Information annealing

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Information annealing or knowledge annealing, in library and information science, is a network-based information system or body of knowledge in which all users of the system are permitted to change the system at will. Over time, the system is said to become better structured and more "correct", as knowledgeable users correct existing mistakes and add new content.

Possibly the first information annealing system was created by Neil Larson. Based on his previous hypertext systems, Larson created what he called an "Information Annealing BBS". Though technologically different, it had the approach and objective of the wiki system used by websites like Wikipedia:

"HyperBBS is a complete bulletin board system and a compatible shareware terminal program...Together they support knowledge annealing (remote browsing and editing) by telephone of hypertext-linked...files. To review, knowledge annealing is when many users work together to organize information into "minimum-effort" knowledge systems...Here are the basic annealing rules for using HyperBBS: - If you can't instantly find and understand it, leave a question. - If you know it, make your answer easy for others to find and understand. - With time and participation, all answers become easily found and understood." [Larson, N., "MaxThink Journal," July, 1991]

HyperBBS was ultimately an outgrowth of Larson's 1983 outlining software, MaxThink, which had extended simple outline creation by incorporating numerous knowledge structuring tools.