Welcome to the Wiki Orientation


This page is an agenda and speaking notes for participants in a new user orientation to wiki.

Duration: 30-60 minutes (with discussion)
Requirements: telephones and online computers for everyone.


Presenters Note: During the orientation we will be "traveling" from page to page and taking actions as required, take care not to "wander off" by clicking links unless asked to do so by the tour guide.
Also, please verbally confirm when you arrive at a page when requested to click.




Why use a wiki?


oh god i've gotta learn a new software . . . like i don't have enough electronic communication in my life!


Here is a very short list of reasons why organizations are using wikis
  • provides for "quick and easy" feedback.
  • make the organizations life easier, better organized, more participatory
  • usefulness for teams in:
    • Planning: broad strategies, goals and mission
    • Execution: meetings budget decisions, todo's, project requirements
    • Accountability - making it easier to see "whats going on " with the organization.

About the Technology

Creating Pages, and Editing

(Presenter demostrates:)

  • I'm going to edit this page and create a new page by typing ((new page)) (any page name in double parentheses) - right here: ==>
  • after I've done that everyone should refresh the page. (Use the refresh button on your browser or press "F5".)
  • A red question mark will appear after "new page".
  • Clicking on the question mark will create "new page" - opening the edit window to add content.
  • In the edit window I can now type or paste anything I want.
  • I can hit the preview button to see how it will look without saving.
  • when I'm done editing, I may want to leave an edit comment before I hit the save button.
  • After I save a "version" is created, which will always be viewable in the history file, even after others have had their turn at editing.

Practice: Now have everyone create a page named after themselves and containing an inspirational message.


Page History

  • In a wiki, every version of the page is saved permanently. You can always go back and revert to earlier versions as the current version.
  • the history page will list the date, the editor and the edit comment, as well as an option to compare any two versions.

Page Watch

  • Clicking on the pagewatch button will email a notification to you every time the page is edited, including the new content of the page.

My Wiki

Tiki has some very useful user features, like internal messaging, listing your pages watched, last pages edited etc.
  • My Preferences - set your geographic location, change your password etc.
  • My Messages - your own in-site mailbox.
  • your UserPage - the place for self introduction and self expression in a wiki.

The Wiki Way


Participating in a wiki is not like email or discussion boards! To wiki successfully there are certain social behaviors and expectations that participants need to observe. Most of these challenging deeply embedded social constructs about the written word and who owns and controls information. For participants in a wiki based project the key requirements for success are:
  • willing to be bold.
  • willing to be precise about what we mean and say
  • willing to think about what others write and why.
  • willing to have our work edited ("share alike")
  • willing to participate in a timely but not time sensitive manner
  • willing to accept that participation rules

For other information, to check the wiki user guide pages.