Sharing Knowledge Is Not That Hard – Wikis
Purpose
This blog is a continuation of a series of blogs under the heading of Sharing Knowledge Is Not That Hard. This blog discusses wikis, which are one of the many tools available to us for sharing knowledge.
Overview
Wikis are now free of moderator intervention (a new change this May 2013). From the standpoint of points, wikis are most valuable as they are worth 40 points. Perhaps another value to wikis is that they are saved (or can be saved) in layered hierarchies.
How to Wiki
Wikis are by definition collaborative documents. A short description of when to create a wiki is provided by Jason Lax in the Jive Document The Difference Between a Discussion, Blog Post, Document and Wiki. To add to Jason’s Document, wikis are great for storing content that requires layered hierarchies or that will need such structure in the future. These can be collaborative efforts where other users can alter the wiki or add child pages where allowed. The main landing page for SAP wikis is here: Welcome to the SAP Community Network Wiki. A good starting resource that discusses wiki creation is at this link. Also, see the Wiki FAQ. SAP employees are required to use a template as designed by Brendan O’Brian. The guide is available on the SAP Employee Network Wiki.
Why to Wiki
- The process of creating a Wiki is rigorous and well defined – for SAP employees
- Anyone registered with SAP SCN can create a Wiki
- You receive lots of points for creating a well structured Wiki (See the header information on the Welcome to the SAP Community Network Wiki page)
- Wikis are searchable on SCN and SAP Market Place
- Wikis can be metatagged to increase visibility and allow for easier searches
- Anyone can add a comment to a Wiki
- Anyone can add and improve a Wiki
- Anyone can add a child wiki
- Wikis can be rolled back if new changes are deemed to be incorrect or un-necessary
- Title of a wiki can be changed at will since the URL is not tied to the title
- Wikis can be “watched” using the functionality “Start watching this space”
Why not to Wiki
- Anyone registered with SAP SCN can create a Wiki
- Anyone registered with SAP SCN can modify a Wiki
- Non SAP employees do not have access to the new Wiki template
- Wikis are located on an external server, thus are not part of SAP SCN
- Lots of confusion on where to create Wikis.
- Hard to get help
- Cumbersome editor tool
- Lots / too many(?) rules on best use
My Experience
Initially I enjoyed creating Wikis. However, my preferences shifted to tools such as Blogs, and Jive Documents. I find the whole wiki “system” cumbersome and confusing – and that’s from both an author and moderator points of view. I also find the organization of the wikis quickly becoming hard to follow. Due to the hierarchical nature of the wikis, to get to a specific wiki may require a number of. Since the wikis live on a server separate from the SCN Jive platform, they are not part of the actual SCN Space. At this time. At this time I only create Wikis as a continuation of an existing series. E.g.; Crystal Reports for Visual Studio 2010 – Service Pack 1 – Fixed Issues.
Related Content
Related Documents
Share Your Knowledge in SCN Topic Spaces
One Big Happy Family: The New SCN and the Wiki
The New SCN Wiki- It’s Never Been Easier to Collaborate
SCN Wiki Moderators Top Guidelines
Sharing Knowledge Is Not That Hard
Sharing Knowledge Is Not That Hard – Basic Tips
Sharing Knowledge Is Not That Hard – Blogs
Sharing Knowledge Is Not That Hard – Jive Documents
Sharing Knowledge Is Not That Hard – SCN Discussions
Sharing Knowledge Is Not That Hard – Knowledge Base Articles
Sharing Knowledge Is Not That Hard – Articles
Sharing Knowledge Is Not That Hard – SAP Idea Place
Hi Ludek,
i agree with your assessment of wiki and i think the biggest problem is lack of community participation and co-editing of pages. it simply doesn't happen, whether from SAP or from the community at large. asking a question on a forum or whipping up a blog/document page is so much simpler. creating a wiki page takes a lot of time and the benefits are rather limited.
you can see there is a problem when it's easier to find a wiki page through a google or bing search engine than through the internal scn search and that is a very simple test.
rgds,
greg
I agree Greg. Now these are my personal thoughts and do not necessarily reflect on that the owners of the processes feel;
For some reason wikis are for SCN what I have called an ugly duckling. Or hear no evil, see no evil... you know.
And then as far as SAP is concerned, SCN wikis are preferred - possibly because of history. E.g.; till death do us part... and SCN is an interloper into that space.
And then you have this internal discussion in SAP as to what knowledge to publish and what knowledge to keep secret.
I'm of the opinion; what ever does not hurt or is not a proprietary knowledge - let be shown. Unfortunately, my opinions don't carry much weight. Anyhow, put it all together and there is a lot of confusion as to what, when, why and the ROI of each type of content, never mind co-editing. I love SAP for having all of the avenues they do have, but I'd like more; more freedom along the avenues, more sign posts and more guides,
- Ludek
Thanks Lukek for share this info with us 🙂
Regards Antonio Martinez