> b) What's required in terms of basic
structure?
That's a tough one.
That is what I see is the problem. Where I work small groups set up a
wiki and learn to use the wiki as a group with few problems since the
wiki admin is typically in the group. But when an enterprise-wide wiki
is set up many come to it and have trouble determining first of all that
it is a wiki and they can add content, then have trouble determining how
to create a page, then how to place it within the wiki's structure. We
use categories in one of our enterprise wikis and a Main Page that is
nothing but instructions. I've concluded that designing a wiki is as
much if not more complicated than designing a web page. But like a web
page it needs to stand on its own and users will rely the Main Page to
guide them.
The best way I've found for designing a useful wiki is to look at other
wikis. Wikipedia is an awful example I think. But its so famous that
people who want to add content are motivated to learn it. That is not
the case in most offices. But there are many other wikis to look at and
get ideas from. One of my favorites is
www.cookbookwiki.com. They
state at the top of the Main Page that it is a web page that you can
edit. On the sidebar they have a "Resources" menu with links to setting
up an account and creating content. If you follow the "Create Content"
link there are instructions on what to do to create content, including
searching existing content first so you don't duplicate. Its
handholding but I think that is what needs to be designed into the wiki
pages to guide the helpless new wiki users along and make adding content
easier. Otherwise you will end up with a small number of contributors
to your wiki and their content scattered randomly in the wiki, lots of
orphan pages with duplicate content, and I have one of our earlier wikis
to prove it.
So, in short, use other well designed wikis you find as guides and
before releasing your wiki, have some novices try to use it. This user
testing should show where problems are and where improvements can be
made.
-Jim