Weblogs and Wikis: WikiMinimalism

WikiMinimalism

consider WhyAreWikisSoUgly.

Wikis are The White Stripes of the web. They are the Ting Tings of writing. Not a lot of frou-frou, but simple design.

The minimalism of wikis helps writers and the readers focus on the content. Too many images, too much code, detracts from the text.

The wiki is less of a presentation, like the blog, and more of a representation by mode of language. Wikis are like representatives of ideas and knowledge of the many.

Since they are a collaborative effort in the most part, they would be all jammed and crammed with all kinds of pictures and colors that would detract from the ideas represented.

Analogies

The White Stripes
The Ting Tings
haiku or limerick, or Imagism
Full screen mode text editors, like WriteRoom or DarkRoom

Drawbacks

Living in a minimalist loft has got to be horrible. One thing out of place, one dirty plate on the all-white table, and the minimalist effect is not ruined but apparent as an effect. Minimalism can quickly become puritanism. It doesn't have to. It's just a metaphor.