Wikis in the Enterprise

The most famous “wiki” is probably Wikipedia. In case you don’t know, “wikis” are web sites that can be updated, essentially by anyone, to share collaborative information. Now, there is beginning to be a demand made on Enterprises (large businesses) to bring Wikis into the corporate world. And, there is resistance. Why? Can you say, “Lack of control?”

Wikis Are Alive and Kicking in the Enterprise

“If you haven’t heard that cry already, chances are you will soon, as the use of wikis in enterprise environments spreads like wildfire. Proliferating virally, wiki usage has grown exponentially in recent months, along with other consumer-centric technologies—including blogs, podcasts and RSS—that have made their way into the workplace thanks in part to the influx of the tech-savvy entry-level employees of so-called Generation Y. A wiki, which means ‘quick’ in Hawaiian, is a Web site that enables users to easily edit and update shared content. Computer programmer Ward Cunningham originated the wiki concept and gave it its name more than a decade ago. After slow growth initially, wiki use has exploded in the past couple of years. Wiki technology, which has been popularized by the widely used Web encyclopedia Wikipedia, took a big leap in mind share when Google purchased wiki software maker JotSpot for an undisclosed amount on Oct. 31.”