I first saw Chad Boeninger at Computers in Libraries in 2006, which was apparently his first presentation on the subject. I sat in on his session today to see what he had to add, or what he felt about wikis two years later.

Chad touched on the uses of wikis: as internal communication tools, as collaborative tool, and as tools for communication with library users. He began by questioning whether you really need a wiki, and suggested that librarians first define a purpose or problem, then decide whether a wiki is the right tool for the problem.

Chad talked about the fact that a lot of organizations use a shared drive, but information gets sorted by personal folders, not by content of the document. He has replaced that with a wiki, which is sorted by document content and allows users to find institutional knowledge and training materials in an easy way. Chad has also used a wiki to reorganize and invigorate his subject guide for Business (The “BizWiki”).

After a brief overview of wiki tools that are available, Chad used Wet Paint to create a wiki. I thought this was a really useful way of showing folks how fast and easy it was to create a wiki. I think a lot of people are intimidated by the idea of creating a wiki or blog until they get their hands on it themselves (which is part of the theory behind the Web 2.0 Tech Kiosk I’m working on). Unfortunately, I think Chad lost some of the crowd with the slow internet connection and the fact that he chose to install the Wiki software instead of simply starting a remotely hosted wiki which would have gone faster and probably had less troubleshooting involved. Instead, issues with permissions and PHP made the process look more difficult than some beginners might be ready for.

After getting his wiki up and running, Chad stressed the importance of making someone responsible for the structure and initial content of the wiki. People need guidance before they’ll contribute as well. Borrow organizational structure ideas from other wikis. Initial content might come from older sources, so people can get a feel for the new medium, and then add new content. Some of the first content you should add is help on how to use the wiki.

Encourage people to communicate through the wiki. Tell them to respond to emails or memos on the wiki. Chad also mentioned that you have to create a safe/collaborative space, where people don’t get their feelings hurt when content gets revised. Equally, he noted that as an admin, you can’t demand perfection. It’s about the content, not the polish.

Chad uses his BizWiki during instruction, so they get used to the content and feel. This is automatic promotion. Other means of promotion include linking to your Wiki from every relevant place, linking to the wiki resources through other resources, and ensuring that your content is useful and up to date.

After a few years, Chad emphasizes that you have to be flexible when thinking about the wiki. This includes

• Being realistic about expectations for use.
• Realizing that people may or may not add content.
• Realizing that your wiki is NEVER done. It’s organic. “A static wiki defeats the purpose of a wiki.”

While I knew most of what Chad talked about, it seemed a lot of people in the audience didn’t… and I think Chad did a decent job of covering the issues.  Most of the post-talk questions had to do with choosing a wiki vs. another tool… which I think is a bigger issue.  It wouldn’t surprise me if a lot of people have been turned off of Web 2.0 stuff because they’ve chosen the wrong tool for the job and been disappointed with the results.  I think it would be great if more people who did these kinds of introductory talks dealt with the “why” and less with the how/how great.