Pelz-Sharpe Alan Pelz-Sharpe

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Sceptical about wikis in the Enterprise

1-Dec-2006

Tags: Document Management (ECM), Marketplace at Large, Selecting Technology

On Wednesday night I had the dubious distinction of being "Simon" for Wiki Idol at the Gilbane Boston show. For those unfamiliar with the format, six vendors have six minutes to pitch their product to the audience, and then are critiqued (quite harshly at times) by the judges. I would say it was a lot of fun for all, but then again I was giving out the abuse, not receiving it. On the whole it was a pretty unique experience, but one that truly left me baffled about what wikis are trying to be. The brave vendors (contestants) were Traction, Customervision, eTouch, Atlassian, Mindtouch, and Infostoria. Though some appeared more mature (more usable, with more functionaliy, etc.) than others, all seemed to lack direction. No doubt hard work has gone into the products, and if you are already considering exploring the world of wikis then check them out, but as an advisor to buyers I would stress real caution. Outside of Wikipedia, the wiki phenomenon is primarily limited to geek circles. Within the enterprise it is a product in search of a business case. They could theoretically add value as low-priced collaboration, publishing, or search tools. But they could also potentially become a compliancy nightmare. Wiki software is what KM software was trying to be 10 years ago, and at this showing I don't see it being much more successful. To be fair, there is some neat collaborative technology here and some of the wiki vendors could represent good value if they focused on a specific need in a specific sector, but as generic products I fear they have little future.

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