WikisBasics, Tools and StrategiesMeredith FarkasApril 15, 2007Computers in Libraries

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

and TechEssence. 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 CIL 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

ICANN Wiki Tax Almanac Mandriva Club

Subject guides

Ohio University Library’s Biz Wiki St. Joseph County Public Library Sub

ject Guides

Wiki as Website and courseware

University of South Carolina Aiken Library Web site

Bull Run Library 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

SUNY Stonybrook Health Science Library Wiki

University of Connecticut Library

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 2006 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 Confluence ($$$)

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 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: Documentation

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

Prepare for lots of questions! Wikipedia has lots of good documentation

for MediaWiki users

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/