What’s the big deal about wikis? Aren’t they just glorified web sites?

Many companies go through complicated and time-consuming processes to make changes on company web sites via webmasters. Funneling changes through one person not only takes time, but it can be very costly in the long run.

Web sites have become much more complicated than simple HTML. Finding a webmaster who can do CSS, PHP, and the requisite CMS for your site can cost a lot of money, not to mention finding a webmaster who knows Ajax, Python, and Joombla.

With Wiki Solutions, we turn your website into a wiki quickly, migrating your content into a Starter Wiki. Then your team members can change text, change a photo, change anything you stipulate, instantly. With Wiki Solutions Expanded Functionality, we find Web service providers for you, getting your wiki ready to use in a fraction of the time it takes to create a new website.

Why do I see articles about wikis and Web 2.0 everywhere?

Wikis bring new ideas, new people, and new excitement to a company or organization. With a wiki you can enhance the intelligence and creativity of your staff with input from others in your niche community or technology. Everyone has seen the growth of MySpace, Facebook, Wikipedia, Linux, and many other open source creations where people get involved adding knowledge and improving content. With a wiki, your group can benefit from all the good ideas and unique contributions available out there.

Now people who need the information your group provides can have a say in shaping that information. Readers, clients, and customers want to share what they know. Your company will reap the rewards of customer loyalty by getting to know your customers better, getting them involved, and applauding them for their contributions to your wiki.

Aren't there risks to putting my site's content in a format users can alter?

Even a wiki as successful as Wikipedia—a public, free, online encyclopedia that is extremely popular and useful—can experience rare problems like malicious content. Wiki Solutions helps you apply automated processes, social policies, and monitors to filter and exclude negative influences.

Will my customers really contribute to a wiki?

Are your customers excited about your product? If they are, they will contribute to a wiki because they want to interact with and get to know others who are just as excited about what you do.

My engineers like to use wikis for their project documentation. How do I leverage what they do into better, faster customer documentation?

First, you need to migrate your engineers’ wiki content into your technical publications system. You also have to edit what the engineers write into correct, short, clear instructions. Once the new content becomes part of the tech pubs system, especially if you use content management, you can include it in PDFs and manuals released to customers. On the other hand, Wiki Solutions can do all this for you, saving you time and money in the long run.

How can I integrate a wiki into my existing publishing systems? 

There are different technology solutions available for technical publications systems. A wiki is both an editing tool and an output format. Wiki Solutions helps craft a solution for your particular environment.

I'm an engineer. Why should I write anything? That's what tech writers are for. 

Increasingly, companies need installation, customization, integration, and operations instructions for highly technical audiences. They may also need code samples or in-depth examples. Many tech writers simply don't have the technical knowledge to produce the material these sophisticated readers really need, and those who do can be very expensive. It takes a programmer to talk shop with other programmers. If you take the time to give a fellow programmer what he or she wants and needs, instead of trying to explain it to a tech writer, you save your company time and money and you provide better service to your customers.