Using Wikis to Market Services and Resources
Megan Kocher, University of Minnesota
Wikis were invented in 1995 by Ward Cunningham to serve his own needs for a collaborative online workspace for programmers. Wiki is the Hawaiian term for “quick,” and Cunningham’s WikiWikiWeb was a place where users could quickly create, edit, and collaborate on web pages using a simplified markup language (Abell 2010). By 2007, it was estimated that 44 percent of U.S. citizens between the ages of 18 and 29 looked for information on Wikipedia (Rainie and Tancer 2007), and hundreds of different wiki software products and applications existed that allowed users to create wikis that suited their purposes and budgets. Libraries were quick to experiment with using wikis, both internally and publicly. Wikis offer libraries the following advantages over other types of technologies such as blogs and websites:
• Agility: Wikis allow users to create, edit, link, and delete pages quickly, without uploading them to a server or going through a web administrator.
• Ease of editing: Early wikis required users to learn wiki markup language, a simplified version of HTML. Currently, many wikis employ WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editors that do not require any knowledge of markup language.
• Collaboration: Wiki pages are not static. They are designed to allow multiple users to edit and build upon what is already there, while still archiving past versions for ease of reversion if necessary. The foremost example of this, of course, is the crowd-sourced online encyclopedia Wikipedia.
• Control of access: While wikis let any user add and edit content, they do not have to be open to everyone on the Internet. Wikis allow administrators to determine whether they will be open to everyone or to a set group of users, such as in the case of a staff intranet or a group project.
This chapter will examine the popular wiki softwares, offer advice for choosing software, provide an example of initial account creation, and discuss best practices for setting up and maintaining a library wiki for marketing. Several case studies are included as examples.
TOP WIKI SOFTWARE
There are many options to consider when choosing a wiki software or application. Two online resources that provide a comparison of different wikis based on their features and functionality are WikiMatrix (www.wikimatrix.org) and Wikipedia’s “Comparison of Wiki Software” entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Wiki_software). The first decision that needs to be made, though, is whether to use a wiki that is hosted by a third party (vendor), or one that will be hosted locally by your institution or on a personal server. This decision is often dependent on the purpose of the wiki and will determine which types of software are available for review.
Third-Party Hosted Wikis
Vendor-hosted wikis offer the advantages of not requiring server space or technical expertise for installation. In addition, they usually do not need to be backed up locally, as this is usually also handled by the vendor. A con of third-party hosted wikis is that, as with any third-party solution, you are at the mercy of the vendor; thus, it is important to choose a host who is likely to be around for as long as you would like to have access to the wiki. In addition, some vendor-hosted wikis, especially free ones, place advertisements on users’ wiki pages. These types of wikis can be difficult to migrate to other platforms if you need to move your content elsewhere. The following third-party hosted wikis are recommended for librarians and educators:
Pressley (2010) recommends PBWorks because it is easy to use and is targeted specifically toward the education market. PBWorks offers enterprise-wide solutions, most of which come at a fee, as well as free personal wikis for noncommercial use.
Wikispaces
Wikispaces wikis are widely used by school librarians as a home page for their library. The Beaufort Academy Library website, shown in figure 3.1, is a good example of this use. Wikispaces offers free and paid plans for educators depending on the level of storage space, branding, and functionality needed.
Google Sites
Although it is not technically a wiki per se, Google Sites bears mentioning, as it offers many of the same features as third-party hosted wikis. Google Sites allow users to create free collaborative web spaces using a WYSIWYG editor. These sites can be open or private. Many institutions are turning to Google Apps and Google Apps for Education as system-wide tools; thus, Google Sites is a viable option to create a wiki-like environment. The Unquiet Library, https://sites.google.com/site/theunquietlibrary/home, is one example of a website that has transitioned from Wikispaces to Google Sites.
Figure 3.1. Wikispaces page for Beaufort Academy Aimar Library
Locally Hosted Wikis
Locally hosted wikis are appealing because they offer users more control over how their wiki is set up and implemented. The software is also free of ads, and many are free to download as open-source software. Locally hosted wikis are particularly useful if you are planning a large wiki project that will have many pages and users, such as a staff intranet or a system-wide solution for creating subject guides. It is important to keep in mind when choosing this option that although the software may be free, it requires a significant amount of staff time and expertise for the initial setup as well as the ongoing maintenance and updates. This also requires that your institution have its own stable, supported server space on which to host the wiki. When choosing a locally hosted wiki product, Pressley (2010) recommends taking into account:
• how popular the software is
• how active the developer community is
• the strengths and functionality that the software offers
Three of the top locally hosted wiki softwares used by libraries are:
MediaWiki
www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki
MediaWiki is open source and free to download. It was originally developed to host Wikipedia and, because of this connection, it is a long-standing and well-supported product. In a 2009 study of academic libraries using wikis, Kai-Wah Chu (2009) found that MediaWiki was the most commonly used wiki software among these types of libraries and recommends it for others due to the stability, ability to handle a great deal of content, and ease of installation. The Ohio State University Japanese Studies subject guide, shown in figure 3.3, is a great example of a MediaWiki page.
http://info.tiki.org/tiki-index.php
Another open-source, free wiki software, Tiki is unique in that it boasts some of the most frequently built-in features, including social networking components (polls, chat, comments, etc.), e-learning tools (quizzes, webinars, etc.), and personal information management (calendars, address books, time sheets, etc.). While not yet as popular as some other software, the availability of these features makes Tiki an important wiki to consider, especially if you are seeking maximum socialization with your users.
PMWiki
On the PMWiki Success Stories website (www.pmwiki.org/wiki/PmWiki/SuccessStories), the University of Minnesota Libraries are quoted as saying they chose PMWiki as the software for their internal staff wiki, shown in the “Case Studies” section, “because of its clear philosophy, clear documentation, and active user community.” PMWiki is also open source and free to download. Pressley (2010) notes that PMWiki’s feature set is very basic, although more functions can be acquired through add-ons.
ESTABLISHING AN ACCOUNT
For demonstration purposes, this chapter will use Wikispaces as an example for establishing a wiki account. The steps are listed below:
1. Because Wikispaces offers different types of accounts for different types of uses, you must first choose between education, business, and personal accounts by choosing one of the labeled boxes at the top of the screen. Both education and personal accounts have free and for-pay options. In this example, we will create an education account. There are various options within this category for teachers, students, K–12, and higher education. The choice at this stage depends on whether you are planning to set up your wiki account as an individual educator or as an institution. We will select “Teachers” here to set up an individual account.
2. After selecting “Teachers,” you are prompted to “Sign up and start your wiki.” This requires filling out a short form (fig. 3.2) including the “Wiki Name,” which will be part of your wiki’s URL, and “Wiki Type,” which determines whether you would like a basic wiki setup or a website that is configured like a wiki.
3. After completing the form, you are taken to your new wiki site and offered the option of a virtual tour of the Wikispaces system. Click “Edit” to begin changing the content on your home page, or use the wiki control panel on the right to add pages and files and add members. Selecting “Manage Wiki” allows you to edit your wiki settings as well as to change the look and feel by selecting a theme and/or adding a logo.
Figure 3.2. Wikispaces “Join Now” screen
DEVELOPING NAVIGATION
With any website, it is important to develop navigation that is uncluttered, free of jargon, and easy to follow. Most wiki products have some form of global navigation built in, allowing the user to navigate from one page to the home page or to any other page on the site. However, even with the constrictions of these built-in navigation systems, it is usually possible to do some custom configuration. In Wikispaces, for example, site administrators are given the options to show all pages in a wiki in the right-hand navigation column, to show pages grouped by tags, or not to show any pages in the navigation bar at all. Showing all pages in the navigation may be the simplest way for users to follow along if there are relatively few pages. With larger wikis, however, it may make more sense either to group pages by tags or to develop your own navigation using some pages to link to others. You may also want to consider developing an internal navigation system to guide users in jumping to different parts of the page if you have one long page.
ADDING AND MAINTAINING CONTENT
Adding content is as simple as clicking the “Edit” button and typing once the wiki is established. Most wikis are equipped with a text editor that allows users to enter text in different fonts, colors, and styles, as well as to embed pictures, create lists, and link to other websites. These websites can be either within the same wiki or anywhere on the Internet. If multiple people will be contributing to the wiki, it is important to assess the users’ level of comfort with working in this type of environment and to provide training or written instructions in order to facilitate effective participation (Pressley 2010).
Maintaining the wiki is crucial and requires the development of a maintenance plan. A wiki site promoting outdated information and resources reflects poorly on an institution as well as the individuals responsible, and frequently has the opposite effect of what was originally intended. Pressley (2010) suggests assigning specific people within an organization to check wiki content periodically for currency. If you are the sole maintainer of your wiki site, the maintenance plan may be as simple as setting up quarterly reminders for yourself to check wiki content. If you are hosting your wiki locally, another maintenance issue is keeping the software up to date. Technical staff time needs to be budgeted to keep up with this throughout the lifetime of the wiki.
EVALUATING, ASSESSING, AND USING STATISTICS
Having a well-formed plan to evaluate and assess the wiki is vital. The plan will help you determine whether to continue with the wiki if you are using it as a pilot project, let you know if your intention for the wiki has been successful, and provide you with information that will inform your marketing and promotion efforts.
As an example, if a wiki is used as a subject guide, important measures include the number of visits to the site, where page traffic comes from, and whether your resources are used. There may be some analytic tools included in the wiki feature set. If one is not available or is insufficient for your needs, look into installing a site visit widget on your wiki or using another analytics tool, such as Google Analytics. Locally hosted wikis are usually easy to add on to while vendor-hosted wikis may require special permissions.
If you are using a wiki to interact with users, valuable measures of the wiki’s success include whether or not people engage with it, add comments, and make edits of their own. If the wiki is being used with a specific group of people, such as a class, a survey can be employed to gauge the wiki’s usefulness and the users’ level of involvement. Similarly, a wiki for library staff can be assessed based on whether staff use and contribute to the wiki. Page revision histories can be mined for this information. Surveys and focus groups are also useful tools for assessment.
CASE STUDIES
The flexibility of wikis enables libraries to showcase their services and resources to a variety of audiences using multiple methods. One example of this is wikis that are used as subject or resource guides. Figure 3.3 shows the Ohio State University Libraries’ subject guide for Japanese Studies.
Figure 3.3. Japanese Studies wiki, Ohio State University Libraries
When used as subject guides, wikis allow multiple librarians to collaborate on adding the best resources in a particular area. Wikis are easy to edit, allowing resources to be added or removed at any time, thus ensuring that the best information is available for users. In the case of the Japanese Studies guide, information is kept up to date by work-study students (M. Donovan, personal communication, November 28, 2012).
Due to their collaborative nature, wikis can also be used to engage users with library resources. Clarke and Coyle (2011) describe creating a “wiki knowledge base” tied to a particular course using the wiki functionality of the Blackboard course management system. This knowledge base allowed librarians and subject experts to compile a list of resources and make them available to the students and professors who could benefit from them. In addition, students were able to add resources to the wiki when they found useful items that were not already listed, thereby increasing the wiki’s value in terms of relevance and promoting student engagement with library resources. Other possibilities for engaging users with library resources include creating collaborative writing spaces (Germain 2008), using a wiki for patron book reviews, and allowing patrons to leave feedback on reference sources using a wiki (Bejune 2007).
One of the most common uses of wikis in libraries is as a staff intranet. This allows all staff to add knowledge and resources to the wiki while learning from one another so that they are better able to promote resources to patrons. A librarian from the University of Toronto describes using their Engineering & Computer Science Library reference desk wiki “as a collaborative space to share knowledge, provide each other with support on challenging reference questions, post exercises for staff being trained, and to provide heads-ups on major assignments for which we’ll get questions” (C. Sewerin, personal communication, November 20, 2012). An example of the University of Minnesota Libraries’ internal staff wiki is shown in figure 3.4. This wiki is used for communication and resource sharing across departments and units in this large, spread-out library system.
Figure 3.4. University of Minnesota Libraries staff wiki
BEST PRACTICES AND CONCLUSIONS
Your wiki will market your services and resources—but you need to remember to market your wiki. Introducing your wiki in a systematic way to users can help ensure that it makes an impact and gets used effectively. For example, Jeffery and Dworak (2010) recommend keeping staff up to date on wiki developments using regular e-mail communications and holding a series of in-person staff trainings when rolling out a wiki for library staff. They suggest timing the introduction of the wiki so that it does not coincide with other big technology implementations and stress the importance of communicating the purpose of the wiki and needs that it will fill to get user buy-in.
Pressley (2010) gives some more tips for marketing a wiki, including:
• Post flyers and signage.
• Develop bookmarks and takeaways.
• Place the wiki prominently on your website.
• Set the wiki as the home page on library computers.
• Incorporate social networking and Web 2.0 sites.
• Target a few key players who can influence others.
The marketing plan—together with your content, maintenance, and assessment plans—will give your wiki the best chance of reaching its audience and showcasing your valuable services and resources. You, in turn, will have an easily updated, collaborative workspace for your staff and patrons.
REFERENCES
Abell, J. C. 2010. “March 25, 1995: First Wiki Makes Fast Work of Collaboration.” Wired: This Day in Tech (blog). March 25. www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2010/03/0325wikiwikiweb-first-wiki/.
Bejune, M. M. 2007. “Wikis in Libraries.” Information Technology and Libraries 26 (3): 26–38.
Clarke, James B., and James R. Coyle. 2011. “A Capstone Wiki Knowledge Base: A Case Study of an Online Tool Designed to Promote Life-Long Learning through Engineering Literature Research.” Issues in Science & Technology Librarianship 65 (Spring): 1–14.
Germain, C. A. 2008. “Marketing 2.0.” Public Services Quarterly 4 (2): 169–174.
Jeffery, Keven, and Ellie Dworak. 2010. “Who Moved My Intranet? The Human Side of Introducing Collaborative Technologies to Library Staff.” Journal of Web Librarianship 4 (2/3): 177–186.
Kai-Wah Chu, S. 2009. “Using Wikis in Academic Libraries.” The Journal of Academic Librarianship 35 (2): 170–176.
Pressley, Lauren. 2010. Wikis for Libraries. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers.
Rainie, L., and B. Tancer. 2007. “Wikipedia Users.” Pew Internet & American Life Project, 1–7. www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2007/Wikipedia-users.aspx.