USIC co-organises WikiSym 2008

The balance of the WikiSym – the 4th International Symposium on Wikis, which took place in the city of Porto from 8 to 10 September, couldn’t have been more positive. Ademar Aguiar, WikiSym 2008’s Conference Chair and researcher at the Information and Communication Systems Unit (USIC) of INESC Porto even considers that “the symposium overcame all expectations, not only in terms of participation, but also in terms of the results that were presented to researchers, users and wiki creators. The event gathered more than 140 people from all continents.

This initiative was co-organised by the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto and INESC Porto, in cooperation with the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and it gathered researchers, practitioners, writers, academics, developers and users. The aim was to enable the sharing of knowledge and experience in all areas related to “wikis”, from social to technical areas.

The fourth edition of the symposium reached a broader audience thanks to the introduction of a set of new types of sessions. It is important to highlight the “DoctoralSpace” (targeting doctoral students) where there were presentations and discussions regarding the innovations in this area; the “Wikifest”, which aimed at the sharing of experiences on the creation and management of these knowledge virtual spaces; and the “Wikiwalk”, a walk through the city of Porto that welcomed wiki researchers and users that was also open to every citizen interested in this theme. This was also an opportunity to share experiences and concerns regarding the design and management of wikis.

The WikiWalk was organised by Gabriel David and it provided an informal forum of discussion between WikiSym 2008’s participants and citizens interested in wikis and social software. Several people participated in this walk, including José Vítor Malheiros (journalist of the Público newspaper), Rui Tavares (historian from the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto), Lúcia Matos (professor of History of Art at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto), Andrea Vieira (architect from the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto) and Sónia Silva (museologist from the Portuguese Photography Centre).