Wikis

I like Wikis a lot! I think they are actually the most useful of the web 2.0 tools I play with. At work we use wikis to communicate all the time. If something is happening we put it on the news page - and people can amend it as it gets fixed. We put up information about training and meetings and conferences so everybody can see it. We keep the info desk rosters and the IL planning schedules there so everyone can add, contribute, amend. We even put up recipes and jokes.

We set the alerts to go so when something is added or amended we get an email about it. It is just like sending an email to the group then - but a permanet record is kept too and we can refer to it when we need it.

At QUT we are looking at putting our subject guides in wiki format - it allows contribution by the students as well as the staff and can change to suit each cohort.

The one major disadvantage is that the less techie people in a group can find themselves being left out of the communication process. When we started to use the one at CA, I went round and made sure everybody had set the alerts up properly. That way they would not miss out on information because they do not use the wiki. I also set the home page on the info desk to be the wiki so we saw it whenever we were there.

With wikis for other groups this has been mor eof a problem. At Grace's Hut we have a wiki (http://graceshut.wetpaint.com/) and it was meant to work so that when we weeded or had anything to report we would put it into there. But most people just email me and get tme to put it in, and never use any of the functionality. Philistines!