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First there were personal homepages -- but they required a lot of work to keep up to date and eventually became somewhat passé.

Then there was the blog -- a sort of online journal where people could publish their own editorials about what they found interesting or annoying. However, in all too many cases, these blogs become little more than boring windows into the boring lives of boring people.

And now there's the Wiki.

So what is a Wiki?

Well according to this FAQ page, it's "A collection of Web pages which can be edited by anyone, at any time, from anywhere".

Sounds simple enough doesn't it?

Think of a Wiki as a giant whiteboard on the web. Any passer-by can pick up a marker pen and make their mark -- or they can pick up an eraser and wipe off other people's ramblings.

Yes, it's a concept that seems remarkably akin to leaving your car parked in downtown Auckland with the keys in the ignition and the engine idling.

When you look at the graffiti that abounds on the fences, buildings and road-signs of the world's cities, you really have to wonder why anyone would put up a Wiki. Surely it's just an invitation to all the evils sods out there to come along and fill it with garbage?

But the really strange thing is that from what I've seen, most Wiki sites are remarkably free from spam, foul language and irrelevant dross.

Could it be that because there is nothing to stop the malevolent amongst us from exercising their stupidity, there's no challenge to doing so and therefore no motivation?

Or might it be that other Wiki users quickly erase all trace of such unwanted material since they, like everyone else, has the power to delete anything that appears on a Wiki page.

Now while at first glace the concept of a Wiki might seem somewhat original and revolutionary, you only have to stop and think for a moment to realise that it's actually little more than a free-format, unmoderated bulletin-board or forum system.

But then again it's more than that (now I'm confusing myself).

Take the example of the Wikipedia. Here's a site that is trying to become a valuable online resource generated by the contributions of visitors. Sort of an online encyclopedia by the people, for the people.

So far it seems to be attracting a lot of contributions with over 160,000 articles submitted to date.

I checked out the page on jet engines and it seemed to contain some useful, albeit not comprehensive information.

Of course the question that at least half of Aardvark's audience will be asking themselves is: how can anyone make money out of all this?

Well I suspect that outside of advertising banners, there aren't a lot of ways.

Maybe, over time, some Wiki sites could generate a valuable database of information that could be licensed or sold, but many of the existing ones such as Wikipedia ensure that the content posted falls under the GNU Free Documentation License, thus preventing such exploitation.

The next question I guess the other half of the audience will be asking is "should I put up a Wiki site of my own?".

My answer to that would be -- why bother? Wikis don't really belong to anyone anyway because they're free for all to use. Why not just go contribute to some other Wiki instead?

If any Aardvark readers want to share an opinion on today's column or add something, you're invited to chip in and have your say in The Aardvark Forums or, if you prefer, you can contact me directly.

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