Too Much Structure

Trying to guess the structure of a wiki in advance won’t work. A wiki will evolve into the optimal organization of information as people use it, and it’s better to adjust the structure based on the content, instead of the other way around.

How do I notice it?

If there are lots of empty pages in your wiki, and people are putting content elsewhere than those pages, then the wiki is probably subdivided too much.

How do I fix it?

“It’s best to start with as little structure as possible and only add more structure when it proves to be needed.” – Ken Tyler, Seedwiki

If you see pages that are empty, and content of the same topic as those empty pages being developed elsewhere, let the content continue to grow and delete the empty pages. Once content grows to a point that it should be separated from the core and given its own set of pages, propose this to your colleagues by leaving a comment on the page containing the content.

No Comments

Leave a Comment

Books
  • "Highly recommended."
  • "Important and insightful."
  • "Impressive. Read it."
  • Order from Amazon.com
  • Wikipatterns book: a practical guide to improving productivity and collaboration in your organization Using Wiki in Education wiki book

    random image

    Photos
    Click the photo above, or choose a photo essay
    Airbus FactoryBarcelona & MadridBritish Museum
    IstanbulPortoSydneyVancouverYosemite




    Work
    Future Changes is the online home of Stewart Mader, an experienced content strategist and project manager, dynamic speaker to corporate audiences and conferences, and author of two books. He has helped organizations around the world, including Booz Allen Hamilton, Brown University, ICANN, MARS, SAP, and The World Bank develop content strategies and build products that increase information value, collaboration, and employee & customer engagement.

    Future Changes, founded in October 2005, has been cited by CIO Magazine, Fast Company, InformationWeek, InfoWorld, The Guardian, The New York Times, and The New Yorker.

    View Work Samples and Work with Stewart