Ok, so if you've paid attention to this blog you might have noticed that I've ruminated about wikis from time to time. It depends on the context, of course; Wikipedia has its share of problems (though I have to confess that I've worked on the entry on UPS), but in more closed groups they are a great way to share and develop materials collectively. We've used them a bit in the department and I'm using them this semester in one course as a place for students to work on draft papers.
But you can push those boundaries. New Zealand, first country to give women the right to vote, created a wiki where the public could help draft their new policing act:
Police Superintendent Hamish McCardle, the officer in charge of developing the new act, said the initiative had already been described as a "new frontier of democracy". "People are calling it 'extreme democracy' and perhaps it is," he said. It's a novel move but when it comes to the principles that go into policing, the person on the street has a good idea ... as they are a customer," he said."They've got the best idea about how they want to be policed."
New paths for democracy? Nutty cart-before-horse technophilia? Read the article here; and the wiki itself is here. It's closed down now, but you can see the record of contributions and changes.
Hat tip: Andrew Bourdon '08
