so you want a - now what?

so you want a wiki – now overview what?  options for collaboration and communication  where fit in › how they work › benefits of wikis in libraries Frank Cervone › contrasting and wikis Assistant University Librarian for Information Technology Northwestern University  What to use and when  getting started NSLS Workshop February 26, 2008

questions committees and teams

 what is your primary role at your organization?  how many groups do you belong to?  reference/Instructional Librarian None 1 – 2 3 – 5 5 – 10 > 10  collections/Digital Project  where are the communications from  library ITS (web developer, systems librarian)  library manager those groups stored?  other › mailing list archives  do you contribute to a wiki? › folders › everyone’s desktop and file cabinet  are you interested in using wikis for › shared file server  business processes  personal web publishing › web board  community building › IM (saved)  intranet  what are some of the limitations?  don’t know

technologies for online what if … collaboration  reduce email overload  push-based › email  have an archive of the work done to  interactive › discussion forums date › web chat › webcasts  build a knowledge base automatically › › blogs  have an easy way to write and publish › › text messaging › reports › team rooms › documents  pull-based › policies › newsgroups › procedures › RSS

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what is a “Wiki ”? some more thoughts … Wikis facilitate collaboration, information  original dissemination and communal knowledge management in a free-form, yet structured way developed in 1994 the post-it note of the from the New Communications Forum wiki › Ward Cunningham web the description of OpenWiki a wiki is a freely  means “quick” in expandable collection of interlinked web Hawaiian pages, a hypertext “What would you get if you had a Web site where system for storing and › As a bacronym - anyone could edit or add anything?” Boredom, I modifying information – “What I Know Is” guessed, or chaos. Boy, was I wrong. You get a database, where hundreds, thousands of pages full of information, each page is easily edited by any user with  allows you to add, ideas, conversations, learning, and teaching. You a forms-capable Web edit, or link content get linkages among ideas, conversations among browser client Bo Leuf and Ward Cunningham, people. You get a tool for business, a tool for The Wiki Way , p. 14 easily people. You get copies and replicas all over the world. You get … the wiki” Bo Leuf and Ward Cunningham, The Wiki Way , page xiii what_is_a_wiki.avi

using wikis collections of pages

 intended to be simple so you can focus on the writing Main Page Contact Us Electronic Virtual › not on HTML coding › mechanics and syntax of a web development system edit edit edit edit  intended to be open to facilitate information sharing  Wiki pages look like web pages › can be restricted  anyone with a web browser can read a wiki site

who is anyone? click, write and save

everyone  just your staff ...InfoPage InfoPage just your workgroup just you edit save edit

 anyone with a web browser can edit a wiki site  anyone can undo any change at any time

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creating new pages wiki design principles

 make a new page by typing the name in CamelCase  Openness and trust › if a page is incomplete or inaccurate anyone can edit it › This will become the WikiName of the page

Title PublicSafety

..PublicSafety.. edit edit

Wiki Design Principles http://www.c2.com/cgi/wiki?WikiDesignPrinciples

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wiki design principles

 Openness and trust › if a page is incomplete or inaccurate anyone can edit it  Incremental › pages can cite other pages, even those not yet written

wiki design principles

 Openness and trust › if a page is incomplete or inaccurate anyone can edit it  Incremental › pages can cite other pages, even those not yet written  Observable › you can see the changes being made

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wiki design principles

 Openness and trust › if a page is incomplete or inaccurate anyone can edit it  Incremental › pages can cite other pages, even those not yet written  Observable › you can see the changes being made  Organic › site structure is up to everyone, and it will evolve and change

wiki gardeners

 People who tidy up the wiki › Pruning links › Editing text  Organizing structures › Generally, cleaning things up  Respected  Authoritative

Photo by Ross Mayfield On a library wiki, you might want to assign this role

externally facing library wikis

 subject guides  events  community content › encyclopedia › book reviews › courses

http://www.libraryforlife.org/subjectguides/index.php/Main_Page

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event planning and support stevens county encyclopedia

http://coppul.jotspot.com (Password protected) http://www.scrldwiki.org/index.php/Main_Page

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princeton public library course wiki

http://booklovers.pbwiki.com/Princeton%20Public%20Library http://eci831.wikispaces.com/

professional knowledge repositories

http://www.libsuccess.org/

conference internally facing library wikis

 staff intranet  IT Documentation  special projects/committees/events  helpdesk and knowledgebase

http://cil2008.pbwiki.com/

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staff web site library intranet

http://wiki.lib.umn.edu/ http://wiki.lib.uconn.edu/wiki/Main_Page

project and committee work

http://www.seedwiki.com/wiki/b-team/

case study: event planning WYSIWYG Editor

www.jotspot.com

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what pages have changed? see what changed

single page or side by side features

Search Attach a File InviteChanges Import Word users via RSS

Emails Attachments

Make a comment

Send an Email

conference and wiki support wiki reactions

 Participants signed up for wifi, dine- Well, I wasn't sure about that wiki (sounded arounds, connected with each other like something from Star Wars), but I before the event decided to try it out. It is fabulous! Every  Shared notes during the presentation and conference should have one. uploaded slides Gail Curry, UNBC  Evaluated the workshop

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best practices champion

Photo by azamrashdi'

culture shock structure

Photo by mirando Photo by Childish David

wiki roadmap implementation tips

 install on web server  define an initial purpose upfront  plan rollout and content  choose the right features for your  build the initial structure environment  populate initial content with early adopters  start slow (snowball)  initial rollout with smaller group  provide training and coaching  train and coach users  do not underestimate inertia and time

Peter Theony, Wiki Based Collaboration http://twiki.org/cgi-bin/view/Codev/TWikiPresentation17Feb2005

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practical considerations wiki exercise

 Have a champion › New way of “thinking”, paradigm shift from intranet, webmaster or CMS (content management system) Identify 2 or 3 areas where a wiki web  Choose the right features would help with collaboration and › Attach files communication. › Access control › Version control › Ease of use: make sure “add a page” is self evident Identify some “barriers” and › Match look and feel brainstorm how you might › Alert and post via email to wiki overcome them in your work  Wiki environment. › http://www.wikimatrix.org/

blogs and wikis face off wikis blogs

 group voice  individual voice  unstructured, organic  default is by date, reverse chronological  anyone edits  anyone comments  fluid medium: change any time  post medium like email  better management: versions, (comment, reply, comment, rollback and change log, …) syndicate changes  edits aren’t tracked usually,  less familiar new items are syndicated  more familiar

Photo Credit: Pascal Vuylsteker http://www.flickr.com/photos/pvk/ CC Attribution 2.5

summary more resources

 wikis help support collaboration wiki resources  tools are simple, quick and inexpensive › http://library.usask.ca/~fichter/wiki/  they belong in our collaboration toolbox  help support the diverse needs of our workplaces › diverse users › diverse services › diverse software choices

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questions ? [email protected]

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