Wikis And Blogs Their role in the Corporate Environment Kevin Baker Nelson Brodyck Adam Garten-Zutter Darren Makovichuk Cameron Smith

Brief Introduction to Blogs □A Blog (Web-log) is an online journal that provides news, commentary and opinions □Manually Updated □Limited technical know-how is required □RSS incorporation

Brief Introduction to Blogs □Internal Blog □Disseminate corporate communications, news and events □CEO Blog □External Blog □Feedback from customers; respond immediately □Create buzz in advertising and marketing

Brief Introduction to Wikis □A Wiki is a collaborative website that allows its users to add, edit, and remove content □Wiki means “quick” □Recall Dr. Vannevar Bush’s concept of the memex □First Wiki: WikiWikiWeb created by Ward Cunningham in 1995 (now over pages) □Simple markup language □Inspires and promotes participation, collaboration and community

Implementation □Hardware □Use existing infrastructure □Standard packages require a web server and database □Software □Web server □Database □Php, asp, java, perl, etc.

Implementation □External hosting eliminates needs for internal setup and maintenance □Different packages have slightly different software requirements □External hosting not as customizable as in-house creation

Pros Of Blogs □Easy To Use □A Fast Way To Publish Information □Can Be Used Internally To Enhance Communication □Reduce unnecessary overload □Can Be Used Externally For Marketing, Branding And PR Purposes □Low implementation Cost

Cons Of Blogs □Information Leaks □Careful Blog Controls Must Be Exercised □Increased Maintenance costs □Designated Customer Service Representatives to update blog

Pros Of Wikis □Ease of use – Anyone can use it □Create a strong company culture □Scalable and Flexible – Anything stored □Free – Many open source solutions

Cons Of Wikis □Hard to switch from one to another □No standardized wiki markup language □Can lack structure or direction □Can become messy – enforce guidelines □Information not always accurate – debatable topics □Security – Anyone with an account can edit/delete remove □Solutions – training, backups

Conclusions □Wikis have highly desirables features for collaboration □Internal knowledge-base □Usage for project teams □Internal Blog □Centralized information □External Blog □Respond directly to customer concerns