Reasons+for+integrating+a+wiki+into+your+company's+intranet



Wikis can be a very powerful tool used in today's corporate world. Open communication, collaboration and knowledge are quickly becoming key principles of the Internet but can also apply to the day-to-day flow of information for a company.

The following are **several reasons why every Intranet should have its own Wiki** (as identified by Martin Seibert (category titles by Seibert, content paraphrased and includes some opinion based benefits).

Frequently, employees communicate information to one another through e-mail since it ensures that the specific people who need or want the information get it. This is a double-edged sword, however, since information can get lost within e-mails which in turn can get deleted after a certain time-period. Wikis can alleivate this problem since information that's available to everyone can be updated immediately and e-mail notifications from the wiki can ensure that those who want the specific information can get it.
 * 1. Less roundabout**

Depending on the department you're working in, documentation can be stored in multiple places. Sometimes the policy is to place it in a shared drive. Other times a web-based repository such as Microsoft Sharepoint is used. While these storage types have their benefits, the downside to storing documentation in them is the potential to reference outdated documents that can easily become inaccessible or lost. Wikis are more convenient for storing project documentation because they are accessible to everyone and less cumbersome to update.
 * 2. Timely**

Wikis are flexible when it comes to storing content. You can not only use them for your documentation purposes but you can also use them throughout the software development life cycle. You can share requirements documents, code, user-interface mock-up screens, or testing scenarios. An added bonus to working from a wiki is its transparency. Users can receive credit for their knowledge sharing efforts.
 * 3. Flexible**

Wikis are built with an easy to use editor and don't require any training. Anyone can learn how to use them with minimal difficulty. For example, COM 630 learned how to use wikis in just a few days. This project is living proof.
 * 4. Easy to use**

Nathan Wallace, author of the blog //E-Gineer//, provides an excellent real world example of how the company Janssen-Cliang (a pharmaceutical company based in Australia) replaced their intranet with a wiki. Wallace provides a history of the company's intranet, how it got started and who managed it. He then talks about the progress and decisions involved in replacing the intranet with a wiki. Above are some great reasons why, but if you read this [|article], you will get an excellent sense of how it actually worked when Janssen-Cliang made the shift from intranet to wiki.

For more on Business and Wikis, see: Would Your Business Benefit from a Wiki? Workplace Wikis Wiki While You Work []

Sources: Seibert, Martin. //[|Why there should be a Wiki integrated into every Intranet.]// TWiki, 17 Mar. 2008. Web. 5 Nov. 2011. Wallace, Nathan. //Our Intranet//, the Wiki: //Case Study of a Wiki changing an Enterprise//. Nathan Wallace. 18 Aug. 2007. 11 Nov. 2011.