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Layout of the talk: Why wiki? What’s with a wiki? Whose wiki? W

(Wiki + ResTechs ) = (Fresh documentation + Organic Knowledge Management + Training Materials + Good, Cheap Technical Writers) Niki Serakiotou Rice University.

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Layout of the talk: Why wiki? What’s with a wiki? Whose wiki? W

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  1. (Wiki + ResTechs) = (Fresh documentation + Organic Knowledge Management + Training Materials + Good, Cheap Technical Writers)NikiSerakiotouRice University

  2. Layout of the talk:Why wiki? What’s with a wiki? Whose wiki?Wikimania!...

  3. Why wiki? What’s with a wiki? Whose wiki? Wikimania!... Too much effort => Stale documentation “geek squad” “lit squad” Owners of info Presenters of info Documentation

  4. Wiki => fresh, organic documentation Why wiki? What’s with a wiki? Whose wiki? Wikimania!... “geek squad” “lit squad” Owners of info Presenters of info Documentation Quick write-ups Beautify later Change as you go

  5. Why wiki? What’s with a wiki? Whose wiki? Wikimania!... One central place for all documentation WHERE? Central Storage Personal Folders Media Nowhere! Records Minutes Memos FAQs How-tos Directions Knowledge Documentation Configurations Systems’ info Documents Media files

  6. Why wiki? What’s with a wiki? Whose wiki? Wikimania!... • “owners” able to contribute • keep info fresh • grow as you go • all in one place • Other advantages: • web editing for all • easy learning curve • disaster recovery easy • ability to do “news”, “announcements”

  7. Why wiki? What’s with a wiki? Whose wiki? Wikimania!... • it is a website • it is a knowledge management tool(search, tags, keywords) • it is a content management tool • it is different in structure from a website • it is a “cheap and easy” knowledge management tool • it is a simple, not fancy, content management tool, with basic editing and simple web presence

  8. Why wiki? What’s with a wiki? Whose wiki? Wikimania!... wiki vs. website: • A website contains • Folders • Pages • Links • A page needs to be referenced to appear or to belong to a browse-able folder

  9. Why wiki? What’s with a wiki? Whose wiki? Wikimania!... wiki vs. website: • A wiki contains • Pages • Links • Pages are related in a tree • structure (parent – child pages) • Every page contains by default links to each children • A page appears as soon as it is created as a child • Links are auto-updated “space” “Dashboard” “space”

  10. Why wiki? What’s with a wiki? Whose wiki? Wikimania!... Structure of a wiki page Title Info Content Chidren

  11. Why wiki? What’s with a wiki? Whose wiki? Wikimania!... Structure of a wiki tree “space” “Dashboard” “space”

  12. Why wiki? What’s with a wiki? Whose wiki? Wikimania!... • compared with other tools • description of the wiki’s structure • description of the editors • the Rice wiki • Additional info on Rice’s wiki: • “Confluence” license ~$3,000 • Database is • Size of installation is • It was moderately difficult to create Rice “skin”

  13. Why wiki? What’s with a wiki? Whose wiki? Wikimania!... Organizational unit Function, Project Other Society Public Spaces Internal Spaces (by authentication)

  14. Why wiki? What’s with a wiki? Whose wiki? Wikimania!... Permissions and spaces

  15. Why wiki? What’s with a wiki? Whose wiki? Wikimania!... Permissions and spaces • Org Units: read/write by all members • Function, Projects: read/write as appropriate • Student Worker space: read/write by all IT, student workers • Public Spaces with Policies, Announcements etc: • read by anyone (no authentication) • write by management as appropriate • Public Spaces with Technical Directions, FAQs etc: • read by anyone (no authentication) • write by all IT, student workers

  16. Why wiki? What’s with a wiki? Whose wiki? Wikimania!... How to encourage writers • Lunch & learns, Town Halls, “commercials” • Private tutoring • “Seed a tree” • Ask staff specifically and insist that they contribute • Send wiki links instead of verbatim info • Allow the student workers access to contribute • Get a “gardener” for each space • Get at least one “champion” at the beginning

  17. Why wiki? What’s with a wiki? Whose wiki? Wikimania!... • space structure • space permissions • encourage adoption • role of student workers

  18. Why wiki? What’s with a wiki? Whose wiki? Wikimania!... What to document? (internal documentation) Personnel issues: Who is on-call How we hire students Directories of staff and contact options Calendar of absences Systems’ configuration information: How is a server setup and what needs to be done to redo all the steps of the work How do I increase quota for a user (technical steps and policy guidelines) What access privileges should be given to a new staff member What dependencies exist between servers Event (such as outage) Calendars Network traffic reports Organizational life records: Minutes from meetings, events Policies and procedures Forms to be used for various procedures

  19. Why wiki? What’s with a wiki? Whose wiki? Wikimania!... What to document? (public documentation) CONNECT Overview of the Rice Network Connect on-campus Connect to Rice from remote networks Connect from PDAs & Smart Phones IT SERVICES Telephones Accounts File storage and restore from backups Email Calendar Printing Public Scanners Creating Websites Classroom Technology Video & Digital Media HELP DOCUMENTS Security & Viruses Operating Systems Software and Applications Software Help SHORT COURSES, ONLINE TRAINING Short Courses Online Courses Per request training sessions

  20. Why wiki? What’s with a wiki? Whose wiki? Wikimania!... Navigation vs. Search • To help “navigators” • use “topic columns” • use lean structure • use task oriented structure • To help “searchers” • use “lay language” titles • do not “cross-link” • do not refer to tangential topics

  21. Why wiki? What’s with a wiki? Whose wiki? Wikimania!... Tree structure tricks • Describe tasks, (i.e. “how to connect remotely” vs. “use VPN”) • Arrange platform specific directions under one task heading , i.e.: • How to setup VPN • for PC • for Mac • for Linux • Instead of : • If you are using a PC • How to connect remotely • How to setup VPN

  22. Why wiki? What’s with a wiki? Whose wiki? Wikimania!... • possible topics • writing tricks • tree & page tricks • Still in pain: • not everyone has a green thumb • people like to make fancy websites – it is creative & rewarding • gardener’s job not recognized (nor “funded”)? • why not wikipedia like comments from customers?

  23. http://docs.rice.edu Have a great wiking!!! The End.

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