(AARHUS, DENMARK) “There’s a lot of stories and expirments about wikis… and misconceptions’ says Dorthe Jespersen, an analyst with J. Boye, and co-author of author of the report, Wiki in the Enterprise.

 

Jespersen cites three major myths (or perceptions) of why organizations choose a wiki:

 

1-     Everyone contributes

2-     It’s easy

3-     Information at hand

 

Myth 1: Everyone contributes

 

The most common means or purposes for using a wiki include:

 

  • Brainstorming
  • Project work
  • Meeting agendas
  • Encyclopedia
  • Manual
  • Documentation
  • Intranet
  • Communicating externally

 

Common corporate refrains (comments):

 

·         “We didn’t know what to expect and how to communicate at all in the wiki.”

·         “No one wanted to write in the wiki. And those who did, got offended when others edited their text.”

 

Unfortunately, for those that have started using wikis well-know, if you build it, they will not come.

 

Myth 2: It’s easy

 

Jespersen points no further than Wikipedia’s editor (editor’s note: if you thought your CMS editor was user unfriendly…).

 

Myth 3: Information (will always be) at hand

 

The wiki is not necessarily going to give you what you need. Jespersen cites the search engine in MediaWiki that produces very unruly and confusing results. Like most technologies, the technology is as only as good as the people involved and their contributions to the technology (editor’s opinion).

 

Jespersen and the J. Boye report Wiki in the Enterprise offer four over-arching recommendations for deploying wikis on the intranet:

 

  1. Organisational readiness. Organisational culture is a critical factor for success in wiki projects. Organisations must be comfortable with sharing information and debating openly.
  2. Setting expectations. Before deploying a wiki organisations should assess the commitment actually required, both from management and employees.
  3. Getting adoption. Adoption of the wiki will not happen by itself; rather it can be supported through a prepared launch followed by training.
  4. Content creation. To tackle problems with structure running wild and quality of content, employ training, guidelines and dedicated wiki managers.

 

RELATED READING:

Enterprise intranet wikis

Investment banker uses wiki for employee collaboration

Selecting a wiki

Wiki the intranet


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