikis.

  • A2 Hosting offers both MediaWiki Hosting and TikiWiki Hosting for as low as $4.95/month.Both can be installed easily with Fantastico.
  • BrainKeeper Hosted wiki software geared toward corporations.
  • Canities Hosting Services MoinMoinWiki hosting for study/work groups, companies and individuals
  • CDO Provides MediaWiki hosting with every account.
  • Central Desktop business team collaboration and lightweight project management (hosted Wiki).
  • CourseForum/ProjectForum, this software is available for a modest monthly or annual fee and suits small-scale wikis for clubs, societies, small companies, etc.
  • [Http://www.brainkeeper.com/ BrainKeeper] Hosted wiki software geared toward corporations. * [Http://canities.net/ Canities Hosting Services] MoinMoinWiki hosting for study / work groups , companies and individuals
  • CDO Provides MediaWiki hosting with every account.
  • Central Desktop business team collaboration and lightweight project management ( hosted Wiki).
  • CourseForum / ProjectForum, this software is available for a modest monthly or annual fee and suits small-scale wikis for clubs, societies, small companies, etc.
  • cyberwebhosting.de MediaWiki hosting is possible with every account (2.50 euro/month).
  • EditMe offers full-featured wiki hosting from $ 4.95/mo.
  • Hostingplex offers auto-install of PHPWiki, TikiWiki & support for MediaWiki.
  • Justhost offer auto-install of TikiWiki, PHPWiki, plus full support
  • Netcipia beside its free public and private wikis, Netcipia offers also dedicated servers to build your own dedicated wiki farm for your intranet/extranet, with an LDAP directory manager. Doesn't support wiki markups.
  • [Http://www.hostingplex.com/ Hostingplex] offers auto-install of PHPWiki, TikiWiki & support for MediaWiki.
  • [Http://www.netcipia.com Netcipia] beside its free public and private wikis, Netcipia offers also dedicated servers to build your own dedicated wiki farm for your intranet / extranet, with an LDAP directory manager. $149/month.
  • PeanutButterWiki provides enhanced features over their free hosting for a fee. $ 149/month.
  • [Http://www.pbwiki.com/ PeanutButterWiki] provides enhanced features over their free hosting for a fee.Run by David Weekly.
  • ProjectLocker provides secure business-oriented Wiki hosting.
  • SeedWiki provides enhanced features over their free hosting for a fee.They no longer offer free Wikis as of 2008
  • Site Ground offers hosting for MediaWiki, TikiWiki, DokuWiki. Run by David Weekly.
  • [Http://www.projectlocker.com ProjectLocker] provides secure business-oriented Wiki hosting.
  • [Http://www.seedwiki.com/ SeedWiki] provides enhanced features over their free hosting for a fee. They no longer offer free Wikis as of 2008
  • Site Ground offers hosting for MediaWiki, TikiWiki, DokuWiki. The company offers free installation of the wiki software and a free domain name. The company offers free installation of the wiki software and a free domain name. " onmouseout="_tipoff()">Here you can check SiteGround MediaWiki Tutorial (You have to do the installation yourself following their guide).
  • Micfo.com offer affordable hosting solution starting from $9.95/month.
  • Socialtext hosts wikis for non-profit and for commercial use.
  • wikidev.net provides MediaWiki-hosting on dedicated servers. Here you can check SiteGround MediaWiki Tutorial (You have to do the installation yourself following their guide).
  • [Http://www.micfo.com/ Micfo . com] offer affordable hosting solution starting from $ 9.95/month.
  • Socialtext hosts wikis for non-profit and for commercial use. * wikidev.net provides MediaWiki-hosting on dedicated servers. " onmouseout="_tipoff()">Run by Gabriel Wicke.
  • Wikispaces offers private and advertising free hosted wikis for $5 a month or $50 a year along with free public hosted wikis. * Vistapages offers installation of TikiWiki, PhpWiki & required modules for MediaWiki to run.
  • [1] Lety's you link pages to gether by telling people what that wiki has created by talling people what to search for. Run by Gabriel Wicke.
  • [Http://www.wikispaces.com/ Wikispaces] offers private and advertising free hosted wikis for $ 5 a month or $ 50 a year along with free public hosted wikis .
  • Vistapages offers installation of TikiWiki, PhpWiki & required modules for MediaWiki to run.
  • [2] Lety's you link pages to gether by telling people what that wiki has created by talling people what to search for.

Choosing a License

Before you start a wiki, it is essential to choose a suitable license. Once users start contributing to a wiki in which the license is not clearly specified, you may run into a licensing nightmare, having to track the authors of content without proper license.

The licenses proper to a wiki include:

  • FDL. GNU Free Documentation License, used by Mediawiki projects. Beware that his license is incompatible with GNU General Public License. Choosing a GNU GPL for a wiki is unfortunate, as it has been designed for software, not for texts in human language.
  • Creative Commons. One of the Creative Commons licenses
  • Combination of the two
  • PD. Public domain license, the least restrictive license.

According to some interpretations of the law, it may be illegal to ever change the copyright license of a wiki without getting explicit, written consent from everyone who has ever posted on the wiki, unless the copyright license itself has explicit provisions for changing the license.

The public domain license is the only license that lets you change the license later. If you or your users later decide they want some license other than public domain, you might want to check out the license comparisons in Further reading.

Further reading

Links

External links:

Glossary

TODO

Editor's note
Please add only verified terms.

This is a glossary of the book.

W

wiki 
TODO
wiki engine 
The software that runs a particular wiki website, such as Mediawiki.
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