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TO: ANNALIESE BOBKER, CEO

FROM: BRADEN CHOW
SUBJECT: WIKI MEMO BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
DATE: JUNE 7, 2010
Executive summary
This memo outlines the potential uses of wikis in collaborative writing at this company.
It was determined that wikis would be beneficial in collaborative writing if pages are used to
store electronic versions of a document. It is recommended that the company implement a wiki
program. Acquiring the program ProjectForum (http://www.projectforum.com) is also
recommended since it is relatively inexpensive ($79.00 to purchase) and is compatible with all
major operating systems (Windows, Macintosh, and Linux).

Background information
A wiki is “[a] space containing pages that can be freely written or edited by anybody –
depending on the aim of the wiki, this capability may be limited to certain authorized members”
(Tonkin, 2005, Introduction: What is a Wiki? Section, para. 5). A space is simply a storage
center of the wiki’s information. While many spaces are hosted on an internet website, in a
corporate environment, they would exist purely on an internal server. The pages in a wiki
contain information and wikiwords, words that will contain a hyperlink to another page in the
same space with relevant information to the wikiword. For example, a page with the wikiword
“Well Locations” would link to a new page with a list of current well locations. Wikiwords
allow users of the wiki to quickly find information on related topics quickly and efficiently.
Finally, wikis have the ability to show a page’s history (its changes). This function allows users
to open two different versions of the same page and highlight the differences between the two.

Potential applications
Wikis could serve multiple uses for collaborative writing. One possibility is using pages
of a wiki to store the writing. In this scenario, select pages would be purely text for the
collaborative writing. Employees would then be able to alter the page from a computer. This
would be quite effective as it would allow employees in physically different locations, such as at
a well and in an office, to make changes to the same document at a time that is convenient for the
employees.
Another possibility is to use a wiki as file storage. Certain pages would have the
collaborative works available to download to those who can access the website. Employees
would download the work, make edits, then attach the updated file on a new page. Although
similar to e-mail, allowing file exchange to occur on wiki would prevent employees who do not
have a need for the document from having to see updates until it is finalized. In addition, an
archive of the writing would be available online for use, if need be.

Justification of position
Wikis have a well established history of use in other companies such as Dresdner
Kleinwort Wasserstein, Citigroup, and the Bank of America. They were used in a variety of
tasks, including data archiving (Gordon, 2006, para. 9, 10). Therefore, wikis are proven to be
effective in data archiving, a major concern in collaborative writing. If a page was set up to store
data, a page that stores the collaborative writing could be edited by employees. This would let
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the page history function show different version of the writing, making the wiki an easy
reference for employees who want a specific version of the writing. This will make searches for
collaborative writings more time efficient, as all the documents and versions are located in a
single space (the wiki). In addition, the constant review and editing process helps improve the
quality of the writing.
Wikis can be edited from any computer, as long as access to the wiki is available and
users can add data at the press of a button. This makes them “an ideal platform for collaborative
authorship” according to Tonkin (2005, Collaborative writing section, para. 1). This makes it
easier from the employee to write a document collaboratively, especially when the two
employees may not be in close proximity (for example, at two different wells). This will
improve time efficiency by allowing data changes to occur in real time.

Possible concerns
Three major concerns arise with wikis: installation time, need for staff training and
security of the data stored.
All programs require time from information technology (IT) personal. However,
Anderson (2006) notes that during testing, wikis were usable within a matter of minutes.
Therefore, installation time should not be a concern.
Green and Raygan (2002) state that because of all the possibilities available using a wiki,
it’ll take time to learn the process. At the same time, however, Anderson (2006) notes that the
learning curve for wikis is relatively low because many functions used in everyday computer use
are applicable on a wiki. So, using wikis is a fairly easy to learn process. This could be
addressed by having employees take a self-directed online tutorial in wiki usage.
All the documents would be confidential to the company. All wikis have the ability to
ensure that the user is authorized (through password security) and anonymous, if required
(Anderson, 2006). It is recommended that wikis be run on an internal network. This will make
them as safe as internal electronic documents.

Recommended wiki product

If implemented, the wiki ProjectForum should be used because it is accessible by all
major systems while having all the required capabilities of wikis.
ProjectForum is able to run on Windows, Macintosh OS, and Linux, therefore, no matter
what system is being used in offices, it would likely not require a change of software. In
addition, if the company needs to share this data with others, it would be easy to access for other
companies. Finally, all general security capabilities are available on this program (Anderson,
2006). Considering the company does not require specialized functions, the accessibility of the
information on all major operating systems is a major selling point.

Works sited
Anderson, R (2006). Wikis in the enterprise. Manhasset, Vol. 17, Iss. 6, 65-71.
Green, D. & Raygan, R. (2002). Internet collaboration: TWiki. Proceedings IEEE southestcon
2002, 137-141.
Gordon, C. (2006). Wikis—a disruptive innovation. Retrieved June 3, 2010, from
http://www.kmworld.com/Articles/PrintArticle.aspx?ArticleID=15802
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Tonkin, E. (2005). Making the case for a wiki. Ariadne, 42. Retrieved June 4, 2010, from
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue42/tonkin