Wikis: Nothing to do with last nights tikki party

No, it is not a Hawaiian drink. It is a Web page that allows visitors to quickly and easily add, edit, or delete information without any technical expertise. While Wikis abound, the most famous is the free encyclopedia Wikipedia.

So what’s it good for? Absolutely somethin’!
Collaboration and interaction. Small groups and large groups; people in the same time zone and in different time zones; people in the same country and in different continents; novices, experts, and anyone in-between. In other words, the whole point of a Wiki is to enable people, all people, to come together.

Which means, for the PR practitioner, Wikis have two great uses: One for the firm and one for the clients.

Using Wikis in your PR practice
PR is nothing if not teamwork. Let me give you and example. Say Sam, in New York, writes a press release. Peter in Toronto edits it. Janice, in San Francisco, adds a quotation. Michelle, in London, approves it. Or Cécile in Paris writes a status report. Antonino in Rome adds to it. Joseph, in Sydney, adds his two cents. And so on.

Or, perhaps it is a new business pitch. Or a tactical plan. Or … well, you get the picture.

All of this can takes place on a Wiki. The alternative? Exchanging the file via Email and trying to keep track of it somehow. That’s a nightmare!

Think of a Wiki as a whiteboard. You write something on the board. Someone else comes along and edits it. Someone else comes along and adds their changes. And so on. And as all this is going on, everyone with access to that whiteboard (and access can be limited to whomever you chose) can view these changes.

And that’s just the simplest use of a Wiki.

You can also use Wikis in international meetings. Or to develop a firm-wide knowledge base. Or as a training tool complete with links. Or, well, the uses are limited only to your imagination.

Using Wikis for your clients
You would think that the most powerful feature of a Wiki is its collaborative ability. And, while this is incredibly helpful, it is not the be all and end all of Wikis.

Community is.

Nothing builds a community as quickly and easily as a Wiki. And this is critical for PR practitioners. Because if there is one thing we like to build, it is a nice, sticky community,

One where people return again and again. And hear our message, again and again.

By creating a forum for interactivity, Wikis are a natural for building communities.

Don’t believe me? Go here for a list of other Wikis, the best of which are creating the sticky communities. And feel free to be inspired.