How Wiki Software is Changing Communication: "Now the technology [wikis] is increasingly spreading outside the world of tech geeks and into the mainstream, being adopted by workplaces, corporations and even governments." (via Will Richardson)
We use wikis extensively in our department - for collaborating, brainstorming, writing, and capturing and sharing resources. But the democratic nature of wikis can be a drawback. In spite of numerous links to colleagues to a wiki page ("hey, let's flesh this out in a wiki"), the uptake is quite low. We revert back to email. There is something personal (a sense of ownership? identity?) about knowledge that is not always reflected in wikis. Open, collaborative platforms, after all, force a tremendous shift in power and dialogue.
I created a wiki as sort of a knowledge management system for my former work team. We used the site to list ideas, how-to's, priorities, contact info, links, etc.
However, we always ended up reverting to e-mail as well. My boss would always send me an e-mail saying, "Hey, could you add a link to ___ on our wiki?"
I'd have to reply and say, "You can add the link yourself, here's how..." I always talked myself out of adding, "that's sorta the point, y'know?".
Posted by: Matt at August 13, 2007 6:09 PMI used a wiki to do a workshop yesterday and it went way better than using PowerPoint. Participants could access the wiki throughout the workshop and can continue to access it whenever they need the resources. I first saw a wiki used for this purpose when Alec Couros did it at the TLt conference in Saskatoon. It's a great idea.
Your post showed up in my Google Reader while I was talking to them about RSS. Great timing.
Posted by: Heather at August 14, 2007 10:54 AMBlogs are easy to set up and use, but I'm still waiting for a user friendly wiki. I used two different wiki software this summer in a course I taught (along with two different blogs) and I find there is a much steeper learning curve for the wiki. This might be why Matt's boss asks for help. I think one of the most difficult things was to see if a change was actually made, where, and how to access information about the changes. The fact is that most people want to see the change (which is why track changes are useful). I think as more wikis are used, more changes in wiki software will be developed, which will allow wikis to become more mainstream.
Posted by: VYonkers at August 15, 2007 11:01 AMHi,
Matt - I can relate to adoption issues with wikis. The format is too open to make people feel comfortable. Adoption is about getting people to change their work habits.
Heather - yes, wikis instead of PowerPoint are great for presentations. Brian Lamb, Alan Levine, and D'Arcy Norman have done this very well. The only problem with this approach - and I've experienced it myself - is the hassles of conference connectivity. If the wiki is done...the presentation is gone :(
Virginia, have you tried coventi pages? https://www.coventi.com/main.aspx . It addresses the hassle of "who edited what".
Posted by: George Siemens at August 15, 2007 11:30 AM