SharePoint+Wiki

[|Microsoft SharePoint] is used by many companies to enhance internal collaboration. SharePoint provides users with the ability to create a variety of different pages, such as document libraries, blogs, discussion forums, and wikis.

//SharePoint Wiki before customization//

Before customization, the SharePoint wiki page looks similar to other SharePoint pages. [|Benjamin Mako Hill], MIT researcher, believes that “Wikipedia attracted contributors because it was built around a familiar product the encyclopedia” ([|Garber]). If your company is already using SharePoint, your employees should be familiar with the SharePoint layout. Offering a level of familiarity when implementing new technology, such as a wiki, may increase its chances of success ([|Garber]).

When compared to third-party wiki systems, SharePoint’s wiki may appear to fall short. However, SharePoint’s wiki will meet most basic needs (Woodywindy). A blog post entitled “[|Wiki-in-the-Box – Is SharePoint Wiki Really that Bad?]” describes some of the features of SharePoint’s wiki:


 * History is tracked. Users can tell what has been edited and when the changes were made.


 * A full rich-text editor is provided, allowing users to format text.


 * SharePoint’s basic features are included:
 * Notification of changes
 * Permissions settings
 * Metadata fields
 * RSS feeds
 * Ability to require approval for changes
 * Different views of information
 * Unique URLs for each wiki
 * Content is indexed for searching

While SharePoint may provide benefits such as adding columns and grouping functions there are some frustrations. On his blog, I'd Rather Be Writing Tom Johnson makes note of frustrations with SharePoint. He notes are column fields are visible to each user - they cannot be hidden and you cannot control how categories are listed - all categories are listed in alphabetical order only. There is also no discussion page available or comment fields - which are essential to Wikis.

Some may like the features that SharePoint provides however, it may not be the best choice for a Wiki.

Read more about Johnson's thoughts on SharePoint here: @http://idratherbewriting.com/2008/05/17/sharepoint-wikis-both-liberating-and-frustrating/


 * Sources:**

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

Woodywindy. “[|Wiki-in-the-Box – Is SharePoint Wiki Really that Bad?]” //Random Thoughts.// 14 April 2009. Web. 10 Nov. 2011.