As a librarian we teach "do not use Wikipedia" the mother of all wikis, although of course we know that it is by and large the first place people go to for information about a specific topic - an online replacement for the dusty old encyclopedia in the reference section. The reputation of Wikipedia as a serious reference tool is improving with the application of policies and guidelines for posting and editing and a layout which has a professional and consistent look and feel.
By contrast, other wikis are often a disorganised mess caused by lack of administrative authority and varying levels of ability to write and organise information for the medium. The examples of wikis linked to from the "23 Things" blog are no exception. It's also apparent that many of them haven't been updated for months or even years, suggesting the popularity of the wiki as a collaborative tool is waning. Or maybe I'm just jaded by the LibNet experience!
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