What is a wiki? A wiki is a website that can be edited by any user who has been granted permission to edit the wiki. Users of the wiki are provided a login and password in order to view and make changes to the wiki.

How can wikis help businesses? Wikis provide a collaborative environment where multiple users can add and store information. For example, if your office is working on developing a new logo, instead of sending e-mails to all the people working on the project, set up a wiki where people can upload logo examples, include links to articles on logos and leave comments on logo designs. The wiki is one central repository for the information instead of the information residing in multiple in-boxes. People can use a wiki to work together to edit a document and the wiki can help with version control by tracking changes.

Wikis are a cost effective way to have office information in one easy to update place. Instead of taking the time and expense to print an employee manual which may quickly go out of date, a wiki can be maintained with pertinent office information as well as links to benefits providers. Instead of each employee having a different version of a phone list tacked to their bulletin board, an employee phone list could be maintained on the wiki for easy editing.

Don't worry about having high level computer skills. Wikis are designed to be easy to use. Wikis also feature roll-back options so if incorrect information is entered reverting to a previous version is a click away. A wiki is a funny name for an inexpensive, simple to use solution to the information redundancy that occurs in many offices.

• Collaboration and Communication through Technology: Blogs, Wikis and RSS Feeds - Presentation from the LTRC
• Enter the World of the "Wiki" - LLRX.com
• When to Wiki: How to Decide if it Makes Sense for You - InformationWeek
• Wikis at Work - Internet Week
• Wikis for the Legal Profession - Law Practice Today
• Wikis Make Collaboration Easier - InformationWeek
• Wiki Tools: Who's in the Game - InformationWeek

• The Wiki Way: Quick Collaboration on the Web
• Wiki: Web Collaboration

• What Wiki to Use? - from LTRC Site-tation
• Central Desktop
• Confluence
• EditMe
• Jotspot - As of 10/31/06 - Google has acquired JotSpot and is closing new account registration until the Google migration is complete. Users interested in JotSpot can register at the JotSpot website to be notified when JotSpot is open for new accounts.