Getting developers to use a wiki [closed]

Question

I work on a complex application where different teams work on their own modules with a degree of overlap. A while back we got a Mediawiki instance set up, partly at my prompting. I have a hard job getting people to actually use it, let alone contribute.

I can see a lot of benefit in sharing information. It may at least reduce the times we reinvent the wheel.

The wiki is not very structured, but I'm not sure that is a problem as long as you can search for what you need.

Any hints?

Answer 1

Some tips:

Any time someone sends information by email that really should be in a wiki, make a page for that topic and add what they put in the email. Then reply "Thanks for that info, I've put it into the wiki here so that it's easier to find in the future."

Likewise, if you have information you need to share that should be in the wiki, put it there and just send an email with a link to it, rather than email people.

When you ask people for information, phrase it so that putting such documentation in the wiki should be considered the default or standard: "I searched in the wiki but I couldn't find it. Have you put that info up there yet?"

If you are the "wiki champion", make sure other people know how to use it, e.g. "Did I go through how to create a new page with you yet?"

Edit the sidebar to make sure it is relevant to your work.

Use "nav box" style templates on related pages for easier navigation.

Put something like {{Special:NewPages/5}} on the front page, or recent changes, so that people can see the activity.

Take a peek at Recent changes every few days or week, and if you notice someone adding information without being prodded, send them an email or drop by and give them a little compliment.

Answer 2

As I mentioned before, a Wiki is very unorganized.

However, if that is the only argument from your developers, then invest some effort to create a simple index page and keep it updated (either do it yourself or ask people to link their contributions to the index). That way, the Wiki might grow into a very nice and quite comprehensive collection of documentation for all your work.

Answer 3

We've been using a wiki in some form or another for a while now, but it does take a while for people to get on board. You might find that you will be the only one writing articles for some time, but bear with it, other people will come on board eventually.

If someone sends an email around that contains information related to the project then helpfully point them in the direction of the wiki - and keep doing that - they should get the hint.

We have a SharePoint portal and use the wiki from there - we customised it with our own branding so that it "looks the part" - I really feel this has helped to improve the uptake of it.

Make sure that everyone is aware that the wiki is even more informal than email.... because there will be a "fear factor" that people may think anything they add to the wiki will be over-analysed.