H. G. Wells’ World brain [1], Vannevar Bush and memex [2], Project Gutenburg, and Ted Nelson’s Project Xanadu were/are all attempts to provide broad, easily accessible encyclopedic information. Finally, in 1995, Ward Cunningham, a computer programmer, created WikiWikiWeb, a new collaborative technology for organizing information on Web sites. This book chronicles the history of information access in encyclopedic format, culminating with Wikipedia--the English-language version of Wikipedia is the world’s largest wiki.

Cunningham described his wiki application as the simplest online database that could possibly work that allows users to collaboratively produce content, add to it, update it, and edit it, all from their own browsers. Anyone with the computer know-how can set one up, and many businesses do, often through a company intranet. Wikipedia is a very large public forum wiki. According to Lawrence Lessig in the preface, “[Wikipedia] is a community with a family resemblance to lots in our world, but unlike almost anything else.” This book describes the workings of Wikipedia.

Reagle chronicles the development of Wikipedia through the eyes of history, the challenges of consensus and collaboration, and the problems that face collaboration in an open forum, in a somewhat dry but ultimately revealing study of past attempts to categorize knowledge worldwide. His analysis culminates with the wiki, a digital process that allows quick access to information, the ability to display the information on any set of topics entered by the collaborators, the ability for anyone to access the information provided by the collaborator, and the additional ability to edit what has been placed.

Reagle explains how Wikipedia is an encyclopedia that “anyone can edit.” Because of this openness, problems can ensue, such as incorrect information, the need for further information on a topic, vandalism, and legal issues. Reagle explores Wikipedia’s various methods to mitigate any problems that come up. In the end, however, Wikipedia depends on consensus and the good faith of its collaborators to be honest and fair in the development of and access to content.

For students of social phenomena, Reagle’s history is a fascinating read, especially in light of WikiLeaks (http://wikileaks.ch/). Reagle’s informative descriptions explain how technology’s availability at specific times throughout history has guided and limited the format and development of collaborative efforts. And, for anyone interested in starting a wiki, his descriptions of problems and solutions are invaluable.