One of the biggest problems that organizations have is efficiency in collaboration. Just recently I talked to a colleague who was frustrated about the process of sharing large files via email. People sending him email would constantly get the dreaded ‘mailbox full’ notification.

Wikis offer an alternative approach to mailing documents back and forth. As many of you well know, Wikis help to foster collaboration by allowing multiple people to edit a document based on the web. The tool that has helped to popularize wikis for collaborative use is MediaWiki.

Media Wiki is a free, Open Source application that allows anyone to host a wiki on their own server. There are many potential uses for Wiki software, including use as a collaborative encyclopedia (as in Wikipedia), an online knowledge base (as in the Social Media Wiki) or as a community based site (as in Armchair GM). A number of podcasters also use Wikis to allow subscribers to contribute to their show notes.

One of the great benefits of using MediaWiki is the fact that their sites load quick and they are generally very easy to use. Despite the name, I haven’t found MediaWiki to be a great platform for rich media such as audio and video. The installation and configuration aren’t the easiest I’ve seen, but they aren’t the hardest either. The key is to take your time and follow the installation steps carefully.

Once your MediaWiki is set up it’s very simple to use. The tool has a user management feature that allows you to require that people register in order to edit or create pages. And you have the option of blocking accounts that post undesirable content. If you want to get beyond the basic look and function of your MediaWiki implemenation you can browse the many styles and extensions available.

If wiki technology is new to you I recommend that you take the time to set up a test install and play around with it. Or you can visit some of the links in this post to get some ideas. Start out by contributing to other Wikis to get a feel for the layout options and how to use the tool.

As with any good Open Source tool, a number of people have contributed in the development of MediaWiki. Check out the MediaWiki history page to find out more about the development of this fantastic collaboration tool. While you’re at it, browse the site and see if there’s anything that you can contribute. After all, collaboration and contribution are what Wikis are all about!

[tags]Social Media, Wiki, MediaWiki, Open Source, Tools[/tags]