Based on a webinar presented to the Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP) these slides look at use of a wiki for event planning, and getting started using wikis for larger projects. A list of helpful resources are also included

1. Using a Wiki for
Collaboration and
Coordination
by Connie Crosby
Crosby Group Consulting
based on a webinar presented to the
Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP)
August 26, 2010

2. Who am I?
Former law firm library manager
now consulting in:
• social media strategy
• information management
• knowledge management

3. A Tale of Two Conferences

4. Northeast Regional Law Libraries
Meeting 2007 (“NE2007”)

5. NE2007
• formal conference
• numerous concurrent speaker sessions
• international (U.S. & Canada)
• hotel booked 3 1/2 years in advance
• large committees, geographically dispersed

6. PodCamp Toronto 2007

7. PodCamp Toronto
• informal “unconference”
• numerous concurrent speaker sessions
• international (Canada & U.S.)
• university space booked 3 1/2 months in advance
• a few key organizers

8. Guess what??.....

9. Both used wikis!

10. Private organizers’ wiki

11. • each committee had its own main page
• during conference calls, everyone referred
to wiki
• meeting notes/decisions written directly
into wiki
• significantly reduced email
• kept everyone “in the loop”

12. Committee pages = work space

13. Public organization wiki

14. • crowdsourced event!
• registration = add your name to the list
• giving a session = add session to the list
• scheduling = add your session to the
schedule skeleton
• content created added to wiki
(presentations, photos, audio, video)

15. PCTO wiki circa 2009

20. Have we abandoned the wiki?

21. Today’s talk
1. Wikis 101
2. Why use wikis
3. Wikis for event planning
4. AIIP conference
5. Getting started
6. Resources

22. Wikis 101

23. Wiki??

24. “The simplest online
database that could
work.”

25. “The simplest online
database that could
work.”
- Ward Cunningham,
inventor of wikis

26. “wiki ‘pulls’ people
together to work on the
same text....

27. “...everyone looks at the
same text on a page, and can
immediately make changes
directly on that page.”
- Stewart Mader, wikipatterns

28. WYSIWYG editor

29. history of revisions

30. Compare revisions, revert

31. permissions - by person & page

32. Wikis Platforms
...in the Cloud
• PBWorks (formerly PBWiki)
• Wikispaces
• Wetpaint

33. Wiki Platforms
...inside the Enterprise
• Confluence
• TikiWiki
• MS SharePoint
• ThoughtFarmer
• ...and many more!

34. Why?
Photo: ddrccl http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1172789

35. • sharing information that changes frequently
• enabling everyone to post
• collaboration among team members
• building consensus
• coordinating activities (esp. administrative)

36. Wikis for event
planning

37. 1. Designate
administrator(s)

38. 2. Set up initial pages

39. 3. Get team members
started

40. 4. Post decisions &
work-in-progress

41. 5. Wiki gardening

42. 6. Retain historical
work for future
reference

43. Getting started

44. Tie use back to your
goals & strategies
• “goal” by D’Arcy Norman - Flickr - used under Creative Commons -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dnorman/3210880223/

45. gapingvoid.com
Choose appropriate tools

46. Collaborative tools -
alternatives
• wikis
• Google Docs
• Skype (chat, conference calls, video calls, file
sharing, screen sharing)
• Project management sites e.g. Basecamp
• Mockup sites e.g. Balsamiq, Mockingbird

47. Start with a pilot project

48. Determine requirements
hosted or on your own server?
in the cloud or inside the firewall?
history of changes needed?
authority levels for individual pages?
WYSIWYG editor?

49. Will your group culture
support a wiki?

50. Choose appropriate
wiki platform

51. selection - wikimatrix.org

52. wiki choice wizard

53. wiki choice wizard

54. wizard - feature comparison

55. Architecture,
layout, design

56. Avoid
“empty disco” syndrome

57. Content - create,
prepare, migrate

58. Designate
a wiki
gardener

59. Create a sharing culture

60. Resources

61. wikipatterns.com

62. ... and
the book!

63. Social Software
in Libraries
by Meredith Farkas

64. Social Software
in Libraries
by Meredith Farkas
.....plus numerous blog
posts, articles &
presentations by Meredith

65. Wikis for
Libraries
by Lauren Pressley
Tech Set series,
Neal-Schuman Publishing

66. Wikinomics: How
Mass Collaboration
Changes Everything
by Don Tapscott
and Anthony D. Williams

67. www.socialtext.net/
wikiwed/
Wiki Wednesdays

68. WikiSym

69. http://podcamp.org

70. Effective Blogging for Libraries
by Connie Crosby
The Tech Set series,
Neal-Schuman Publishing
March 2010
http://www.neal-schuman.com/bdetail.php?isbn=9781555707132

71. Now! With wiki
techset.wetpaint.com
Effective Blogging for Libraries
by Connie Crosby
The Tech Set series,
Neal-Schuman Publishing
March 2010
http://www.neal-schuman.com/bdetail.php?isbn=9781555707132

72. Thank you!
Connie Crosby
Crosby Group Consulting
http://crosbygroup.ca
connie@crosbygroup.ca
416-919-6719

73. Image Credits (1/2)
• NE2007 reception - photo by Connie Crosby - all rights reserved
• “Scenes from PodCamp Toronto 2007” by Brian Hogg - Flickr - used under Creative
Commons http://www.flickr.com/photos/inelegant/404694563/
• Image of business man used under standard stock.xchng license http://www.sxc.hu
• Image of business woman used under standard stock.xchng license
http://www.sxc.hu
• “goal” by D’Arcy Norman - Flickr - used under Creative Commons -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dnorman/3210880223/
• The Web 2.0 thing (cartoon) - Hugh McLeod - gapingvoid.com

74. Image Credits (2/2)
• “L'espace internet du musée de la Communication (Berlin)” by dalbera - Flickr -
used under Creative Commons
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dalbera/2738451853
• “Emerging Beauty” by timsamoff on Flickr - used under Creative Commons -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/timsamoff/106779233/
• “The rave” by leocub - used under standard stock.xchng license -
http://www.sxc.hu/photo/772418
• “.|Unique|.” by clix http://www.sxc.hu/photo/923718 - used under stock.xchng
standard licensing
• “Dr. Dirt in his garden” by Natalie Maynor - Flickr - used under Creative Commons
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nataliemaynor/446709701/
• Image of Connie Crosby - all rights reserved, Rannie Turingan. Used with permission
http://www.flickr.com/photos/photojunkie/4378782274