The inception of MediaWiki was for Wikipedia and other platforms of the Wikimedia Foundation. The General Public License licenses MediaWiki as an open source, free software program. This means that the basic software is only to set up the ground work for the site. Because it is a foundation, anyone who installs this program can adapt it to their own use.
MediaWiki was initially set up to be used with many servers and therefore depends on the best of web hosting services such as 15Degrees-North to run correctly. This gives you the ability to have your members share information on your site, submit information and at the same time allows you the ability to edit, confirm and eliminate errors that would turn away new visitors.
The beauty of MediaWiki is that it can be used by website developers and operators of all skill sets. MediaWiki can be used by a person with no XHTML or CSS experience. If your plans are growing and you are thinking in large numbers, MediaWiki is perfect for you and your website.