Using a Wiki as an Organization Portal (at TriXML2006)

Slide 1: Using a Wiki as an Organization Portal for Tri-XML 2006 by Rick Sapir and Bill Albing KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 2: Outline Pick a more social portal ➲ Select a wiki-based CMS ➲ Develop a full-featured portal ➲ Learn from our implementation ➲ Conclusions ➲ Demos ➲ Contact Us ➲ KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 3: Pick a more social portal Signs that you've outgrown ➲ your present web site Reasons to "Go Social" ➲ (Where is your organization going?) Is Web 2.0 for real ?! ➲ KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 4: Signs of outgrowing Too many pages not searchable ➲ (or search databases not connected) Too many requests on IT dept or on ➲ Web manager by content developers No sense of ownership of relevant ➲ parts of Web site Other groups developing their own ➲ wiki or blog or other splinters KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 5: Reasons to "Go Social" Q: Where is your organization going? ➲ Internal groups need more collaboration ➲ More groups, both internal and external ➲ Economy of (social) scale ➲ Innovative groups need dynamic tool(s) ➲ KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 6: Is Web 2.0 for real ?! Yes, Web 2.0 is arriving, piecemeal ➲ Yes, but only as real as you make it ➲ The rest of the world is discovering it ➲ (and isn't going to wait for you) Some are already planning Web 3.0, ➲ etc. KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 7: Select a wiki-based CMS Decision tree looks something like: ➲ What are the options? ➲ What is a wiki? ➲ What is TikiWiki? ➲ KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 8: What are the options? SharePoint Services (doc based) ➲ Wiki-based CMS packaged ➲ More complicated virtual community ➲ Stand-alone collab tools ➲ (Gliffy, Jot, Google, Writeboard, etc.) KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 9: What is a wiki? From user point of view: ➲ Ability to edit content on the site ● Edit from Web browser ● From the admin point of view: ➲ More installation and setup ● But freedom as package handles admin ● Users manage content ● User admin easy; version control etc. ● KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 10: What is TikiWiki? Database stores all the information ➲ (settings, options, etc.) Application in PHP with "business logic" ➲ Presentation layer uses Smarty, ➲ a template engine KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 11: TikiWiki layers diagram KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 12: Develop full-featured portals Tools we picked ➲ Create "Key" areas ➲ Overcome user fear ➲ Define editorial control ➲ Handle installation ➲ Handle customization, choose theme ➲ Handle wiki package updates ➲ Fight spam ➲ KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 13: Tools we picked Articles (wiki pages) ➲ Sample page (sandbox) ➲ Graphics/images ➲ Syndicating other sites' feeds ➲ Blogs ➲ Resources (links) (Categorization key) ➲ Events / Calendar ➲ Left Menu Navigation ➲ Search ➲ KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 14: Create "Key" areas Articles as wikis (Key Articles) ➲ Calendar events (Key Events) ➲ Resource links (Key Resources) ➲ Blog (right now just one, but ➲ in future, each user) KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 15: Visual example KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 16: Edit article KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 17: Overcome user fear Some users new to wiki ➲ Some users new to collaboration ➲ Some users new to our site ➲ Some users want ownership/control ➲ KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 18: Define editorial control Collaboration requires new ➲ editorial process Several stages – some articles ➲ reviewed, some auto accepted As site grows, assign editors ➲ to subsections of content areas KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 19: Handle installation Install TikiWiki ➲ Configure TikiWiki / choose theme ➲ Choose which tools ➲ Differentiate ➲ Branding ➲ KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 20: Handle customization Customize only at presentation level ➲ Choose theme ➲ Avoid customizing business logic ➲ Keep backups and use test area ➲ KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 21: Handle wiki package updates TikiWiki comes out with update ➲ every two months or so Keep in touch w/ developer community ➲ don't be afraid of submitting updates Always test update in test area ➲ before making public / live KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 22: Fight spam As more social, spam is an issue ➲ Article requests, event entry, etc. ➲ all user inputs can result in spam Filters possible but not built in ➲ KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 23: Learn from our implementation Accept wikis' limitations ➲ Maximize wiki's advantages ➲ Who else can use this? ➲ KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 24: Accept limitations of wiki Package is not all things to everyone ➲ Not HTML ➲ Not WYSIWYG ➲ No standard wiki syntax ➲ Give up some control of admin ➲ Give up some control of content KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 25: Maximize wiki advantages Create new pages on-the-fly ➲ ANYONE can edit with only a browser ➲ Automated admin ➲ More direct ownership of content ➲ KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 26: Who else can use this? Any group! ➲ Local chapters of professional ➲ associations and user groups (Tri-XML, STC Chapters) Non-profit social agencies etc. ➲ Intranet inside a corporation ➲ KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 27: Conclusions Wikis are powerful packages ➲ Social software gaining acceptance ➲ Wikipedia and KeyContent are success ➲ You can use wiki ➲ KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing

Slide 28: Contact us Bill Albing ➲ bill.albing@keycontent.org Rick Sapir ➲ rick.sapir@keycontent.org www.keycontent.org ➲ See the complete article and slide show at: ➲ www.keycontent.org/tiki-index.php?page=Wiki-based%20Portal KeyContent.org Tri-XML 2006 Rick Sapir, Bill Albing