An additional difference between a wiki and a faq.

Usually a faq is owned by someone - a person who adds stuff and updates 
the single file.

A wiki is a nest of web pages that all relate to a topic. Anyone - 
perhaps from a list of members - can update any page any time. Wikipedia 
is the biggest wiki, but there are wikis for many other areas.

For example, anyone on old tools with an interest in metal spinning 
could build a few pages on that within the wiki. All the topics we 
discuss on old tools could gradually migrate into the wiki and people 
would go to the wiki before asking a question.

Each wiki page can have an associated discussion and issues pages - 
where people hash out how best to present the material.

It is an online mechanism that allows a geographically separate group of 
people to collaborate on a project.

Brent

On 2012-10-11 14:01, Bill Taggart wrote:
>
> On 10/11/2012 4:29 PM, Zachary Dillinger wrote:
>> For those of us who are prematurely old and afraid of technology, can
>> someone explain exactly what a "wiki" is and how it differs from a
>> good old fashioned FAQ?
>
> A FAQ typically provides answers to "frequently asked questions" about
> the forum/mailing list/website itself. It's sort of a beginner's/users
> guide to what the forum/mailing list/website is all about and how to use
> it.
>
> A wiki is a repository of accumulated information and more encyclopedic,
> to be used as a reference source. It's more of an agglomeration of
> accumulated knowledge on the subject matter.
>
> - Bill T.
> - Who thinks a lot of these issues would be neatly answered by going to
> a forum format, but who also knows there are a lot of list members who
> are strongly against that...

-- 
Victoria, B.C., Canada
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