WIKI TECHNOLOGY AS A “FREE” COLLABORATIVE …

1 WIKI TECHNOLOGY . WIKI TECHNOLOGY AS A. FREE COLLABORATIVE . TOOL WITHIN AN. ORGANIZATIONAL. SETTING. Murali Raman This article provides a brief tutorial of Wiki TECHNOLOGY as a COLLABORATIVE tool. A case example from a university administration context suggests that like many other end-user technolo- gies training and support needs should be carefully considered before the potential value of using this free TECHNOLOGY to support knowledge management efforts can be satisfactorily realized. IKI IS A HAWAIIAN WORD THAT RE- page, add or edit content in an existing wiki MURALI RAMAN.

2 W fers to being quick. Leuf and Cunning- ham (2001) define a Wiki as a freely page, and delete content within a page, with- out any prior knowledge or skills in editing and received his doctorate expandable collection of interlinked publishing on the Web (Kille, 2006).Wikis offer in management of Web pages, a hypertext system for storing and a simple editing and publishing interface that information systems modifying information a database where can be used and understood easily (Leuf & Cun- from the school of each page is easily editable by any user with a ningham, 2001; Wagner, 2004; Kille, 2006).

3 Information systems and TECHNOLOGY , forms-capable Web browser client (p. 14). The Fuchs-Kittowsk and K hler (2002) define a Claremont Graduate authors also differentiate between the terms wiki as an open author system for a conjoined University. He is Wiki (uppercase W) and wiki: the former is construction and maintenance of Websites (p. currently with used to describe the TECHNOLOGY concept, and 10). These authors suggest that Wiki technolo- Multimedia University the latter is used to refer to an application. gy can facilitate cooperative work and knowl- Malaysia.

4 His research Ward Cunningham invented the first wiki in edge generation. Specifically, they suggest that interests are within the 1995. His objective was to publish information a wiki might be applicable in different contexts domain of collaboratively on the Web (Leuf & Cunning- as a COLLABORATIVE ham, 2001), and this first wiki Web site (http://. TECHNOLOGY and Content management system ) is still actively maintained. TECHNOLOGY adoption Discussion board Cunningham's vision was to create a wiki as within the realms of Other form of groupware knowledge the simplest online database that could possi- management.

5 He can bly work (p. 15). The authors imply that Wiki TECHNOLOGY can be reached at Wikis are interactive Web sites that can of- support the requirements for COLLABORATIVE fer numerous benefits to users (Wagner, 2004; knowledge creation within both corporate and Kille, 2006). Anyone can create a new wiki academic environments. I N F O R M A T I O N S Y S T E M S. F A L L 2 0 0 6. M A N A G E M E N T. 59. WIKI TECHNOLOGY . TABLE 1 Examples of Wiki Clones Wiki Clone Comments Wiki The original wiki developed by Ward Cunningham Easily available resources from the Web Easy to install Numerous varieties of implemented versions already exist Perl can be hard to use/understand for a novice Twiki Designed for corporate users More professional and powerful, with features such as automatic e-mails, file attachments, etc.

6 Mainly for *nix, and depends on some UNIX tools Squeak Wiki, Runs in Squeak Virtual Machine environment with Squeak Web server Swiki, CoWeb Integrated Smalltalk environment Highly extensible because of access to Squeak code modules in open and OS servers Maps wiki pages to numbered rather than named files More prevalent in academic environment because the TECHNOLOGY ties nicely with COLLABORATIVE work in computer sciences Plone Supports corporate need for file storing system Easily downloadable and online PDF resources are available at TikiWiki Easy to install even for a novice Resources (online) for downloading and operating available at TECHNICAL ATTRIBUTES the Web browser.

7 Members of a wiki communi- Wiki TECHNOLOGY is based on open-source soft- ty can build and develop meaningful topic as- ware. The software that operates any wiki is sociations (p. 16) by creating numerous links called a wiki engine (Kille, 2006). A variety of between wiki pages (Leuf & Cunningham, free wiki engines also called wiki clones 2001). Originally, the TECHNOLOGY was not (Leuf & Cunningham, 2001) are available meant to engage casual visitors; rather, it was from the Web. Examples of the more popular designed to enable users to regularly update wiki clones are described in Table 1.

8 The wiki pages in a COLLABORATIVE fashion, there- Although wikis are easy to use once in- by continuously changing the nature of the stalled, the installation stage requires some ex- wiki Web site. perience in working with databases and server Wagner (2004) describes 11 principles that configuration when downloading a wiki en- alternative to managing a wiki using an govern the functional design of a wiki, as sum- internal server is to obtain services from a vari- marized in Table 2. The major distinguishing ety of Wiki hosts or farms, usually for a minimal factor between wikis and regular Web sites is fee.

9 Examples of wiki farms are Seedwiki (http: the ability of wiki users to easily edit all aspects ), JotSpot (http://www. of a wiki Web site. Wagner's design principles ), and Socialtext ( also suggest that wikis might be useful for col- com) (Kille, 2006). laborative work in organizations. However, giv- Wikis run over the World Wide Web and can en the open nature of the TECHNOLOGY , the be supported by any browser. The TECHNOLOGY notion of trust becomes vital within a wiki is governed by an underlying hypertext transfer community. protocol (HTTP) that determines client and The appendix provides a short user guide server communication.

10 Wikis are able to re- to how to perform some of the basic functions. spond to both requests for data (GET) and data submission (POST), in a given Web front, based on the HTTP (Leuf & Cunningham, 2001). POTENTIAL BENEFITS AS A. COLLABORATIVE TOOL. The most often cited benefits of using wikis to FUNCTIONAL ATTRIBUTES. support COLLABORATIVE work are Any member in a wiki community can edit any pages on the wiki Web site. The editing of wiki Simplicity of learning and working with the pages does not require additional functions in TECHNOLOGY (Kille, 2006). 60 W W W.