Tech Bytes For The Tech-Starved

I'm starting a new habit of sending what I'm calling Tech Bytes; short, informative email snacks about tech. Sometimes I'll quote other articles or blogs and sometimes I'll write my own content--whatever I can to to whet the appetite or increase knowledge. My audience will be friends, family, and educators who have shown a craving or slight hunger for tech-knowledge. I don't know if anyone will actually read these but I'm sending them anyway. It's not really any different than blogging; we are compelled to do it whether someone reads or not. Here's your first byte:

More to Wikis Than Wikipediafrom THE NEW YORK TIMES
May 14, 2008 Marci Alboher

"By now pretty much all of us (and even our parents) have used Wikipedia to look something up. And my guess is that many of us know a bit about how Wikipedia works: Users, with some restrictions, can edit the encyclopedia’s posts so that it is always evolving to reflect new information and questions about accuracy.

But have you ever seen or used any other kind of wiki? If the answer is no, it may be about time to add wikis to the tools you use to work collaboratively with others. For those of you who say, “First she was plugging video chat, when will she realize that I don’t want to learn another new type of technology?” just indulge me. Take a few minutes to watch the video below (made by Common Craft, a company that makes lots of these nifty short videos). It will give you some ideas on why you may want to use wikis and how easy they are to set up.

As a teaser, I’ll tell you that using wikis has been known to reduce the number of e-mails you receive."

JUMP TO THE REST OF THE ARTICLE INCLUDING A SHORT VIDEO