Magic geeks, get ready to meet computer geeks! Genii Magazine has just introduced MagicPedia, their online magic wiki!

Before I lose too many readers, I'd like to get those who aren't familiar with wikis up to speed. Here is the basic wiki concept in plain English:

For more specifics on the editing basics of Wikipedia, and most other wikis (most follow these same conventions), read Geek to Live: How to contribute to Wikipedia.

Much like the famous Wikipedia, MagicPedia is designed as an online reference, but focused exclusively on the art and craft of magic. It is brand new, so there are only a few articles so far. The more people who register and edit, the more complete and thorough it will be!

Before editing your first article, I suggest taking a look around the site itself. To get an idea of what is possible, start by using the Random Page button a few times.

When you're ready to edit, create a user account (it's free) and log in. Help is just a button press away. Perhaps you need an idea for a topic? MagicPedia even has several Wanted Pages and Wanted Categories. These are pages and categories that are discussed in other MagicPedia pages, but need their own articles to provide more depth.

Naturally, I've been doing my own editing already. My main contributions at this point include the pages on Memory Techniques and Effect Classification.

There are already several features I like about MagicPedia over Wikipedia. First and foremost, you can't edit anonymously at MagicPedia. You must be registered, and MagicPedia uses CAPTCHAs anytime a link to an outside website is included. Security is nice, but what about features? MagicPedia allows the use of both images and video in the entries! As the website develops, I can see these features becoming the highlights of many entries, especially as magic is so visual in nature.

If you'll forgive me, I'm heading back to MagicPedia, and perhaps add an article or two.