Jan 21, 2008
Top 10 Organizational Wiki Tips (and how to use them)
- Grassroots is best. Start from the bottom-up so people build a sense of ownership of their wiki contributions.
- Throw out the rule book! Don’t start with a lot of structure and rules. Make a wiki available, then see how people use it, and grow accordingly. Follow the lead of the people using it – that’s at the heart of how social software works!
- Populate it and they’ll come. Put content on the wiki; direct people to it using email.
- Wikipedia does not a wiki make. Don’t mistake your wiki for Wikipedia. Yours doesn’t have to be anonymous and open to the public.
- Go to the source. Put some content exclusively on the wiki so people get used to it as the source of information.
- Don’t rush it. People will need time to get used to the wiki, and once they do it will grow significantly.
- Trust me. Don’t excessively manage it. A wiki doesn’t have complex approval mechanisms for a reason. Trust people to write quality content and they will.
- Go back to the future. People will find new ways to do old things with the wiki. Embrace them and encourage additional operational improvement.
- Ask the wiki. Prompt people to use the wiki. When someone asks about creating space for a project or revising a document, encourage them to use the wiki.
- Beware the derailers. Watch out for obstacles, like someone who takes content out of the wiki and emails it around, or someone who organizes others’ work a little too much. Help these people understand how to use the wiki more productively so they don’t inadvertently hinder its growth.
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