About Wikis

From Gwiki

The FASTForward Blog » Survey: Demand for Web 2.0 Skills Hot, Getting Hotter: Enterprise 2.0 Blog: www.fastforwardblog.com/2008/04/18/survey-deman... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Survey: Demand for Web 2.0 Skills Hot, Getting Hotter by Joe McKendrick

April 18, 2008 at 2:55 pm · Filed under Blogging, Collaboration, Enterprise 2.0, Google, IT Department, Microsoft, Social Computing, Web 2.0, Yahoo, enterprise software, mashups

I recently completed work on a survey report for Evans Data measuring the impact and trends shaping Web 2.0 projects within the enterprise.

The survey of 385 corporate managers and developers covered Web 2.0-based development mechanisms — such as mashups and gadgets/widgets — as well as social networking tools. Both types of environments are now very much a part of the corporate scene, and have become important tools for corporate applications, the survey finds.

Demand for Web 2.0/Enterprise 2.0 talent is hot, as a matter of fact. Two out of three respondents say their demand for such talent will increase over the coming year. That’s because there is a lot of strategic business-to-business and internal business development going on by software developers in the survey. Developers are working on Web 2.0 software for business applications in several areas, including interface design, gadgets and widgets, and social networking.

Most Web 2.0 applications are being targeted at internal corporate requirements, versus consumer engagements. Close to half of the survey participants are focused on developing applications for internal use inside their companies. Less than a third are building Web 2.0 applications intended for delivery on a subscription base to online users.

Forty percent of interfaces for Web 2.0 applications are “mixed” web-rich clients that include AJAX for fast downloads of pages that include live feeds of data (gadgets) and other dynamic components found in Web 2.0 applications. An overwhelming majority of respondents are using gadgets and widgets (portable Web parts) from Google, Microsoft, Yahoo! and others to deploy fast, lightweight business applications and services.

More than four out of ten companies encourage social networking; however, most feel the business value still needs to be demonstrated at this time. Social networking is strongest among developers in scientific and technical fields, who see social networking as a communications and collaboration medium, and among OEMs and systems integrators, who see benefits in product delivery. Comment Add labels

Wiki Charter - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Wiki+... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Wiki Charter What is it?

A Wiki Charter is a document that sets guidelines for community collaboration and respectful, productive activity on the wiki. The charter should be created at the start of a new wiki so that new members have the benefit of community guidelines as soon as they begin to collaborate. Usage

The charter is a good way to introduce people to the wiki so that they can become exemplars of good wiki practice right from the start.

In communities where the membership is mostly or all virtual, the charter is especially important because people only know each other online. Groups where there is some element of physical interaction typically have fewer problems with online collaboration because the basic structure of community is already in place. Example

The BTECNationalsinSport Wiki has a charter that emphasizes collaboration, accountability and respect. Since the wiki is also used by students, the Charter contains a classroom specific charter that emphasizes preparation and attitude, in addition to the characteristics above.

• Champion - A wiki Champion often models the behavior described in the charter, and encourages other community members to do so as well.
• Invitation - When inviting people to collaborate on a wiki, make the Charter one of their first stops when they first visit the wiki, so they understand the guidelines from the start.

WikiGnome - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/WikiG... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 WikiGnome What is it?

A WikiGnome is a person who performs small edits on a wiki to continually improve its overall quality .

(A WikiGnome is also often known as a WikiGardener)

WikiGnomes are important to the success of a wiki because their edits increase the value of everyone else's content, such as:

• Cosmetic editing to keep the wiki from being overrun with "weeds" (typos, misspellings, poorly structured sentences and paragraphs)
• Add or fix links to make sure relevant content is navigable within the wiki
• Improve the flow and clarity of content improve the readability of the page
• Setting an example for other users of how and when to use the wiki

Usage

WikiGnomes tend to be self-selecting. They're people who care about attention to detail, are offended by messiness and will make the small edits that are required to continually improve the quality of your wiki.

So if you can't select them, how do you increase gnome-like behaviour?

• When you see someone making a small, cosmetic improvement edit - encourage them.
• If someone emails you to tell you about a small mistake - show them how to fix it themselves.
• Make sure that your wiki makes it obvious how to edit a page.
• Ensure that your people understand there are no barriers to anyone editing (improving) any page. (exemplified by wikipedia's "Be Bold" mantra)

They are the opposite of WikiTrolls, who generally try to get a reaction from the community by posting strongly controversial content or doing disruptive things, like deleting someone else's edits. This rarely happens in environments where users are not anonymous and are associated with their edits. Example

Let's say you're the Champion in your organization and someone from one of the groups you've introduced to the wiki asks:

"Our wiki is used frequently. After a while it gets disorganized and needs a big cleanup - how can I improve this?"

Suggest that team members spend one regular session (perhaps once a week) acting as WikiGnomes. It might also be useful for the group to look for a volunteer willing to act as a sort of head WikiGnome or Maintainer who ensures that pages are up to par.

WikiZenMaster - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/WikiZ... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 WikiZenMaster What is it?

A WikiZenMaster is someone who makes format changes to make the wiki more visually appealing. (WikiZenMaster is sometimes referred to as a WikiFairy.) Usage

Like a WikiGnome, a WikiZenMaster will add value to content on a wiki by making it a desirable tool to use, making content clearer and easier to use, and maintaining high standards of organization and format on the wiki. Example

A WikiZenMaster might

• Add titles or section headings to better organize pages.
• Add images or diagrams to illustrate content on a wiki page or help clarify a complex process, etc.
• Add images of the covers of books listed in the bibliography.
• Add images of the various contributors to a wiki.
• Separate paragraphs in order to make texts easier to read.

Welcoming - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Welco... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Welcoming What is it?

Welcoming new people to a community is a great practice of openness. It demonstrates a vibrant community that wants to bring new members into the fold and help them become active contributors. Usage

When someone has shown up to your wiki, you add information to a page they might see in the future, quite often their user page or the home page. Example

Welcome to this wiki, I noticed you added information about x, that is great! I made an edit to the page as well, what do you think about that?

Viral - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Viral Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Viral

What is it?

One of the most useful attributes of introducing a wiki into an organization is its viral nature. Once a few people begin to use the wiki, they often realize that they could be even more efficient if only their colleagues were using the wiki too.

More people using it means they can each encourage their direct contacts and collaborators to join, thus laying the groundwork for exponential growth. This Viral growth increases the value of the wiki to each user, because the number of people with which one can collaborate increases. Soon, wiki accounts are spreading exponentially.

StartingPoint - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Start... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 StartingPoint What is it?

A StartingPoint is a site that makes first-time users familiar with the concept of wikis in general but also with the concept of your wiki in particular. In this way they learn that a wiki is NOT Wikipedia but Wikipedia is a wiki. And they know from the start how to use your wiki and where to find help. Usage

• Provide the URL of your StartingPoints with your Invitation.

Explain

• what your wiki is for (e.g. product documentation, project management etc)
• what space / webs it might contain
• what should be documented there.
• your wiki culture, e.g. everybody shall criticise but should also be able to be criticised.
• give hints how to start e.g. editing in the sandbox or filling out the user profile.
• provide links to additional help to your wiki (editing...).

Social Tagging - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Socia... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Social Tagging

Problem: Maintaining an overview of the status of the documents inside a Wiki is difficult. In particular, it is unclear which documents need to be reworked.

Solution: Tag pages that need rework (e.g., with a understandable link to a certain page or a category). For example, when using backlinks, refer to the page "ToDo". Have a backlink on this page to list pages that are tagged with this concept.

Cause: By using a general Wiki feature for addressing workflow issues (e.g., ToDo), the usage of this feature is fortified and there is no need to learn further system features. This lowers the effort to get familiar with the Wiki.

Patron (or Sponsor) - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Patro... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Patron (or Sponsor) What is it?

Having a high-ranking Patron who supports a wiki provides a level of authority that can enhance the prospect of success. Usage

Occassionally a senior figure in an organisation initiates a wiki project. More often, the initiative comes from below, but the support of a senior figure is sought. By letting it be known that they support the project, a Patron gives permission for others to be involved and for resources to be allocated to the project.

A Patron is particularly important in a corporate environment, where control of IT resources and competition between organisational units may otherwise discourage participation. Example

An employee who already knows the CEO explains the benefits of a wiki, and perhaps demonstrates a working system within the organisation. The CEO agrees with the idea and encourages the employee to continue. The CEO becomes a Patron by "giving the nod" to the initiative. The CEO may have no further involvement apart from allowing it to become known that they support the use of a wiki. The initiating employee can encourage other people to become involved by explaining that the CEO thinks it is a good idea.

MySpace - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/MySpace Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 MySpace What is it?

MySpace is a pattern in which people are encouraged to post personal profile pages, MySpace-style. It's a good way for people to get started contributing to the wiki by posting contact information, a picture, a short biography, website URL, etc. Usage

Create a template (see the Scaffold pattern) so that profile pages have a standard general organization and set of content. Then encourage current members of your group, employees, etc. to create profile pages, and make it standard practice for any new employee to create a profile, preferably during their first few days at work.

Consider including in the profile template placeholders, e.g.:

• Contact information: email, phone, IM - AIM, Yahoo, Google Talk, Skype, etc.
• Blog and personal website URL
• Biography
• Encourage blogging on profile pages - can be a good way for people to get to know more about each other and build community in teams, as well as a good place to update progress on projects, get informal feedback via comments, and float ideas.

Example Stewart Mader Wiki Evangelist, Atlassian Software Systems email: [stewart(at)atlassian.com] blog: Blog on Wiki Patterns

Stewart Mader is Wiki Evangelist for Atlassian Software Systems, and a noted wiki/social software researcher, author, blogger and speaker. Before joining Atlassian, he worked with several universities and a number of other organizations to introduce wikis and grow wiki collaboration across departments, teams, and projects.

In 2007 he launched Wikipatterns.com, a community-built, wiki-based resource for people to share patterns and strategies for increasing wiki collaboration. He also publishes Blog on Wiki Patterns, which is his personal perspective on the uses and benefits of wiki collaboration.

In 2006, he published Using Wiki in Education, a book containing 10 wide-ranging case studies from teachers using the wiki to transform teaching and engage today's students. This is the first book to focus specifically on the wiki in education and be developed and published using a wiki, so it actively demonstrates the tool in action.

Maintainer - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Maint... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Maintainer What is it?

A maintainer is a person assigned or self-assigned to a page, space or section of a wiki who accountably takes responsibility for the quality of some of the content. The role may include that of a:

   * secretary, collecting information from comments and meetings into the wiki
   * refactorer, collapsing redundancy and inserting organization into a wiki
   * solicitor, encouraging input from community members
   * architect, categorizing pages, creating 'project' and 'overview' pages, assigning meanings to labels

Invitation - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Invit... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Invitation What is it?

One of the easiest patterns, simply invite users to interact with the wiki. Inviting people to use a wiki is a good way to guide their first interaction with it. Early adopters are by nature eager to try new tools, but most people don't for a variety of reasons. Some are risk-averse, others prefer training at the start of using something new, and others are simply too busy. An invitation creates an opportunity to dedicate time to trying the wiki, and gives people reassurance that someone knowledgeable is there to help them get started. Usage

When you invite people, you could:

• Include an offer of brief, informal training. Whether you're meeting one-to-one or with a team, a brief training session is a good way to introduce the wiki, discuss how it can meet peoples' needs. With a team.
• Specify briefly what is needed in the wiki, and which valuable information can the newcomer add or modify better than you, if that is the case.

Intentional Error - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Inten... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Intentional Error What is it?

Intentional error is one of the original wiki adoption patterns pioneered by Ward Cunningham, creator of the first wiki. It involves intentionally making errors which are left for others to find and fix, thus getting them used to editing a wiki. Usage

Ward used to get teams accustomed to editing the wiki by leaving intentional errors in pages (for example small typos, calculation errors etc). When users found these errors, they would say "This is wrong!" and Ward would politely indicate that yes - they had found an error and they should fix it themselves.

This gives users the "Aha!" moment (that moment when they realise they can actually change the wiki themselves) and gives them a sense of ownership over the team's content. Example

When you're editing a wiki page, just make some errors like misspelling a word or forgetting to capitalize at the beginning of a sentence. Then invite others to proofread your page and when they discover the errors, let them fix the errors themselves just by editing the wiki. However, be mindful that not all readers may recognize an error or choose to fix it, so introducing substantial or factual errors in content may prove to do more damage than good.

IdentityMatters - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Ident... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 IdentityMatters What is it?

This Pattern is based on the idea that people are more likely to take their contributions seriously and put more care into what they write when their identity is associated with it. This is the obvious case on corporate wikis, but not so obvious on public ones. Usage

IdentityMatters is used to build a community where people know they are collaborating with other people, and will value their interactions just as they would in real life. Example

Anyone can contribute to Wikipatterns.com, but to do so you must create an account which involves entering your name. Someone could enter a pseudonym or even a fake name, but most people will enter their real names to have their work credited to them. For those who enter a pseudonym, that can be just as important to them as their real name, as some people work hard to cultivate a reputation for their online identity.

DefendYourself - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Defen... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 DefendYourself Usage

? Example

A key individual keeps blaming or ignoring the wiki. They eventually complain about "lack of transparency" in a group email or publicly in a meeting. Solution

• Do not try to address the issue personally with the particular individual unless they show some willingness to learn or change their opinion. Instead, avoid confrontation until they eventually make a public remark. This is your chance to politely - and publicly - send a "Reply to all" email with a hyperlink to the wiki explaining that the required information is...just a click away.

• The reply is worth even more if issued collectively or by someone other than the WikiChampion.

Related Patterns Comment Add labels

Champion - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Champion Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Champion

• em Português do Brasil
• in Italiano
• en Français

What is it?

A passionate, enthusiastic champion is essential to the success of wiki because s/he will be able to generate interest, give the appropriate amount of training for each person at the right time, monitor growth of the tool and fix problems that could derail adoption. Usage

The champion makes her/himself synonymous with wiki in an organization. When people think of wiki, they immediately think of the champion as the go-to person for guidance on learning the wiki and expanding its use to larger projects, planning events, managing meetings, and capturing tacit knowledge. Example

A wiki champion is someone who possesses the following traits:

• Thought leader who is a recognized early adopter and respected by peers
• Understands the nature of work involved in project, group, business, etc.
• Understands how to use a wiki - how to organize content, get others involved, make it easy to use and keep it organized as it grows.
• "Gradually they train everyone that information flow, at least as far as they're concerned, happens on the wiki." (from It's on the Wiki!)
• Encourages others, but doesn't push too hard or fast because an All wiki all the time approach can be dangerous, especially at the beginning when people are still learning how to use it.
• Gets people involved by informally training them and being available for ongoing support.

BarnRaising - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/BarnR... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 BarnRaising

What is it?

A wiki BarnRaising is a planned event in which a community meets at a designated time to build content on the wiki together. One person alone can't build all the content in a wiki, and a community of people needs to understand how to use the wiki, and feel a sense of buy-in for it to become successful. A BarnRaising achieves this because people come expecting to learn how to use the wiki, and they are able to interact with each other as they work, thus strengthening community bonds and creating a support network that keeps people using the wiki. Usage

BarnRaising is a great way to jumpstart a wiki. It gets people used to using the wiki, and gets a critical mass of content on it so people keep coming back. Since everyone is working on it at the same time, it establishes a support network that's essential to building peoples' confidence and breaking down any misconceptions they may have about the wiki. Example

If you're starting a new wiki for your team or workgroup, arrange a time when everyone can meet to work on the site. Provide lunch or snacks to keep people energised!

It's a good idea to meet briefly before or at the beginning of the BarnRaising to plan what content will go on the wiki, establish a basic organization system (this can be as simple as making sure links to all pages appear in an organised list on the home page), and agree on general standards for the wiki. Comment Add labels

AcknowledgeGoodness - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Ackno... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 AcknowledgeGoodness

Find a culturally appropriate way to acknowledge and recognize dedicated contributors and excellent contributions to your wiki. Empower peer recognition and encourage its use. Usage

Often people get so caught up in the work that needs to be done on a wiki that they fail to acknowledge good work already done. Make your your wiki a fertile place by nurturing it with positive energy. Create a culture where people take the time to stop to say "Good work!" to each other every once in awhile. This can be done in fun and creative ways, usually with some kind of graphic icon paired with a brief message. Example

• The concept of a barnstar as a Wiki award was created by SunirShah at MeatballWiki. A barnstar was chosen because of its conceptual connection to barnraising.
• Barnstars have become ingrained into the Wikipedia culture.
• The CIA hands out shovels for gardening efforts on their Intellipedia wiki, both virtually and physically.

90-9-1 Theory - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/90-9-... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 90-9-1 Theory What is it?

The 90-9-1 theory explains the percentage of a wiki's participation, breaking it down as readers being the highest percent, with minor contributors composing the 9 percent and enthusiastic and active contributors composing 1 percent of the total participants in a wiki.

In his article titled Participation Inequality: Encouraging More Users to Contribute, Jakob Nielsen explores a phenomenon which affects most online, multi-user communities that rely on users to contribute. Participation Inequality is the tendency for most users to participate very little (if at all) and a few members of the community to account for a disproportionately large amount of the content and activity.

When studied, it was found that user participation generally follows a 90-9-1 Rule:

• 90% of users are "lurkers" (i.e. they read or browse but don't contribute)
• 9% of users contribute from time to time, but other priorities dominate their time
• 1% of users participate very often and account for most of the contributions

Usage

This concept is very applicable to a wiki environment because contribution is fundamental to a wiki's success. While it is impossible to overcome this type of human behaviour, it is possible to change the participation distribution (i.e 80-16-4 where 80% are lurkers, 16% contribute a little and 4% contribute the most). Some ways to equalize participation in a wiki include:

• Making it easier to contribute. Offering a wiki help centre, tutorial information and resources for users can help familiarize users with the environment and allow them to feel more comfortable contributing
• Encouraging editing over creating. For most new users, the thought of a blank white page is frightening. Instead, offer templates and examples which users can reformat to fit their content without having to come up with everything themselves.
• Reward participants. Identify your contributors and reward them using small incentives (i.e. gold stars on personal spaces, or Duke Stars on sun forums).

Agenda - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Agenda Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Agenda

What is it?

Most people want to see the upcoming meeting's agenda. Many would like to influence it or have material to add. So rather than sending email (attachments) to all your colleagues with the details of an upcoming meeting, you should send them a link to the agenda within your WIKI System. Usage

Last-minute changes to the items to be discussed are usually identical for many people. Rather than using copy/paste from word processing software for similar modifications, it is much more convenient for all to collaborate in the definition of the agenda. Also, people who are still traveling could enter new items. Finally the minutes of the meeting can be generated much more easily, as modifications can be done during the meeting itself. More complex modifications could be with multiple persons simultaneously.

If everybody joins forces, last-minute changes can easily be incorporated. Many people start preparing just a few moments before the meeting starts, and the Wiki page is a good way to give them all the information required. Examples

Email all the participants of an upcoming meeting a link to the agenda in your WIKI.

Automatic Index - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Autom... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Automatic Index

What is it?

Since a wiki thrives on activity, it's important to make sure the front page shows that and doesn't look stale. Some wiki software has the ability to display a list of recently updated pages, or maintain a dynamically updated list of pages labeled with a common tag. Usage

Use an automatic index to keep your wiki homepage constantly and automatically updated as people edit existing pages and add new ones. Example

The Wikipatterns homepage has link to Recent Changes and Contributors which shows automatically updated lists of the most recent edits and people who have contributed.

Built-in obsolescence - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Built... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Built-in obsolescence What is it?

Many organisations are starting to use wikis for formal documentation, such as functional and technical specifications.

They may encounter resistance, because of some legitimate worries. In brief: Certain types of document have a built-in obsolescence.

In more detail:

• Documentation gets out of date - even if you only have a small amount of it.
• Technical specifications are valuable at the time of product development. But in many cases the specs are not kept up to date with subsequent product enhancements.
• Agile companies don't want to become documentation-bound. Too much of a good thing can slow anyone down, especially if you have to keep it up to date.
• You cannot rely on someone to mark the documents as 'out of date' after the fact.

Usage

At the creation of such a document, the creator should declare its validity period. Example

Some wikis, such as Confluence allow you to create a 'template'. When creating a page, you can base the page upon a specific template.

This wiki pattern suggests that you create a built-in obsolescence template. The template would contain something like this at the top of the page:

   * The usual stuff, like product name and feature.
   * Product release number.
   * Document validity period e.g. June to July 2007
   * A warning message along these lines:
     	Beware of built-in obsolescence

     This document was written as an aid to initial feature development. It will not be kept up to date with later enhancements. After the validity period shown above, you can use the document for a broad overview of the functionality. But do not rely on the details.

Clean Permissions - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Clean... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Clean Permissions

The Clean Permissions pattern is to set up an authorization system that is easy for wanted users to use and understand, while minimizing the amount of trashing and other forms of revertable grief from the unwanted. Usage

Post a clear explanation of the permission model prominently on the wiki. For each action requiring authorization, make sure a clear explanation of the authorization criteria is easily accessible. Example

The original c2.com wiki has a clear and detailed discussion of its Permission Granted scheme and why it works for them.

Communication - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Commu... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Communication What is it?

Since Wikis can support communication in many ways, the actual communication procedures need to be defined clearly to avoid misunderstanding. Furthermore, email is the main personal knowledge management tool so it's important to use it effectively to let people know when wiki pages need review. Social tags allow easy labeling of pages to be changed and thus, self-determined work on critical and most interesting content. Usage

Briefly go over current work on the wiki and open questions at each meeting. Solve document interdependencies. During this discussion, try to avoid discussing the actual content so you can focus on logistical issues. Example

Have communication procedures that clarify at least when pages should be sent around via email (e.g., for review). In particular, clarify whether customers provide feedback directly to the Wiki. Discuss and change communication procedures if problems occur. Comment Add labels

Conferences - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Confe... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Conferences

A WIKI is a powerful method when organizing conferences, fairs and other high impact, commercial events. The big advantage is being able to combine forces within the whole organisation without installing software or sharing wordprocessing documents or spreadsheets.

ContentAlert - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Conte... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 ContentAlert What is it?

The ContentAlert pattern involves leaving specific messages that let people know a page needs content to be added, refined, or fixed. Wikipedia does this by putting a message in a box at the top of the page. Usage

Putting a message at the top of a page is the best way to draw peoples' attention to the ContentAlert.

Another method is to use tags or labels to indicate content that needs work. Multiple labels can be used for different types of needs (e.g., ToDo vs. FixThis). The content in need of repair can then either be found by label searches or by having a page that list all of the tagged pages (if the wiki platform supports it).

Corporate Directory - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Corpo... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Corporate Directory What is it?

Every company has a corporate directory, but the medium differs - photocopies, spreadsheets, LDAP, desk phones.

Keeping these directories up-to-date can be difficult, especially when they are centrally managed.

Maintaining a Corporate Directory on a wiki, however, lets everybody update their own information as soon as it changes. Usage

Since wiki pages are not bound by the dimensions of a printed page, they can contain a rich variety of information, such as:

• Picture - a tremendous help as your company grows
• Name (first name, initials, last name, title) - components kept separate for sorting purposes, but combined for display purposes
• Department - try to limit the naming of departments to make sorting more consistent
• Role
• Location - such as city, office, floor
• Phone - internal, external, mobile, home
• E-mail address - although this might be better maintained in your e-mail or LDAP system to ensure consistency
• Manager - start building your corporate hierarchy in the wiki
• Link to wiki personal space - personal spaces on a wiki provide great ways for staff to share information about themselves, with each space acting like its own independent wiki
• Link to personal blog - an example of pointing to information not kept in a traditional corporate wiki

Benefits of using a wiki for a corporate directory:

• Staff can instantly update their own information
• Staff can update information about other staff (Don't worry about vandalism - usage is tracked)
• Avoid the need for a single person/department having to update the information, causing an efficiency bottleneck
• Pictures help staff recognise other staff members, which is particularly useful for new starters
• The directory is always up-to-date and does not need to be disseminated (compare that to distributing spreadsheets every couple of weeks!)

Presentation Format

Basic: A basic table is sufficient for the task. The web browser's Search function will let users find information quicker than a 'round trip' query (unless your directory is huge).

Better: Some wikis also allow sorting of table columns without having to refresh the page.

Best: Some form of programmed directory can be even better, which can give better interactivity to end users.

Critical Mass - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Criti... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Critical Mass What is it?

Establishing an effective Wiki normally requires an active community of contributors. The Viral pattern can lead to a rapid explosion in the number of users, but it is often difficult to generate a "critical mass" that ignites such an explosion. Without such a critical mass, the Wiki will often fall into dis-use. Tactics

There are two main aspects to attaining critical mass:

1. Content

• There needs to be a substantial amount of compelling information that causes people to want to return to the site and tell their friends to join as well.
• Some document repositories can (or should) be wiki-fied. Conversion of those documents would provide both a source of content and contributors who have a stake in the wiki.
• (Please add suggestions here about how to generate a critical mass of content)

2. Contributors

• There needs to be a substantial number of users so that newcomers can feel part of a community.
• There needs to be some key people who are respected and active contributors.
• One approach in a commercial context is to make Wiki participation part of people's job. For instance, a Services Manager may tell their Consultants that they are expected/encouraged/allowed to spend one hour each week writing up notes on their clients in a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) Wiki.
• Maintaining a strong Community Portal can be key to encouraging participation. If people don't know what needs doing, they are prone to look around a little and then leave. If there's a clear list of things that could be accomplished they are more likely to adopt one of the tasks as their own.
• (Please add suggestions here about how to generate a critical mass of contributors)

Email to Wiki - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Email... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Email to Wiki What Is It

Email content to wiki rather than authoring in the wiki itself Usage

This pattern can only be used in those wiki platforms that support creating pages based on sending emails to one or more wiki email addresses. Once the capability is configured in the wiki server, users send new content to the wiki by emailing to the appropriate address. This can be useful for multiple purposes:

• Getting users with Wikiphobia to begin to contribute to the wiki.
• Creating a permanent copy in the wiki of content that is being sent by email anyway
• Getting content that has been received by email initially into the wiki

Examples

• Send copy of team member project status report emails to wiki to create common status area for reference
• Forward emails on news clips, new products, etc. to wiki for searchable archive

FAQ - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/FAQ Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 FAQ What is it?

A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list is a collection of commonly asked questions and their answers. FAQs have a concise structure that make them ideal for conveying simple information, especially for users unfamiliar with the relevant topic.

The FAQ pattern is a bridge between informal, get-to-know-the-wiki and community-building activities and more formal use of the wiki as primary platform for collaboration and conducting daily work. Creating an FAQ allows a group to take inventory of what it's doing and where the wiki can be used. Usage

Creating an FAQ is a great next step in wiki adoption, after people have had their initial experience with a wiki, perhaps by building a personal profile or MySpace style page. Since it's independent of any project the group is working on, it's a less critical, more relaxed way to increase wiki use and start people collaborating with each other.

The FAQ can be about anything, and multiple FAQ pages can be created for different processes, projects, or products. Creating an FAQ can clarify existing processes, expose weaknesses and areas in need of improvement, and help people become proficient at finding innovative ways to improve the status quo.

Most FAQ lists are a single document containing a linear list of questions and answers. The document normally begins with a hyperlinked table-of-contents that contains each question.

Common practice is for the answers to be short: just one or two paragraphs. Questions that require more complex answers can be dealt with by having a separate page for that topic, in which case the FAQ may still contain the question but the answer becomes a cross-reference to the detailed page. Example

Use the FAQ pattern to start a list of all current projects in your group. Ask the person responsible for each project to build a Scaffold of questions about their project and invite others to contribute answers, revise questions, and add other questions & answers.

FutureLinks - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Futur... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 FutureLinks What is it?

It is a link to a yet non-existing page and usually marked in a special way, e.g. red-coloured or with a question mark, so that people immediately recognize that this page hasn't been created yet. In this way you can encourage the growth of a wiki because people often don't know where to start in a wiki or what information might be needed. The links indicates the lack of special information clearly. Usage

When editing a page use FutureLinks whenever it comes to your mind that you could to link another piece of information and that information has not been created yet. In first place these links are a good reminder for oneself to write something down but it can also encourage others that might even have better knowledge about that special topic.

Magnet - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Magnet Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Magnet What is it?

The magnet pattern involves having some content exclusively on the wiki to draw users to it. Putting this content on the wiki and removing it from any other place (for example on an intranet or internal bulletin board) gets users used to looking at information on the wiki.

The more useful this content is (for example the Staff Contact List) the more people will visit the wiki. The more they visit the wiki, the less afraid they are of editing or using it. It ceases to be a "foreign" destination and becomes just one of their normal information sources. Usage

You want to be cautious that "driving users to the wiki" is actually what you want to do (and that this obviously does not impact their job in a negative way). For example if content is relevant in a given context (for example machine operation instructions), removing them from the machine and putting them on the wiki is not a good use of this pattern.

If on the other hand the content is on your intranet, moving it to the wiki and linking to it from your intranet will get users (who are already at their web browser) more used to seeing and surfing the wiki. Example

Put your next meeting agenda on the wiki instead of emailing it to everyone as an attachment. Encourage people to modify it as they see fit, i.e. rearranging the order of items, adding notes, URLs, etc. During the meeting, record the meeting minutes directly on the wiki, and encourage everyone to add their own notes as well. This way the wiki becomes the place to track activity in the group. Using the wiki to collaborate on projects discussed in the meeting then becomes a natural outgrowth from notes about them in meeting minutes.

Master Classes and Scribes - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Maste... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Master Classes and Scribes

In an organization everybody has something to teach and everybody has something to learn. It is important to identify your subject experts and to help them disseminate their knowledge while permitting other people in the organization to capture that information (and the context around the information) so it is easily available. As Dave Snowden has written even if an expert wants to write a book it will take him or her a year. If s/he wants to write an article it will take a couple of months. But when they tell the story of how they acquired or use their tacit knowledge it can only take fifteen minutes or an hour. Usage

Identify a problem or "painpoint" that is common all over the company. Then identify an expert who has already put in place a good solution to this "painpoint in his or her part of the organisation. Ask the expert if s/he is willing to share his or her tacit knowledge. Then set up an online session with video-conference, Skype or Webex in which 5 or 6 people who want to learn from the expert's knowledge will listen and question. All people listening should be advised that they will be expected to act as "Scribes" (I got this terminology from Olivier Beau, who is the managing director of a company in France that manages Hazardous Chemical Waste and which has recently implemented a Wiki). After the session all scribes create a common page or space on the wiki dedicated to the knowledge that has been transmitted, adding to or correcting the page/space based on what they understand from the "Master". The "Master" then puts the finishing touches to the page and in the process can learn more about his or her own practice. Every time the social network of an organisation identifies a person in any domain he or she should be invited to go through the same process of "storytelling" followed up by what s/he has imparted being transformed into practical information or a best practice on the wiki. Example

At Labo-Services in France, the company of which Olivier is the MD, a short workshop was held in which the participants were asked to list on separate post-its all the best practices they knew of in the company, either documented or undocumented. Each of these best practices then became not only a subject for a wiki page but also part of a questionnnaire. The questionnaire was then used on each one of the company's 31 sites spread throughout France to ask peers (not managers) who were the best exponents of these best practices and this allowed them also to find out which people were the most suitable for benchmarking. The people thus identified were then the people invited to share their knowledge via Webex and have it written up by the "scribes" on the wiki. If the online tool you are using allows you to record the master class visually or make a podcast this can be attached to the page.

Naming Conventions - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Namin... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Naming Conventions

Too much variation in how pages are named in a wiki can lead to pages being hard to remember and find, so it's useful to develop a basic naming convention so things stay organised as the wiki grows. Usage

A given structure makes it easier to remember names. When links are listed in alphabetical order, the documents belonging to the same type can be grouped easily. Introduce naming conventions. As a minimum, documents should start with the name of the template they are derived from, followed by the title, and possibly the initials of the responsible author: DocumentType_<SpeakingTitle>_[Initials]. The speaking title should use a singular form. Example

This site groups patterns by type - People Patterns, People anti-Patterns, Content Patterns, and Content anti-Patterns. By labeling pages, the site can display alphabetically ordered lists of each type, as seen at the bottom of this and all other pages.

One Wiki space per Group - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/One+W... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 One Wiki space per Group What is it?

In a large organisation, different teams want to share knowledge and collaborate on different topics. A natural approach might be to give each project or group a distinct space. Advantages

• Easier page naming in the context of your knowledge area and fewer problems with naming clashes
• Space to focus on a particular topic without distraction of other teams editing
• Team-based permissions e.g. other teams can view but not edit, or hide the whole thing from other teams
• Keeping projects separate just feels like a sensible approach

Page naming is a tricky problem in large cross-organisation wikis. If one Wiki is used for all projects, page naming conflicts might occur. For example, two projects meet on the same day and want to create meeting minutes with the same title. The problem can be tackled by putting together (collaboratively) a set of page naming conventions, and by enforcing these with regular wiki gardening. With separate spaces, you save a lot of this the hassle. Page names only need to make sense within smaller focussed project teams. Implementation: Separate Wikis or a Single Installation

A simplistic way of achieving this is to install entirely separate wikis for different groups/teams. This might occur naturally/accidentally anyway. Teams can select their preferred software independently, which might be an freedom some people enjoy. However...

Most mature wiki software incorporates a concept of spaces such that a single software installation powers multiple wiki spaces (terms vary e.g. 'workspace', 'namespace', 'twiki webs'). This approach gives people the ease of accessing all spaces from one site with a single login, and centralises the administration overheads, e.g. backup responsibilities, etc.

Typically these wiki engines also provide a simple syntax for linking across from one space to another. It can also mean users have the option of viewing a centralised 'recent changes' display (see wiki edits occurring across the whole organisation). Both these points go some way to alleviating the disadvantages of this wiki pattern. Where separate wiki installations are created, it may also be possible to configure easy interlinking (e.g. MediaWiki's interwiki feature) while centralised recent changes could be presented using an RSS aggregation. Disadvantages - An anti-pattern?

As mentioned above, this pattern feels like a sensible approach to aid organisation of the wiki, and so it is natural that people would go for a separation of wiki spaces. But is it a mistake? There are a couple of pretty big disadvantages, which lead some people to conclude that this in fact an anti-pattern!

• Same concept duplicated as a page within two different spaces discourages mind-share.
• With community collaboration, bigger is better.
• Separate recent changes discourages wiki gardening.

If a concept has a wiki page in one place and one place only (with any attempted duplicates getting redirected) then the whole organisation is forced onto one page to discuss that concept. Perhaps one team is developing ABC, while another team thinks that ABC is complete waste of time. Two different mindsets clash on the 'ABC' page, and they are forced to describe things in a neutral point of view, presenting arguments for and against. People may get upset (including high-level managers) but the resulting mindshare is terrific.

The 'recent changes' page is a focal point for the 'wiki community'. It helps to create a buzz and reinforces the idea that everything is editable and anyone can join in. But this only happens if there are lots of edits happening. People will either feed off each other's editing enthusiasm, or perceive a lonely and desolate collaboration space, depending on how busy your recent changes page looks. If people are asked to look at recent changes only within a small team collaboration space, a potential community spirit is quashed.

Wiki gardeners tend to be more wiki-savvy than most, so hopefully they will find the centralised recent changes (if you provide one). However wiki gardeners may only become wiki gardeners by slowly developing a 'recent changes' addiction.

OverviewPages - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Overv... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 OverviewPages What is it?

A kind of StartingPoint that bundles links to special topics or information in a wiki. As a wiki grows, the amount of information grows as well, and it gets harder to find certain topics. A hierarchy often cannot suffice because there are always different views on a certain topic. ("It should be a child of that topic." "Nope, the other parent would be more logical to me.")

With an overview page you can provide several views on a certain wiki page and give the user an overview of everything that is in the wiki and covers a certain subject. Usage

First of all, the homepage of a web, space (whatever...) should give a clear overview of what there is to expect in this web or space. These are the most important overview pages because they are the gate to all the information.

Then just look over your content and classify it in every way that comes to your mind and sounds useful. Example

A 'how to' on "Using subversion" could be linked from an overview page "Revision control in general" or "Developing in this company". In this way, this information is related to different contexts and can be found by people with different information needs (the one who wants to know something about revision control in general and the other that is new in the company).

Poker - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Poker Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Poker What is it?

The Poker pattern encourages putting seemingly trivial content into your wiki to give a non-threatening reason to use it . There is a very low barrier to creating a new wiki page, as anyone can do it. So simple things, trivial things, silly things that one might not ordinarily have considered putting on the company intranet become fair game. As long as there is one person on the team interested enough to do it, then the content can be shared.

Usage

The Poker pattern is named after the habit of putting up the scores of the frequent, after-hours poker tournaments to the company wiki. Setting the precedent that all content, no matter how trivial, should go into the wiki encourages your team to put the important content in there, too.

A wiki page with the poker tournament results "represents, in a microcosm, every little bit of information that a company's employees think is worth writing down, if only there were a convenient place to do so."

Changing the process for non-critical or social content is easier than for business-critical information as there is less risk involved. This content is also less likely to be governed by pre-existing, entrenched processes that might resist the change.

Finding non-essential content to showcase the wiki is fairly simple, as almost anything will do. For example:

• Poker tournament results
• Staff birthdays
• The weekly grocery order
• Review restaurants near the office
• Signup sheet for a pot-luck dinner
• Photos from events in the organisation
• Item list for the family vacation.

Quote Participants - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Quote... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Quote Participants

Quoting your team mates or executives in a wiki page will provide a logical starting point for the owners of the quote to edit the page. When people see their words on print or online, more often than not, they like to fine-tune what is written to ensure that they are understood correctly. Use this behaviour and wiki technology to provide them with the opportunity to edit their quote and thus make them participate in the collaborative editing process. Usage

When the minutes of a meeting is written in a wiki page, make it a point to quote the person who made an important decision or comment. Send the meeting minutes wiki page link to attendees of the meeting and invite the attendees to fine-tune or correct their comments in the minutes captured in the wiki. Example

The Quote Participants patterns works well

• When you need to encourage a manager or executive to experience a wiki
• Provide a logical starting point to users who are not sure about how they can contribute.

Recognition - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Recog... Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Recognition What is it?

Provide mechanisms that recognise the value added to the community by contributors. Motivation and Usage

A common personal motivation is to be respected and acknowledged by peers. For some Wiki users, this may be a major influence on whether and how much they contribute.

Most Wikis work on a volunteer basis, where no one is paid for their contribution. For most users, adding information to the Wiki is not part of their job. But, to use a cliche, recognition is its own reward. Showing that people's work is appreciated may encourage them to contribute more. Examples

• Record the author of all edits. (OK, so there needs to be a separate discussion about whether to allow anonymous edits.)
• Allow others to rate the quality of contributions.
• Show statistics on the extent of a user's contribution, e.g. number of topics for which they are the primary author, number of edits, peer assessment rating ("Reputation Points", "Karma" etc).
• Mark user profiles with roles such as "Moderator", "Guru", "MVP"

Scaffold - Wiki Patterns www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Scaffold Note created April 27, 2008 4/27/08 Scaffold What is it?

The Scaffold pattern involves giving people a place to start by "framing" the content that should eventually go on a page. People often respond better to a page with a template than one that's completely empty.

Flemming Funch writes "there is a basic need for "scaffolding" to hold the conceptual and organizational elements in place, especially during the early phases of "imaginative, interdisciplinary" interconnection. It may be argued that it is the lack of this scaffolding feature which prevents many potentially useful initiatives from "getting off the ground" - and staying up." Usage

Anytime you're adding something new to the wiki, make a quick scaffold for people to collaboratively build content. It doesn't have to be anything fancy - in fact it's best with a wiki to use as little structure as necessary. Just as an empty page can deter people, an overly structured page can seem like the author already knows what s/he wants and doesn't need any help.

A simple set of headings is often enough for people to see how information should be organized and "what goes where." Example

When you post your meeting agendas on the wiki, use a template like this: Group Meeting

Date: Agenda:

• Item name, owner - description of item to be discussed

     (add meeting minutes for this item here)

• Item name, owner - description of item to be discussed

     (add meeting minutes for this item here)

On this Wiki Patterns site, we use the scaffold pattern for all pattern pages: Pattern Name

Summary: Usage: Example: Related Patterns: Further Reading: