I am involved in two projects right now to try to bring the
possibilities of wikis to volunteer politics, one with traditional
electoral politics, and one with a local social forum effort.
Interesting things happen when you try to apply theory to the real
world. First of all, the "chicken and egg" problem really hits you in
the face (nothing like both egg and chicken on your face). In addition,
the division between theory and practice is not so neat as in physics.
The "non-techies" are very perceptive about the political dimensions of
the technology. They sense that the radically democratic nature of wikis
could play havoc with their power structures, which, despite all
protestations to the contrary, are still significantly H...