VassarWiki:An encyclopedia and more
Most people have only been exposed to wikis through reading Wikipedia, or perhaps a fan wiki like the Minecraft wiki. As a result, many people erroneously believe that "wiki" is just another term for an online encyclopedia. The term "wiki" describes any website collaboratively edited and managed by its audience through a web browser. As a result, wikis are able to serve a variety of purposes beyond encyclopedias, including collective note-taking, code documentation, and project management.
VassarWiki aims to primarily serve as a way to share knowledge among the Vassar community. As such, it can be viewed an encyclopedia in a loose sense, a compendium of knowledge about Vassar. However, this term fails to encompass the community-building integral to the project.
| Wikipedia | VassarWiki | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | To organize and archive the world's knowledge in an encyclopedia, a tertiary source. | To share and organize knowledge among the Vassar community (and archive it along the way). It serves as a host for primary, secondary, and tertiary sources. |
| Scope | Inclusion is contingent on notability, generally determined through inclusion in reliable sources. All subjects can be written on, within limits. | There is no "notability" requirement for inclusion. Inclusion is contingent on being somehow related to Vassar College, whether that's campus life, history, scholarship, or something else. |
| POV | All articles are written from a neutral point of view. | Articles are written from a neutral point of view, but non-neutral content on user pages is encouraged. |
| Tone | Articles are written in a formal, impersonal, and dispassionate tone. | As of June 9, 2026, there are no guidelines on tone for articles. User page content can be written in any tone. |
| Audience | Articles are written to a global audience. | Articles are written primarily to the Vassar community, especially when an encyclopedia article on that subject already exists. |
| Sources | All content must be accompanied by reliable sources. Original research is not allowed on articles. | Content should be accompanied by reliable sources, with reliability reflecting a expansive conception that includes oral history. The reliability of sources is evaluated when resolving disputes. "Original research" is allowed, but must be designated as such. |