Creating Engagement with Wikis

Presented by Dr. Kay L. ColleyAssistant ProfessorTexas Wesleyan University

See this presentation at http://kaycolley.wik.is/

October 22-24, 2009

Models of Public Relations*• Press agentry model• Public information model• Two-way asymmetrical model• Two-way symmetrical model

*Based on Grunig and Hunt, 1984

http://kaycolley.wik.is/

Frame of reference

The Communication Model

Sender ReceiverFrame of reference

Feedback

Message

ChannelN

oise

Noise

Noise

Noise

Noise

Noise

Feedback

Where do wikis fit?• Two-way symmetrical communication model• Channel or tool in that model

What is a wiki?• From the Hawaiian word for quick

• A website that allows anyone to edit it

• Probably best know is Wikipedia

• Presentation is at http://kaycolley.wik.is/

Wikis and social media• Wikis are part of social media

• Social media include:• Web logs or Blogs

• Internet forums

• Media sharing sites

• RSS feeds

• Podcasts

• Social networking sites

• Wikis

Traits of social media• User-driven

• Organic content or “mashed”

• Community-oriented

• Easy to use

Advantages of social media• “Stickier” than traditional media

• Viral in nature

• Interactive

• High visibility on the Internet

Traditional uses of wikis• Project management

• Tech support

• Research and development

• Event planning

• Customer relationship management

Some examples Motorolahttp://www.motoqwiki.com/index.php?title=Motorola_Q_Wiki

Intelhttp://wikimania2006.wikimedia.org/wiki/Proceedings:JB1

T-Mobilehttp://wiki.sidekick.com/?t=anon

Other wiki examplesFordhttp://wherearethejoneses.wikidot.com/set:home

Better Homes and Gardens wikihttp://wiki.bhgscrapbooksetc.com/?t=anon

Intuithttp://www.taxalmanac.org/index.php/Main_Page

Some of my wikis• http://ramblertraining.wetpaint.com

• http://kcolley.wiki.zoho.com/• http://editingtxwesleyan.pbworks.com/

• http://kaycolley.wik.is/

Using Wikis • Part of your overall strategy

• Superior tools for • Participation

• Engagement

• Connecting

• Creating Community

The Rules of Engagement• First determine where your stakeholders fit in Forrester Research’s engagement segments

• Are your stakeholders:• Creators (13% of online users)• Critics (19% of online users)• Collectors (15% of online users)• Joiners (19% of online users)• Spectators (33% of online users)• Inactives (52% of online users)

The Rules of Engagement• Trust the community• Join the networks• Frequent stakeholder cyber hangouts

• Listen and learn• Create quality content• Watch your voice• Be authentic• Give it virality• Monitor and manage your reputation online

• Become radically transparent

When to use wikis• To get uncensored customer feedback

• To provide customer service and experience of value to all

• To work with people to create something

• To create and sustain knowledge or expertise

How do I know what to use?

Software comparisons• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_wiki_software• http://www.wikimatrix.org/

Try some out!

How to avoid wiki pitfalls• Using the control measures to lock pages

• Managing access to your site • Making wikis user-friendly with instructions

• Understanding versioning on wikis • Creating a code of ethics or conduct

Food for thoughtWikis can help you navigate other social media:

• http://twitter.pbworks.com/• http://facebook.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page• http://iphonegames.wikia.com/wiki/IPhone_Games_Wiki• http://www.thenewpr.com/wiki/pmwiki.php• http://pr.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

QuestionsHow to reach me with questions, comments and complaints:

E-mail—kcolley@txwes.eduTwitter—@kaycolley or www.twitter.com/kaycolleyBlog—www.kaycolley.blogspot.comWiki for this presentation:http://kaycolley.wik.is/