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Wiki: The Ultimate Tool
For Online Collaboration
Meredith Farkas
November 15, 2006
Michigan Library Consortium
What you will learn
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What a wiki is
What wikis are good for, what
they’re not so good for
How libraries are successfully using
wikis
Tips on developing a successful wiki
What is a wiki?
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Allows people to collaboratively
develop a Web site without any
tech-savvy (no HTML required!)
Like a content management system
Wiki = quick (in Hawaiian)
All community members can add to
or edit the work of others
Wiki background
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Ward Cunningham and the Portland
Pattern Repository
Wikipedia
Conference wikis, fan wikis, wiki
knowledgebases
Wiki Structure
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All wikis start off as a single blank
page
Pages are created and connected by
hyperlinks
No ownership of pages; anyone can
change the work of others
Wiki components
Discussion area for each page
All changes made to the page
List of changes made to all pages
Wiki Syntax
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Ways to format text, change color,
create links, create tables, etc.
Not difficult to learn, but different
Example: ALA New Orleans Wiki
Differences for each wiki
WYSIWYG is the future
Wikis
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vs.
No one owns
content
No specific
organization
(hyperlinks)
Anyone can edit
other people’s
work
Blogs
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A person owns
their post
Organized in
reverse chron.
order
Only author can
edit their own
work (others
can comment)
Wikis
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vs.
Perpetual work
in progress
Good for
collaborative
group work
Blogs
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Posts are
permanent
Good for
disseminating
info/starting a
dialogue
Why wiki?
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Easy to use
Web-based
Anyone can make changes
Findability
Many free and open-source wikis
Flexible and extensible
Why not wiki?
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Too open (trust issues)
Concerns about ownership of
content
Disorganized
Vandalism and spam
Wikis in Practice
How libraries can use wikis with their
patrons
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Community wiki
Subject guide wiki
Wiki as courseware
Wiki as Web site
Community wiki
http://daviswiki.org/
Subject guide wiki
http://www.library.ohiou.edu/subjects/bizwiki/
Wiki as courseware
http://biro.bemidjistate.edu/~morgan/e-rhetoric/wiki.php
Wiki as Web site
http://library.usca.edu/Main/HomePage
How librarians can use wikis
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Staff Intranet
Collaborative document editing
Collaboratively-developed manual
Guidebook
Knowledgebase
Planning space for conferences
Staff Intranet
Collaborative document editing
http://www.zohowriter.com/
Collaboratively-developed manual
http://www.seedwiki.com/wiki/
antioch_university_new_england_library_staff_training_and_support_wiki/
Guidebook
http://il2006.pbwiki.com/
Knowledgebase
http://www.libsuccess.org/
Planning space for conferences
http://wikimania2006.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Wiki Tips
How to develop and maintain a
successful wiki
Wiki Tips: Software
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Do you want your wiki hosted?
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Wiki Farms
Easier if you don’t have a server or don’t
know what you’re doing
Examples: PBWiki, WetPaint, WikiSpaces
Do you want to install the software on
your own server?
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More software options this way
More control
Maintenance burden is on you
Examples: MediaWiki, PmWiki, Twiki
Things to consider
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Programming language
Ease of installation
Security
 Permissioning
 Spam prevention
Ease of use
Cost
Things to consider (cont’d)
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Syntax
Version control
Ability to hold discussions
RSS
Ability to change look
For help choosing software, check out the
Wiki Matrix (http://www.wikimatrix.org/).
Wiki management
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Seeding the wiki
Documentation
Policies
Marketing
Dealing with spam
Questions?
Just ask!
E-mail me: [email protected]
AIM me: librarianmer
Visit my site: meredith.wolfwater.com