Wiki+Success

[|Wikipedia] was not the first wiki on the Internet, but it certainly is the most popular. Why did Wikipedia succeeded, while other public wikis failed? [|Benjamin Mako Hill], MIT researcher, believes that “Wikipedia attracted contributors because it was built around a familiar product the encyclopedia” ([|Garber]).

media type="custom" key="11249202" align="left" Left: Benjamin Mako Hill

Peter Zakrzewski also captured some other unique qualifiers that he thinks made Wikipedia successful. In his blog post [|//What Makes Wikipedia Successful//], he suggests that Wikipedia was successful largely due to a "shared vision." The idea behind Wikipedia was something that everyone could relate to and understand. Furthermore, it was built on a solid, preexisting foundation. And lastly, Zakrzewski states that since the topics on Wikipedia are endless, people have an interest in certain topics and feel compelled to contribute.

A good example to back up Zakrzewski's last point is that of arguments I used to have in college with friends. We would often use Wikipedia or Google to settle disputes, and if you couldn't find the information you knew to be fact, you could always update it in Wikipedia. This might be somewhat of an arbitrary example, but should give you the idea of how easily someone can be influenced to contribute to the wiki.

When Wikipedia was launched in 2001 ([|About Wikipedia]), most of the site’s potential users were familiar with a standard encyclopedia. Hill states that “Wikipedia succeeded in part because, revolutionary as it was, it also felt familiar” ([|Garber]). Users tend to resist change and are not always comfortable with new technology (Logue). Because users found similarities between Wikipedia and the encyclopedias with which they were familiar, they were more inclined to frequent Wikipedia over competitor wikis with a completely foreign layout.

Hill also found Wikipedia to focus “on substantive content development instead of technology.” The low-tech site allowed Wikipedia founders to concentrate on obtaining contributors and developing content, instead of innovative technology. More contributors, led to more content, and eventually, a sense of community ([|Garber]). It was not long before Wikipedia became a substantial online encyclopedia.

Several lessons can be taken from Wikipedia’s success in creating a wiki for internal software documentation. First, mimic what your potential users are familiar with. If your company has standards for websites, follow this format when creating the wiki. Second, don’t try to create a state-of-the-art wiki. Your users are likely familiar with Wikipedia, so use a similar, simple format. Keeping the wiki simple will allow you to focus on its content.

“[|About Wikipedia].”Wikipedia. 6 Nov. 2011. Web. 9 Nov. 2011.
 * Sources:**

Garber, Megan. “[|An MIT Researcher Explains Why Wikipedia Succeeded Over Other Online Encyclopedias].” //Business Insider//. 13 Oct. 2011. Web. 9 Nov. 2011.

Zakrzewski, Peter//. Cognitive Potential: What Makes Wikipedia Successful//. WordPress. 9 March 2009. 11 Nov 2011.