Comments on: Booz Allen wikiness http://dring.wordpress.com/2007/06/18/booz-allen-wikiness/ Where the military and new media collide Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:37:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU hourly 1 By: Steve Field http://dring.wordpress.com/2007/06/18/booz-allen-wikiness/#comment-1991 Steve Field Sat, 23 Jun 2007 22:06:17 +0000 http://dring.wordpress.com/2007/06/18/booz-allen-wikiness/#comment-1991 Very cool. Thanks for the insight! I think that this provides a good point -- new online technologies don't need to be about communicating with external audiences. This is a great example of how a wiki can help a company's employees communicate and collaborate with each other. Very cool. Thanks for the insight!

I think that this provides a good point — new online technologies don’t need to be about communicating with external audiences. This is a great example of how a wiki can help a company’s employees communicate and collaborate with each other.

]]> By: Steve http://dring.wordpress.com/2007/06/18/booz-allen-wikiness/#comment-1953 Steve Thu, 21 Jun 2007 16:34:23 +0000 http://dring.wordpress.com/2007/06/18/booz-allen-wikiness/#comment-1953 I'm glad to see that you've come across our humble internal wiki - I'd be happy to give you some background on it. Basically, we've used Confluence to create an internal wiki. Everyone in the firm has access to it, and everyone is encouraged to create and edit pages. The only difference between this and Wikipedia is that users are required to log in to edit (not unusual for corporate wikis). While tracking Web 2.0 trends and tools is one use, there have been no restrictions on what can be posted - some groups are using it to facilitate collaboration and cut down on email, while some are using it to publicize the expertise of their teams. Right now, the wiki is still in infancy, but there are a number of users who are championing its use throughout the firm and planting many, many seed pages. I happen to be one of those champions, and was the one who started the "new media" pages. Rather than a re-tread of the nuts and bolts of Web 2.0, the pages are more theoretical, addressing the culture side of Web 2.0, rather than the tools themselves. It also serves as a living resource for our people - one where title and experience aren't as important as the content. This is particularly important for our more junior employees who have grown up with this technology - it's critical that we're able to capture this different perspective. Hopefully, the wiki will help them to spread their knowledge and insight throughout our firm. I hope that gives you a better sense of how we're using the wiki, and before you ask, I've already have a link to this blog included on our blogs page. I’m glad to see that you’ve come across our humble internal wiki - I’d be happy to give you some background on it. Basically, we’ve used Confluence to create an internal wiki. Everyone in the firm has access to it, and everyone is encouraged to create and edit pages. The only difference between this and Wikipedia is that users are required to log in to edit (not unusual for corporate wikis). While tracking Web 2.0 trends and tools is one use, there have been no restrictions on what can be posted - some groups are using it to facilitate collaboration and cut down on email, while some are using it to publicize the expertise of their teams.

Right now, the wiki is still in infancy, but there are a number of users who are championing its use throughout the firm and planting many, many seed pages. I happen to be one of those champions, and was the one who started the “new media” pages. Rather than a re-tread of the nuts and bolts of Web 2.0, the pages are more theoretical, addressing the culture side of Web 2.0, rather than the tools themselves.

It also serves as a living resource for our people - one where title and experience aren’t as important as the content. This is particularly important for our more junior employees who have grown up with this technology - it’s critical that we’re able to capture this different perspective. Hopefully, the wiki will help them to spread their knowledge and insight throughout our firm.

I hope that gives you a better sense of how we’re using the wiki, and before you ask, I’ve already have a link to this blog included on our blogs page.

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