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Wiki preconference by Meredith Farkas for Internet Librarian, October 28, 2007
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WikisBasics, Tools and StrategiesMeredith FarkasOctober 28, 2007Internet Librarian
What you will learn
What a wiki is What wikis are good for, what
they’re not so good for How libraries and other groups are
successfully using wikis How to get started with wikis Tips on developing a successful wiki
Who am I?
Meredith Farkas Distance Learning Librarian at Norwich
University (VT). Author - Social Software in Libraries. Columnist – “Technology in Practice”
column in American Libraries. Blogger - Information Wants to be Free. Wiki manager - Library Success, ALA
2005 and 2006, etc.
My experience with wikis
Looking for a way to collect knowledge for ALA Annual 2005.
A Website would only collect my knowledge
ALA Chicago 2005 Wiki Amazing community formed around
the wiki!
Library Success Wiki
Where does a new librarian go to get ideas and learn from other people's successes?
Library Success Wiki: Designed to collect best practices, good ideas, useful articles and links, etc.
Site has developed a diverse community of individuals who add content in their areas of interest.
Other wikis I’ve created
ALA 2006 New Orleans Wiki CIL 2006 Wiki IL 2006 Wiki KM World 2006 Wiki Buying and Selling eContent Wiki IL 2007 Wiki Many other personal wikis for
planning, internal wiki at work, etc.
What is a wiki?
Content management system Allows people to collaboratively
develop a Web site without any tech-savvy
Wiki = quick (in Hawaiian) All community members can add to
or edit the work of others
Wiki background
Ward Cunningham and the Portland Pattern Repository
Wikipedia Conference wikis, fan wikis, wiki
knowledgebases Wikis in the library! Still often
controlled access. Organizations jump on the wiki
bandwagon
Wiki Structure
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
Pages community members can add to or edit (example)
Discussion area for each page List of all of the changes made to a
particular page (version control) List of all changes made to all
pages.
Wiki Syntax
Ways to format text, change color, create links, create tables, etc.
Wikipedia editor’s guide Not difficult to learn, but different Differences for each wiki WYSIWYG is the future
Wikis vs. Blogs
No one owns content
No specific organization (hyperlinks)
Anyone can edit other people’s work
A person owns their post
Organized in reverse chron. order
Only author can edit their own work (others can comment)
Wikis vs. Blogs
Perpetual work in progress
Good for collaborative group work
Posts are permanent
Good for disseminating info/starting a dialogue
Why wiki?
Easy to use Web-based Anyone can make changes Version control Findability (with database wikis) Many free and open-source wikis Flexible and extensible
Knowledge management (KM)
All organizations want to make the best use of organizational knowledge
Most are really bad at it Wiki is a great KM tool
Wiki = quick
No editing in Dreamweaver, no FTP-ing into the server.
No waiting for the Webmaster to update your page.
Different people can be responsible for different content areas
Collaboration
Wikis are a great way to get patrons/colleagues to participate in building a Web space Resource guides Conference Book reviews Area guides
You can learn a lot from your patrons and colleagues!
Why not wiki?
Too open (trust issues) Concerns about ownership of content Disorganized Vandalism and spam
Wikis aren't for everyone. If control is a major issue with the site you're developing, then a wiki may not be right for your project.
Questions?
Wikis in Practice
How libraries can use wikis with their patrons
Community wiki Subject guide wiki Wiki as courseware Wiki as Web site Wiki for capitalizing on the
collective intelligence
Community wikis
RocWiki (Rochester, NY) Davis Wiki (Davis, CA) Arbor Wiki (Ann Arbor, MI) PGHWiki (Pittsburgh, PA)
Wikis that build community
Tax Almanac Mandriva Club
Subject guides
Ohio University Library’s Biz Wiki St. Joseph County Public Library Sub
ject Guides Florida State University
Wiki as Website and courseware
University of South Carolina Aiken Library Web site
Bemidji State University eRhetoric course wiki
Capitalizing on the collective intelligence
Resource guides and book reviews ProductWiki wikiXbox360 Princeton Public Library’s
Book Lovers Wiki Wyoming Authors Wiki
How librarians can use wikis
Staff Intranet Collaborative document editing Collaboratively-developed manual Conference wikis Knowledgebase Planning space for conferences
Wiki as Intranet for info sharing
Most are behind the firewall or are password protected.
Collaborative document editing
ZohoWriter Google Docs and Spreadsheets You could even just use something
like PBWiki!
Collaboratively-developed manual
Print manuals are really hard to update!
Antioch University New England Library Staff Training and Support Wiki
Conference wikis
ALA 2005 Chicago Wiki ALA 2006 New Orleans Wiki IL 2007 Wiki Wikimania 2006
Wiki as professional knowledgebase
Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki
Library Instruction Wiki Qwiki: Quantum Physics Wiki The New PR Wiki
Planning space for conferences
Hard to plan a conference with people from all over the place.
Five Weeks to a Social Library BarCamp PodCon
Wiki Tips
How to develop and maintain a successful wiki
Wiki Tips: Software
Popular options for wiki hosted on your server MediaWiki PmWiki Twiki MoinMoin XWiki
Wiki Tips: Software (cont’d)
Popular Options for wikis hosted by the software company PBWiki WetPaint SeedWiki
If you want control, no ads, etc., host the wiki on your server.
If you don’t have server space, need the wiki for a small time-limited project, or are scared of maintaining a new tech, go with a hosted wiki.
Check out the WikiMatrix when thinking about which software to use
Choosing software: What to consider
Programming language Ease of installation Security Permissioning Spam prevention Ease of use Cost Version control
What to consider (cont’d)
Syntax/WYSIWYG Ability to hold discussions RSS Ability to change look Extensions Trajectory of development/support
of development
Wiki Tips: Seeding the wiki
No one wants to add to an empty wiki
Also, people often don’t know what to add
Add some content to the major categories before going live
Creating an organizational scheme will prevent orphan links and chaos
Wiki Tips: Education
Wikis need lots of info for novice users What is a wiki What can you do with this wiki How to edit the wiki FAQ Whom to contact for more help
Training is important
Wiki Tips: Content development
Do lots of marketing If possible, offer trainings Partner with groups/people related
to your mission Don’t do it all yourself! Give the wiki a grassroots feel,
make it welcoming.
Wiki Tips: Management
Security Should you require registration?
Dealing with spam Install spam-killing plugins or blacklists
Bad Behavior plugin. Monitor the wiki several times a day Get to know and love RSS
Find lots of dedicated helpers!!!
How to deal with posts you don’t like
Guidelines Limit to on-topic posts Take a note from the Wikipedia’s
policies and guidelines Get a committed group of
volunteers to patrol a public wiki If you need to delete something -
use discussion area to explain why things were deleted.
Questions? Comments?
Meredith Farkasmgfarkas at gmail dot comhttp://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/AIM: librarianmer
Links and more resources at http://meredithfarkas.wetpaint.com/