Please start any new threads on our new
site at https://forums.sqlteam.com. We've got lots of great SQL Server
experts to answer whatever question you can come up with.
| Author |
Topic |
|
elwoos
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker
2052 Posts |
 Posted - 2006-11-10 : 12:05:34
|
| I have a feeling this has come up before but I would like to ressurect it. Does anyone use a Wiki in a work context. Is it successful? What sort of pro's and con's are there? Perhaps more importantly can you suggest a SQL Server/ASP.net based on that is free?many thankssteve-----------Don't worry head. The computer will do all the thinking from now on. |
|
|
Kristen
Test
22859 Posts |
Posted - 2006-11-10 : 15:45:04
|
FlexWiki is ASP (with a sort-of-option for SQL Server). It comes out of some Microsoft stable, so will tick the right boxes for you I expect.They come in packs of three too - to fit your requirement for "a little something for the weekend, Sir"!I have used it in two environments. Here we store all sorts of Knowledge base snippets. Whenever we do something for the second time  we write up the process in the Wiki. For the 3rd+ time we work from the Wiki and edit it as we spot improvements. (The ease of anyone-can-edit and available-to-all is a key benefit, much better than someone having a stale copy of the Word DOC on their C: drive; also has a full audit of all previous changes, which works in a way which is more suitable to the job at hand than, say, Word's Revision Control)2) My wife's company use it for all sorts of Knowledge base stuff, Standard operating Procedures, Industry News, Who's-in calendar, URL Links to relevant sites, Phone directory, and so on. It has definitely achieved its objective there. The keys were:Generate lots of content before going liveThat was achieved via an appointed "librarian" / champion. She was keen, took a lot of trouble to understand how to do the tricky stuff (like tables), and put lots of effort into converting the core "starter stuff" from Word and other sources.After going live everyone was given training, and encouraged to use it. There is a "Home page" that anyone can add to, and they do. There are jokes, "Cakes now ready in reception",and all sorts of trivial Community stuff - but it does help the Wiki to be adopted.I think this is a good summary:http://www.possibility.com/epowiki/Wiki.jsp?page=GettingYourWikiAdoptedI persuaded my wife to do it with no budget or thinking. Her lot were busying building a plan for a monster Content Managed Site. It was going to be a dinosaur. A couple of years later there is no talk of the CMS site, they are managing just fine with the Wiki.Me? I HATE the Wiki syntax with avengeance. There is NO WAY that it is easy.'''this is bold'' and ""ThisPreventAutoLinking"" gets my goat. including images is a PITA. But there are as many fans as there are detractors.I would prefer to use some sort of CMS site. There is stuff that comes with Small Business Server that does a fair bit. Can't remember exactly what the bits are, but a company I'm associated uses it, and very successfully (but they are a Tech Company, if that makes a difference). They use the MS CRM stuff too - that works well but is a HUGE undertaking to get going IMHO. But pretty seemless to get an Email logged into the CRM and all the benefits of finding it again, analyzing, and constructing a team around a project, lah-di-dah-de-dah ...Ask further if you want some specifics. Kristen |
 |
|
|
elwoos
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker
2052 Posts |
Posted - 2006-11-13 : 06:15:23
|
| That's really helpful, many thanks Kristen. I must admit I haven't looked at Wiki's in any depth but politically it is probably preferable at the moment to a CMS system. I think you're right in that the key is to get people used to using it.When I started here in 1999 no-one used email and everyone used floppy discs instead of the network. It took a couple of years but they all changed eventually. We even have one or two candidates to act as a champion.The web site seems to have some good stuff tothanks againsteve-----------Don't worry head. The computer will do all the thinking from now on. |
|
|
|
Kristen
Test
22859 Posts |
Posted - 2006-11-13 : 06:56:02
|
| Definitely agree with getting going. If you get good adoption then moving to something more "tailored" won't be too hard, and you'll have lots of material to migrate.There are Wiki -> HTML converters around.I still hate the ""'''WikiSyntax'''"" with a vengeance!P.S. Might be worth looking to see if there is a Wiki that will run on your hardware (or a ClipOn for FlexWiki) that supports some sort of [ForumTags] or even <RawHTML>, that would help hugely with those things that you DO want formatted nicely, or in tables.Kristen |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Something for the weekend?