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Although I'm not crazy about using the word in a sentence (I think it's giving me a tumor), I can't deny just how much I owe to the Wiki-evolution that's been rolling along the great and glorious landscape of the Internet over the last few years. No longer must I wonder about the current whereabouts of Jake "The Snake" Roberts or the history of bukkake. Websites such as Wikipedia.org have taken all the pain in the ass out of doing any kind of work in hunting down this very important information. All I have to do now is utilize Wikipedia.org or some such site and hope that the information I'm being given is factual
Not the deranged ramblings of unscrupulous, lying bastards.
In all seriousness though, I'm grateful these websites exist. And I'm grateful that the vast majority of the people who contribute to Wikipedia have dedicated themselves to making it a credible, infinitely useful means of tracking down information. Useless trivia aside, because Wikipedia is indeed very useful for that, it's accomplished a couple of things. It's become a remarkable starting point for virtually any subject you might be curious about or need to know more of. Very few places stand to offer as much possibility to learn more or learn something new as Wikipedia does. It's also proven that the Internet is still capable of altering the way we seek out, absorb, and share information. For me, it's become an endlessly useful research tool in countless assignments. There's no end to how much I've come to rely on it. But even I have to admit that there's a vague possibility that this whole Wiki thing may very well be getting out of hand.
I'm just wondering if the world is that desperate for a Final Fantasy Wiki.
That's just one man's opinion.
One Wiki that has emerged in the last year or so is ZineWiki, a general database of sorts dedicated to the history, culture and continued existence of the zine.
What's a zine?
Here's how ZineWiki defines it:
A zine - pronounced zeen - derived from magazine - is an independently- or self-published booklet, often created by a single person. Zines are customarily created by physically cutting and gluing text and images together onto a master flat for photocopying, but it is also common to produce the master by typing and formatting pages on a computer. The end product is usually folded and stapled. Zines can be printed and bound in any manner. Offset printing is a relatively common alternative to photocopying, though there is some controversy among zine writers as to whether professionally printed products may be defined as zines.
Further information and history can be found on the site.
And it's great stuff, too. Speaking as the kind of writer who's currently still living and dying on the health of independent writing and publishing, whether online or in-print, this website offers a relentlessly fascinating, in-depth look at what I can only consider to be a crucial part of the creative process. And like any good Wiki, it's constantly being updated and improved upon by people who kick ass and clearly love the material they're dealing in, so the history and culture is constantly being added onto, extended, given further life.
The talented, dedicated people who run this thing, they're fighting the good fight, in my mind, and they're getting some press for their work and contribution to what's been an essential means of underground communication for well over seventy years. And counting, thanks to their wonderful work. Not to mention the countless contributions from other writers, editors and various social misfits.
But I figure they can always use a little more.
