Patterns for successful wiki use https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/ 2026-04-10T09:35:37+00:00 https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/ https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/_media/wiki:logo.png text/html 2018-11-28T13:41:31+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/90-9-1_theory?rev=1543412491&do=diff 90-9-1 Theory The 90-9-1 theory explains the percentage of a wiki's participation, breaking it down as readers being the highest percent, with minor contributors composing the 9 percent and enthusiastic and active contributors composing 1 percent of the total participants in a wiki. text/html 2018-11-15T09:41:03+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/about?rev=1542274863&do=diff About WikiPatterns To get started creating your profile and editing pages, visit How to use this wiki. There is no 'right' way to use a wiki. The fantastic thing about wikis, and the reason they have been so successful, is that they are built from the ground up by the people who use them. That way, the structure of a wiki, and how it is used, comes to mirror how text/html 2018-11-28T13:42:09+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/acknowledge_goodness?rev=1543412529&do=diff Acknowledge Goodness Find a culturally appropriate way to acknowledge and recognize dedicated contributors and excellent contributions to your wiki. Empower peer recognition and encourage its use. Usage Often people get so caught up in the work that needs to be done on a wiki that they fail to acknowledge good work already done. Make your wiki a fertile place by nurturing it with positive energy. Create a culture where people take the time to stop to say text/html 2018-11-28T13:50:28+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/agenda?rev=1543413028&do=diff Agenda Most people want to see the upcoming meeting's agenda. Many would like to influence it or have material to add. So rather than sending email (attachments) to all your colleagues with the details of an upcoming meeting, you should send them a link to the agenda within your WIKI System. text/html 2018-11-28T13:50:38+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/agile_lifecycle?rev=1543413038&do=diff Agile Lifecycle Web 2.0 technologies, including wikis, inherently support change. This flexibility is expressed in a wiki's ability to support continually changing knowledge and content using a collaborative approach. This support of changes is also supported by the fact that most wikis have been built using an open architecture that makes it easy to extend a wiki technology in unanticipated ways. Many wikis have a vibrant ecosystem of third-party developers providing robust high-value extensio… text/html 2018-11-28T15:04:07+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/all_wiki_all_the_time?rev=1543417447&do=diff All wiki all the time Don't rush wiki adoption beyond what people can handle. Over time, people will realize how useful the wiki is and more and more content will make its way onto the wiki. How do I notice it? If you hear people saying, “Oh no. Not another wiki! text/html 2018-11-28T13:42:18+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/ambassador?rev=1543412538&do=diff Ambassador An ambassador plays a critical role in wiki adoption by reaching out, in a positive and effective manner, to audiences and venues that have not yet fully embraced the wiki as collaborative authoring platform. Usage An ambassador may or may not be a text/html 2018-11-28T13:50:57+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/assess_wiki-ability?rev=1543413057&do=diff Assess Wiki-Ability When using a wiki with a customer or client for the first time, check to see if they understand what it is and are open to using it. Using a Wiki and getting acquainted with its underlying philosophy might cause difficulties for text/html 2018-11-28T13:51:08+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/automatic_index?rev=1543413068&do=diff Automatic Index Since a wiki thrives on activity, it's important to make sure the front page shows that and doesn't look stale. Some wiki software has the ability to display a list of recently updated pages, or maintain a dynamically updated list of pages labeled with a common tag. text/html 2018-11-28T13:42:25+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/barnraising?rev=1543412545&do=diff BarnRaising A wiki BarnRaising is a planned event in which a community meets at a designated time to build content on the wiki together. One person alone can't build all the content in a wiki, and a community of people needs to understand how to use the wiki, and feel a sense of buy-in for it to become successful. A BarnRaising achieves this because people come expecting to learn how to use the wiki, and they are able to interact with each other as they work, thus strengthening community bonds … text/html 2018-11-28T15:04:17+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/beancounter?rev=1543417457&do=diff BeanCounter Wikis cost money, right? Somebody's got to pay for all that maintenance, disk space, bandwidth, etc. And who better to pay for it than those who use it? And what better way to decide who pays how much than by measuring how much they use it? text/html 2018-11-28T15:04:25+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/branch_mess?rev=1543417465&do=diff Branch Mess Branch Mess occurs when contributors to the wiki are apprehensive about deleting existing content, so start to branch the content instead. Eventually too much deprecated information is stored in the wiki and it becomes difficult to locate the latest version. text/html 2018-11-28T15:04:34+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/build_it_and_they_will_come?rev=1543417474&do=diff Build it and they will come From the movie, Field of Dreams where Kevin Costner builds a baseball diamond in a cornfield. Then all the great players just appear from the corn. Well, real Web 2.0 ain't like the movies. How do I notice it? The wiki is being built by a team disconnected from the intended user community. They are making a big investment in both building the framework of the wiki and supplying content, perhaps from old intranet content or procedures manuals. There is no proper eng… text/html 2018-11-28T13:51:18+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/built-in_obsolescence?rev=1543413078&do=diff Built-in obsolescence Many organisations are starting to use wikis for formal documentation, such as functional and technical specifications. They may encounter resistance, because of some legitimate worries. In brief: Certain types of documents have a built-in obsolescence. text/html 2018-11-28T13:47:05+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/bully?rev=1543412825&do=diff Bully A bully is the opposite of a champion, and goes too far in pushing people to use the wiki. A good champion knows how to lead people in adopting the wiki, while a bully might get upset at someone for emailing rather than using the wiki. How do I notice it? text/html 2018-11-28T13:51:28+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/business_units_-_buckets?rev=1543413088&do=diff Business Units - Buckets I work in an IT department that controls and maintains the servers for a large variety of websites that are all owned by different 'parts' of the company. Some sites are apart of radio stations, others are tv stations, and other are magazines (and the rest are just online sources of information). Each of these types of sites owned by different business units, and although they operate in a similar way, their own sites have specific coding and knowledge requirements that… text/html 2018-11-28T15:05:08+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/buttheintranet?rev=1543417508&do=diff ButTheIntranet The “ButTheIntranet” pattern is one propogated by a webpageChampion to discourage wiki use, perhaps because they are familiar or vested in the “old” way of doing things on the world-wide-web. Symptoms * “But we've just spent three years and $$$$ building an Intranet for this content., why do we need a Wiki? text/html 2018-11-28T13:51:36+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/camelcase?rev=1543413096&do=diff CamelCase Some wikis support CamelCase. This means that words start with a capital letter and have another capital letter withing the word (like the two Cs in “CamelCase”) will automatically be converted into links. According to Meatball Wiki, CamelCase originated from the fact that Ward Cunningham's original WikiWiki, the PortlandPatternRepository was a place for developers to discuss software design patterns, and object-oriented programming languages use CamelCase for class names: text/html 2018-11-28T13:42:37+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/champion?rev=1543412557&do=diff Champion A passionate, enthusiastic champion is essential to the success of wiki because s/he will be able to generate interest, give the appropriate amount of training for each person at the right time, monitor growth of the tool and fix problems that could derail adoption. text/html 2018-11-28T13:51:59+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/clean_permissions?rev=1543413119&do=diff Clean Permissions The Clean Permissions pattern is to set up an authorization system that is easy for wanted users to use and understand, while minimizing the amount of trashing and other forms of revertable grief from the unwanted. Usage Post a clear explanation of the permission model prominently on the wiki. For each action requiring authorization, make sure a clear explanation of the authorization criteria is easily accessible. text/html 2018-11-28T13:52:14+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/communication?rev=1543413134&do=diff Communication Since Wikis can support communication in many ways, the actual communication procedures need to be defined clearly to avoid misunderstanding. Furthermore, email is the main personal knowledge management tool so it's important to use it effectively to let people know when wiki pages need review. text/html 2018-11-28T13:52:32+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/community_portal?rev=1543413152&do=diff Community Portal A typical user will get involved in a wiki in five stages. * Reading the content * Making edits as they see them * Looking for edits that need to be made * Looking for sections that need to be expanded * Organizing the overall effort text/html 2018-11-28T13:52:40+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/community_write?rev=1543413160&do=diff Community Write Because Permission Granted has problems in some environments, many folks choose to authenticate users before allowing them to edit wiki pages. The most common form of useful authentication is to have some reliable check that the edit is being performed by a member of the community responsible for the wiki. text/html 2018-11-28T13:53:00+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/contentalert?rev=1543413180&do=diff ContentAlert The ContentAlert pattern involves leaving specific messages that let people know a page needs content to be added, refined, or fixed. Wikipedia does this by putting a message in a box at the top of the page. Usage Putting a message at the top of a page is the best way to draw peoples' attention to the ContentAlert. text/html 2018-11-28T13:42:44+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/contributor?rev=1543412564&do=diff Contributor Often readers of a WikiWeb are not seen as contributors. Contributors can have different roles within the WikiWeb. They can be shapers, organizers or simply be writers (Authors) of Wiki articles. Usage The contributor starts small by correcting typos and thrives to develop his writing skills. text/html 2018-11-28T13:47:12+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/contributorforhire?rev=1543412832&do=diff ContributorForHire If this antipattern occurs, that might make an organization wiki-resistant for a long time afterwards. Someone resource-rich enough or high enough in the organization gets displeased or impatient with the wiki developing “too slow text/html 2018-11-28T13:47:25+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/copyright_infringement?rev=1543412845&do=diff Copyright infringement One or more over-enthusiastic and ill-informed (or malicious) authors who adds content to your wiki that they don't have the right to add can become a serious problem for your wiki. Their behavior, if it is not countered swiftly, can become an epidemic, or make other wiki users feel uncertain and lose trust in the wiki and they may become unwilling to continue contributing. You or your organization may even get sued, especially if the wiki is visible to the global Web. text/html 2018-11-28T13:53:10+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/corporate_directory?rev=1543413190&do=diff Corporate Directory Every company has a corporate directory, but the medium differs - photocopies, spreadsheets, LDAP, desk phones. Keeping these directories up-to-date can be difficult, especially when they are centrally managed. Maintaining a Corporate Directory on a wiki, however, lets everybody update their own information as soon as it changes. text/html 2018-11-28T13:53:23+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/critical_mass?rev=1543413203&do=diff Critical Mass Establishing an effective Wiki normally requires an active community of contributors. The Viral pattern can lead to a rapid explosion in the number of users, but it is often difficult to generate a “critical mass” that ignites such an explosion. Without such a critical mass, the Wiki will often fall into dis-use. text/html 2018-11-28T13:42:52+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/defendyourself?rev=1543412572&do=diff DefendYourself You or any other contributor face criticism or disdain related to the wiki, open or rumored. Example A key individual keeps blaming or ignoring the wiki. They may eventually complain about “lack of transparency” in a group email or publicly in a meeting. text/html 2018-11-28T15:06:07+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/designbycommittee?rev=1543417567&do=diff DesignByCommittee When a group of people design a system or information resource (like a wiki) for other people to be implemented by other people, and there are more 'designers' than 'doers', it seems almost invariably that time is wasted, the final product is somewhat disappointing or over-complicated, accountability for this blunder is vague or opaque, and frustration abounds. text/html 2018-11-28T13:47:35+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/do_it_all?rev=1543412855&do=diff Do it all Sometimes a Wiki Champion can over do it. If they don't trust other people to contribute to the wiki, they may feel the need to step in and make all of the edits and additions themselves. When that happens, no one else on the team ever becomes comfortable using the wiki, because it always seems like the text/html 2018-11-28T13:53:34+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/email_to_wiki?rev=1543413214&do=diff E-Mail to Wiki Emailing content to the wiki rather than authoring in the wiki itself. Usage This pattern can only be used in those wiki platforms that support creating pages based on sending emails to one or more wiki email addresses. Once the capability is configured in the wiki server, users send new content to the wiki by emailing to the appropriate address. This can be useful for multiple purposes: text/html 2018-11-28T15:06:15+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/emptypages?rev=1543417575&do=diff EmptyPages Empty Pages is an anti-pattern in which people don't contribute to a page because it's empty. People are often reluctant to be the first to edit an empty page because they might be unsure what content should go on it. They may leave the page empty and assume that the person who created it will come back and start adding content at some point. text/html 2018-11-28T13:53:42+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/engagementladder?rev=1543413222&do=diff EngagementLadder Establishing where your users are on a ladder (or map) of engagement will help you measure the health of your wiki community, and will help identify ways you can encourage contributors to increase their level of participation. Usage text/html 2018-11-28T13:54:08+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/faq?rev=1543413248&do=diff FAQ A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list is a collection of commonly asked questions and their answers. FAQs have a concise structure that make them ideal for conveying simple information, especially for users unfamiliar with the relevant topic. text/html 2018-11-28T13:56:10+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/flying_under_the_radar?rev=1543413370&do=diff Flying Under the Radar Also known as the Wiki Ninja, the Flying under the Radar pattern speaks to a successful adoption approach that many organizations have used when adopting wiki's. Specifically, hosting the wiki initially through unofficial channels, using a corporate credit card or other text/html 2018-11-28T13:56:19+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/futurelinks?rev=1543413379&do=diff FutureLinks It is a link to a yet non-existing page and usually marked in a special way, e.g. red-coloured or with a question mark, so that people immediately recognize that this page hasn't been created yet. In this way you can encourage the growth of a wiki because people often don't know where to start in a wiki or what information might be needed.  The links indicates the lack of special information clearly. text/html 2018-11-28T13:47:43+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/gate?rev=1543412863&do=diff Gate The gate anti-pattern involves putting up too many barriers to participation on the wiki. Gates are present when people have to go through a difficult account creation process that's not straightforward, have to undergo mandatory training, or have to have their contributions approved before posting them on the wiki. text/html 2018-11-28T15:02:06+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/help_out?rev=1543417326&do=diff Help out The original wiki at wikipatterns.com is not available anymore, but the content was too important to be lost. Thus the contents have been rescued with help of the WayBack Machine. However this meant semi automatic converting HTML back to wiki syntax and that was not always perfect. text/html 2018-11-28T13:56:30+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/how_to_use_this_site?rev=1543413390&do=diff How to use this site Provide information on “how to use this site” (the wiki and other areas of the site) Usage It's obvious to you, but some new users may benefit from some quick help information. If your wiki software includes help pages, check that these are relevant to your installation. Amend the information where necessary or create additional information about your specific site. Help pages are often part of the wiki themselves. Creating such pages is a early step after installing a wi… text/html 2018-11-15T20:47:51+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/how_to_use_this_wiki?rev=1542314871&do=diff How to use this wiki Note: this wiki originally was hosted on a different wiki engine, some descriptions in the wiki may still point to functionality that is slightly different in this wiki. Look around Start with: New to wikipatterns? Start here. for a guide to the major stages of wiki adoption. Wikipatterns contains nearly 100 pattern and anti-pattern pages which offer text/html 2018-11-28T13:42:59+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/identitymatters?rev=1543412579&do=diff IdentityMatters This Pattern is based on the idea that people are more likely to take their contributions seriously and put more care into what they write when their identity is associated with it. This is the obvious case on corporate wikis, but not so obvious on public ones. text/html 2018-11-28T15:06:23+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/inconsistent_spaces?rev=1543417583&do=diff Inconsistent Spaces Wikis that use a wide variety of user interfaces and navigation can confuse visitors, who may give up looking for information on the wiki. The ability to choose a custom theme for each space (section) of the wiki may encourage creativity and unique branding, but visitors to the wiki will need to re-learn how to navigate each unique section. text/html 2018-11-28T13:56:42+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/intentional_error?rev=1543413402&do=diff Intentional Error Intentional error is one of the original wiki adoption patterns pioneered by Ward Cunningham, creator of the first wiki. It involves intentionally making errors which are left for others to find and fix, thus getting them used to editing a wiki. text/html 2018-11-28T13:43:06+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/invitation?rev=1543412586&do=diff Invitation One of the easiest patterns, simply invite users to interact with the wiki. Inviting people to use a wiki is a good way to guide their first interaction with it. Early adopters are by nature eager to try new tools, but most people don't for a variety of reasons. Some are risk-averse, others prefer training at the start of using something new, and others are simply too busy. An invitation creates an opportunity to dedicate time to trying the wiki, and gives people reassurance that so… text/html 2018-11-28T13:57:10+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/labels_and_key_words?rev=1543413430&do=diff Labels and Key Words When creating a Wiki, aside from allocating pages of information based on parent-children relationships, labels and key words also play a vital role towards grouping information that may not necessarily be about the same topic, but the information is related in some way or another. Then, once you have enough labels throughout your wiki, you can create an interactive list of labels (sorted alphabetical of course) that can serve as common terms. This is similar to sites where… text/html 2018-11-28T13:47:52+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/leech?rev=1543412872&do=diff Leech A leech takes content out of the wiki and sends it to people another way, usually by email. This reduces peoples' inclination to visit it, and potentially creates confusion because information is coming from multiple sources. How do I notice it? text/html 2018-11-28T14:01:06+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/lunch_menu?rev=1543413666&do=diff Lunch Menu The Lunch Menu pattern encourages you to put time-sensitive content on the wiki. If there is content you know will be updated regularly, like a weekly cafeteria menu, put it on the wiki rather than sending it out on the email distribution list. text/html 2018-11-28T14:01:14+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/magnet?rev=1543413674&do=diff Magnet The magnet pattern involves having some content exclusively on the wiki to draw users to it. Putting this content on the wiki and removing it from any other place (for example on an intranet or internal bulletin board) gets users used to looking at information on the wiki. text/html 2018-11-28T13:43:14+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/maintainer?rev=1543412594&do=diff Maintainer A maintainer is a person assigned or self-assigned to a page, space or section of a wiki who accountably takes responsibility for the quality of some of the content. The role may include that of a: * secretary, collecting information from comments and meetings into the wiki text/html 2018-11-28T15:06:32+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/manager_lockdown?rev=1543417592&do=diff Manager Lockdown This pattern refers to the situation where a manager takes ownership of certain wiki content which is particularly visible and unintentionally discourages people from changing their content. The result can be that other wiki users who wish to contribute become hesitant about what content can and cannot be edited. text/html 2018-11-28T14:01:29+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/manuals_and_guides?rev=1543413689&do=diff Manuals and Guides FIXME rewrite in The WikiPatterns Pattern Language Recently we've acquired Confluence and Jira from Atlassian, and although both are very well documented and detailed towards user interaction and functionality, there comes a point in every application where a custom manual must be made to not only tell the users how the application works, but also not tell the users other functions of the application (or worse, how the application could be further customized). text/html 2018-11-28T14:01:40+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/masters_and_scribes?rev=1543413700&do=diff Masters and Scribes If it's rare to find a subject area expert, and it's rare to find someone skilled at expressing and organising the expert knowledge in a recorded form, it's doubly rare to find someone who can do both. This creates an opportunity for collaborative knowledge sharing. text/html 2018-11-28T13:43:22+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/my_personal_info?rev=1543412602&do=diff My Personal Info My Personal Info (aka. My Space) is a pattern in which people are encouraged to post personal profile pages, MySpace-style. It's a good way for people to get started contributing to the wiki by posting contact information, a picture, a short biography, website text/html 2018-11-28T14:01:52+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/naming_conventions?rev=1543413712&do=diff Naming Conventions Too much variation in how pages are named in a wiki can lead to pages being hard to remember and find, so it's useful to develop a basic naming convention so things stay organised as the wiki grows. Usage A given structure makes it easier to remember names. When links are listed in alphabetical order, the documents belonging to the same type can be grouped easily. Introduce naming conventions. As a minimum, documents should start with the name of the template they are deriv… text/html 2018-11-28T14:02:23+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/networked_information?rev=1543413743&do=diff Networked Information This pattern describes a situation where structured information needs to be edited by several persons. Regularly, this “modeling” is done by using office documents, spreadsheets in particular. The usage of Wikis is superior to conventional forms of collaboration, because you are able to express multidimensional n:m relationships. This is in particular the case if you do not know the cardinality of relationships during modeling. text/html 2018-11-28T14:02:31+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/new_starter?rev=1543413751&do=diff New Starter This pattern involves setting up an induction process for new starters. It is a great pattern for spreading adoption of a wiki because it addresses two issues at once; it solves a very common organisational problem and it also initiates new employees to the wiki. text/html 2018-11-28T14:02:58+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/oh_that?rev=1543413778&do=diff Oh That The “Oh, That!” pattern involves using small edits and edit comments to make clear incremental changes in a page. This helps others to know what is happening to the wiki. Usage On a wiki with revision history and revision comments, change the page using a succession of small, focused edits with one comment per edit. text/html 2018-11-28T15:06:44+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/one_way_street?rev=1543417604&do=diff One Way Street Wikis that allow users to create content but not edit/delete the content afterwards may discourage users from contributing. Users will be reluctant to publish anything if they're on a “one way street” and can't make changes after they have contributed. text/html 2018-11-28T14:03:15+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/one_wiki_space_per_group?rev=1543413795&do=diff One Wiki space per Group In a large organisation, different teams want to share knowledge and collaborate on different topics. Some teams are more open to sharing and collaboration than others. A natural approach might be to give each project or group a distinct wiki. text/html 2018-11-28T15:07:16+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/onehammer?rev=1543417636&do=diff OneHammer Your organization's wiki is used for all matters of collaboration, including especially: issue tracking, project management, appointment scheduling, data archival, form-filling, code revision control, electronic laboratory notebook, meeting presentations, virtual science fair text/html 2018-11-28T13:48:00+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/overorganizer?rev=1543412880&do=diff OverOrganizer An OverOrganizer constantly adjusts the structure of a wiki, often moving pages, changing page names, and removing links where s/he thinks they don't belong. The problem with this is it leaves others confused and deters them from participating since they can't find content they've added and may think it's been deleted. This causes them to lose a sense of ownership over their contributions. text/html 2018-11-28T14:03:23+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/overviewpages?rev=1543413803&do=diff OverviewPages A kind of StartingPoint that bundles links to special topics or information in a wiki. As a wiki grows, the amount of information grows as well, and it gets harder to find certain topics. A hierarchy often cannot suffice because there are always different views on a certain topic. ( text/html 2018-11-28T15:07:23+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/pageownership?rev=1543417643&do=diff PageOwnership People who have no prior experience of wikis tend to think an author owns a page and do not dare to change the content. Rather than that they write eMails or Comments or offer their input to the author over lunch or coffee. How do I recognize it? text/html 2018-11-28T13:43:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/patron_or_sponsor?rev=1543412628&do=diff Patron (or Sponsor) Having a high-ranking Patron who supports a wiki provides a level of authority that can enhance the prospect of success. Usage Occasionally a senior figure in an organization initiates a wiki project. More often, the initiative comes from below, but the support of a senior figure is sought. By letting it be known that they support the project, a Patron gives permission for others to be involved and for resources to be allocated to the project. text/html 2018-11-28T14:03:32+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/permission_granted?rev=1543413812&do=diff Permission Granted This pattern denotes the “security” scheme used by wikis in which anyone can edit any content. Experience has shown that this can be a powerful tool in conjunction with the Selective Rollback pattern. Usage Turn off all permissions on the wiki, except those having to do with rollback. Allow any user to perform any action on behalf of the site. text/html 2018-11-28T14:09:52+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/permission_patterns_overview?rev=1543414192&do=diff Permission Patterns Overview A Permission Pattern is a paradigm for how strict or loose you control who can contribute, what, where and how. * Clean Permissions - Make it easy to understand * One Wiki space per Group - similar to Business Units - Buckets ???? * Hierarchial Permissions - over complicates situation, makes it difficult for contributors to know where/when they can contribute text/html 2018-11-28T14:10:00+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/poker?rev=1543414200&do=diff Poker The Poker pattern encourages putting seemingly trivial content into your wiki to give a non-threatening reason to use it. There is a very low barrier to creating a new wiki page, as anyone can do it. So simple things, trivial things, silly things that one might not ordinarily have considered putting on the company intranet become fair game. As long as there is text/html 2018-11-28T14:56:51+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/quote_participants?rev=1543417011&do=diff Quote Participants Quoting your team mates or executives in a wiki page will provide a logical starting point for the owners of the quote to edit the page. When people see their words on print or online, more often than not, they like to fine-tune what is written to ensure that they are understood correctly. Use this behaviour and wiki technology to provide them with the opportunity to edit their quote and thus make them participate in the collaborative editing process. text/html 2018-11-28T14:56:58+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/recognition?rev=1543417018&do=diff Recognition Provide mechanisms that recognize the value added to the community by contributors. Motivation and Usage A common personal motivation is to be respected and acknowledged by peers. For some Wiki users, this may be a major influence on whether and how much they contribute. text/html 2018-11-28T13:48:06+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/records_manager?rev=1543412886&do=diff Records Manager A Records Manager quakes when faced with unstructured data that can be modified at whim by users however literate. Usage Questions are being asked that may sound critical, such as * Where does the use of a corporate Wiki cross the bounds between records management and communication? text/html 2018-11-28T15:07:38+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/registration_required?rev=1543417658&do=diff Registration Required This pattern refers to the common practice of requiring users to register to edit wiki pages, yet not tying the registration to any meaningful authenticator---just to a password. The result is a wiki that is vulnerable to vandalism and wiki spam, is vulnerable to identity spoofing and other things, yet requires users to create a password-protected identity for their first edit and to log on for subsequent edits. text/html 2018-11-14T21:14:17+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/resources?rev=1542230057&do=diff Resources Blogs * Grow Your Wiki - blog on wiki adoption and social media in organizations. * How to Accelerate Enterprise Adoption of Web 2.0 Network Effects * 5 Key Steps towards Adopting Web 2.0 within the Enterprise - Part Deux * Introducing Collaboration Technologies to the Enterprise Is a Challenge and How a Critical Mass of Early Adopters Can Help * Why people don't use collaboration tools * An Adoption Strategy for Social Software in the Enterprise * WikiLife… text/html 2018-11-14T21:14:06+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/roadblocks?rev=1542230046&do=diff Roadblocks Roadblock FAQs I've set up the wiki. Now what? How do I get people to use it? That's what this site is for: to give you ideas (patterns) for how to spread adoption. Go to the home page , read a few different patterns, and try one with your team. text/html 2018-11-28T15:12:19+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/sandbox?rev=1543417939&do=diff Sandbox The sandbox pattern involves creating a page, often called a sandbox, and encouraging others to practice wiki editing on this page. Problems that may result from this are: * It distracts people from editing pages containing real content * text/html 2018-11-28T14:57:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/scaffold?rev=1543417069&do=diff Scaffold The Scaffold pattern involves giving people a place to start by “framing” the content that should eventually go on a page. People often respond better to a page with a template than one that's completely empty. Flemming Funch writes “there is a basic need for text/html 2018-11-28T14:57:05+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/seed_it_with_content?rev=1543417025&do=diff Seed it with content The Seed it with content pattern relies on using some amount of preexisting content to seed the wiki.  In this case that content could come from a book (all legal/IP permissions in place of course). Considerations: * Not all types of seed content will work in wikis.  Works of fiction - an interesting experiment in the evolving storyline - would probably have a very small audience and little to no utility.  Kind of like wiki-art. text/html 2018-11-28T14:57:13+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/selective_rollback?rev=1543417033&do=diff Selective Rollback On a wiki with adequate revision control, unwanted content can be selectively removed. A common pattern is to be permissive in editing content, but to be restrictive in keeping it. Any content that is clearly not acceptable is rolled back or reverted to the previously edited version. This may become an adoption anti-pattern if the rollback is performed too much, however. text/html 2018-11-20T19:21:53+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/set_window_of_discussion?rev=1542741713&do=diff Set Window of Discussion Due to the self-determined growth of Wiki content, the effort needs to be refocused from time to time. For certain content, setting a Window of Discussion encourages a burst of contributions to get the content up to a certain level of quality, or helps draw attention to neglected sections of your knowledge base. text/html 2018-11-28T14:57:24+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/singleproblem?rev=1543417044&do=diff SingleProblem The SingleProblem pattern is based on demonstrating the value of the wiki by using it to solve a single problem. Once the problem is solved people see the value of using the wiki and will want to use it for other problems, projects, etc. text/html 2018-11-28T14:57:35+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/social_tagging?rev=1543417055&do=diff Social Tagging FIXME merge with Labels and Key words Problem : Maintaining an overview of the status of the documents inside a Wiki is difficult. In particular, it is unclear which documents need to be reworked. Solution : Tag pages that need rework (e.g., with an understandable link to a certain page or a category). For example, when using backlinks, refer to the page text/html 2018-11-28T13:43:56+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/spectator?rev=1543412636&do=diff Spectator Someone who consumes wiki content but does not contribute to it by adding tags, comments or refining content is considered a Spectator (or sometimes Consumer or Lurker). This is an important EntryLevel role. Usage A healthy wiki is, at it's essence, a knowledge repository. It is fair and safe to assume that some members of the community, perhaps a large portion, simply need the information in the wiki but don't generate any new information or insights on their own. This is an impor… text/html 2018-11-28T13:48:13+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/speedydeletion?rev=1543412893&do=diff SpeedyDeletion A mechanism used by Wikipedia to discourage addition of articles in the encyclopedia. Usage The criteria for speedy deletion specify the limited cases in which administrators may, at their discretion, bypass deletion discussion and immediately delete Wikipedia pages or media. These criteria describe the only cases where there is broad consensus supporting summary deletion of articles and other content. Deletion is reversible, but only by administrators, so other deletions occur… text/html 2025-04-12T07:39:06+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/start?rev=1744443546&do=diff Wiki Patterns [pot of grass] Looking to spur wiki adoption? Want to grow from 10 users to 100, or 1000? Applying patterns that help coordinate people's efforts and guide the growth of content, and recognizing anti-patterns that might hinder growth - can give your wiki the greatest chance of success. text/html 2018-11-14T21:14:18+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/startingpoint?rev=1542230058&do=diff StartingPoint What is it? A StartingPoint is a site that makes first-time users familiar with the concept of wikis in general but also with the concept of your wiki in particular. In this way they learn that a wiki is NOT Wikipedia but Wikipedia is a wiki. And they know from the start how to use your wiki and where to find help. text/html 2018-11-14T21:14:07+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/the_wikipatterns_antipattern_language?rev=1542230047&do=diff The WikiPatterns Antipattern Language The Antipattern pattern language for WikiPatterns has yet to be finalised. This template represents our starting-point, but we suspect that it is likely to be refined as we open the site to more contributors. * text/html 2018-11-14T21:14:18+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/the_wikipatterns_pattern_language?rev=1542230058&do=diff The WikiPatterns Pattern Language The pattern language for WikiPatterns has yet to be finalised. This template represents our starting-point, but we suspect that it is likely to be refined as we open the site to more contributors. * Name - all patterns must have a memorable name text/html 2018-11-28T15:12:27+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/threadmess?rev=1543417947&do=diff ThreadMess When ThreadMode is allowed to continue for too long, it becomes unwieldy. There is no coherent expression of the page's topic, instead readers have to dig through the whole thread and distill the valuable information out of it. The result is ThreadMess. text/html 2018-11-14T21:14:06+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/threadmode?rev=1542230046&do=diff ThreadMode What is it? ThreadMode is the name given to a wiki page that is a record of a discussion between the page's contributors. The standard voice of a wiki page is that of a single document presenting some kind of anonymous consensus. Often this is intimidating: a contributor is not sure where their point of view may fit in the page, or whether it is acceptable to add it. They may feel their suggestion has merit, but that there is not yet consensus, or that it requires more support befo… text/html 2018-11-28T15:12:36+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/too_much_structure?rev=1543417956&do=diff Too much structure Trying to guess the structure of a wiki in advance won't work. A wiki will evolve into the optimal organization of information as people use it, and it's better to adjust the structure based on the content, instead of the other way around. text/html 2018-11-28T15:12:55+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/training?rev=1543417975&do=diff Training Spending time and resources to produce training materials for an unresponsive prospective user community will actually impede the adoption and long-term success of your knowledge base. Usage Wiki contributions are down or stagnant. You recognize an abundance of text/html 2018-11-28T13:48:21+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/transparencycomplaints?rev=1543412901&do=diff TransparencyComplaints Key individuals for a particular project start complaining about being “kept in the dark” and that nobody is reporting on the work done for the project. The information is actually all available in the wiki but the plaintiff keeps ignoring it or referring to other out-of-date sources. text/html 2018-11-14T21:14:09+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/trellis?rev=1542230049&do=diff Trellis What is it? The trellis pattern involves getting people to contribute to a wiki page because the content is simply too lacking in density and quality of information. A person should respond to the trellis pattern by saying “I know there's more to this than what's written there. text/html 2018-11-28T13:48:28+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/vandal?rev=1543412908&do=diff Vandal A vandal is someone who damages the content of wiki by adding or deleting information in a deliberate attempt to disturb or spoil the collaborative work of others. It's a non-constructive pattern that goes further than trolling , since it can imply the transferring of ongoing polemics to the wiki without caring about its general purpose. Vandalism is more common in open wikis than intranets, because a vandal usually operates anonymously. However, registered users can also perpetrate vand… text/html 2018-11-28T13:44:03+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/viral?rev=1543412643&do=diff Viral One of the most useful attributes of introducing a wiki into an organization is its viral nature. Once a few people begin to use the wiki, they often realize that they could be even more efficient if only their colleagues were using the wiki too. text/html 2018-11-28T13:48:35+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/webpagechampion?rev=1543412915&do=diff WebpageChampion The webpageChampion (actually an anti-champion) will constantly compare wiki pages to HTML / Flash / XHTML / DHTML web pages, pointing out the deficiencies of the wiki approach and exalting the powers of a 'full featured webpage' or 'web application'.  Like a text/html 2018-11-28T13:44:10+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/welcoming?rev=1543412650&do=diff Welcoming Welcoming new people to a community is a great practice of openness. It demonstrates a vibrant community that wants to bring new members into the fold and help them become active contributors. Usage When someone has shown up to your wiki, you add information to a page they might see in the future, quite often their user page or the home page. text/html 2018-11-28T13:44:30+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/wiki_charter?rev=1543412670&do=diff Wiki Charter A Wiki Charter is a document that sets guidelines for community collaboration and respectful, productive activity on the wiki. The charter should be created at the start of a new wiki so that new members have the benefit of community guidelines as soon as they begin to collaborate. text/html 2019-01-03T09:00:22+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/wikignome?rev=1546506022&do=diff WikiGnome or WikiGardener A WikiGnome is a person who performs small edits on a wiki to continually improve its overall quality. (A WikiGnome is also often known as a WikiGardener.) WikiGnomes are important to the success of a wiki because their edits increase the value of everyone else's content, such as: text/html 2018-11-28T13:48:42+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/wikinoob?rev=1543412922&do=diff WikiNoob A WikiNoob is a user who is definitely pro-wiki but lacks a fundamental understanding of the wiki culture, process and features. As a consequence, this person will make use of the wiki in a way that attempts to replicate unnecessarily the pre-wiki ways of doing business. This can be caused by resistance to change, ignorance of wiki features, or both. text/html 2018-11-28T15:13:14+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/wikipaintbrush?rev=1543417994&do=diff wikiPaintBrush Painting all systems that use wiki technology with the same wikiPaintBrush puts all of the ideas in the same conceptual basket for potentially skeptical prosumers. Usage You have a mature wiki system, with several important systems and sub-systems, successful patterns such as text/html 2018-11-28T13:48:50+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/wikiphobia?rev=1543412930&do=diff Wikiphobia Some people don't understand or don't like the idea of wikis. They will sabotage any effort to even start a wiki project. Typically this happens in organizations where there are no wikis set up. Arguments against wikis range from “why not use emails instead? text/html 2018-11-28T13:48:59+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/wikitroll?rev=1543412939&do=diff WikiTroll It's important to distinguish trolling from constructive criticism, or even outright criticism. Trolling usually provokes people by saying something philosophically negative about the current topic, while criticism should point out a fairly specific procedural or functional problem. Whereas a troll might say, text/html 2018-11-28T13:44:53+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wikipatterns.haz.wiki/wikizenmaster?rev=1543412693&do=diff WikiZenMaster A WikiZenMaster is someone who makes format changes to make the wiki more visually appealing. (WikiZenMaster is sometimes referred to as a WikiFairy.) Usage Like a WikiGnome, a WikiZenMaster will add value to content on a wiki by making it a desirable tool to use, making content clearer and easier to use, and maintaining high standards of organization and format on the wiki.