Light The Wik

Brogan talks about the several different types of social media platforms and how each vary but can also play off one-another. Some social media sites are definitely more useful than others, especially when it comes to business's. Brogan does a good job a categorizing the social media sites and makes it rather easy for the reader to understand. I particularly enjoyed how he went into talking about the differences between social profiles and business profiles.

In a growing technologically driven world it is important to not only recognize the difference between the two but also understand how to make each of them fit your needs. Focusing on the business profile, an organization really has an opportunity to implement creativity, organization, and communication internally and externally.

Wiki's are an underused medium within organizations. Wiki's allow organizations to capitalize is several areas within their business:

1. Improved Communication
2. Saved Time
3. Improved Training for New Hires
4. Saved Money

Wiki's improve communication because it allows for a rather unbiased collection of ideas. It allows for employees of all levels to have their voices heard. Some of the best ideas come from people who work in lower-level positions. The overall goal is to create the best organization possible. Wiki's create a team environment and encourages everyone to participate.

Time is money, cliche but true. Wiki's save employees time when it comes to having to teach fellow employees. Wiki's don't eliminate human interaction and that's not the point either. Wiki's provide a base knowledge and allows for employees to ask more educated questions. Wiki's are a starting point. Wiki's can save a few hours a day and days within weeks. This allows for more efficient work to be completed.

The improved training for new hires piggy backs saving time. We've all been there, been the new hire at a company whether it's a law firm or McDonald's. A new hire is excited but also nervous as they are coming into a new environment where they don't know much of anything. Wiki's can provide early education prior to the the new hire ever stepping through the doors.

The most important thing any business wants to do is save money and make money. Wiki's create smarter employees. Wiki's create and sustain the workings of a team. They save man hours when it comes to training new hires as well as cross-training. They provide a locked safe full of ideas and solutions that employees can go to for assistance.

Wiki's are an upgrade over traditional manuals. They are well worth the money. Organizations across the world spend tons of money on team building activities. Organizations spend money on outside consultants to improve their efficiency, collective efforts, organizational culture, and profits. Wiki's is a tool that can be used to improve all of the above.

With all that said Wiki's can be done the right way and the wrong way. I have an eclectic assortment of hobbies and one of them is basketball. Here is a Wiki about that very sport titled Basketball Wiki.

Granite this Wiki is a personal, non business site however there are many ways to improve the overall quality. One thing to keep in mind when building a Wiki or any kind of website is to be careful with a white background. A heavy white background can be harsh on the eyes when there is a lot of reading involved. The overall site itself isn't very aesthetically pleasing. It appears to be a bit unorganized as if it was whipped together overnight. It's definitely important to put a little thought into a wiki, especially when it's open to the public. Take a look yourself.

It's not to say that you can't have a white background, you just have to be careful when doing so. Often times it will look like this, which isn't very appealing. Additionally there are too many moving buttons whenever you hover over a tab. The site is simple where it needs to be more thought out and complicated where it should be simple. I think the creator was listening to much Kriss Kross while making this Wiki.

The Wiki has a little over 3000 hits on the site which really isn't that much. I'm not surprised by this as there also aren't any links to connect to other social networking sites to help promote the Wiki. I don't see anything linking to Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook.... nothing.

The topic being discussed is March Madness which is actually a bit outdated. It's important to note that a Wiki should be regularly updated. It doesn't have to be long posts but just staying current and fresh makes a big difference.

So if you ever want to know how NOT to do a Wiki, this is a great example.