Collaboration Through a Wiki

Wow this is challenging. Collaboration through a wiki seems like it doesn’t work all that well in a short timeframe. I think that the essence of a wiki is:

• There can be ongoing developments that are reflected in the wiki.
• It is long-term and open-ended.
• All users have access and abilities to update/modify.
• Progression is tracked and recorded.

By collaborating in a short time frame on a project, it is challenging to ensure that there is an on-going opportunity. It also seems that it is much more challenging to ensure that what is posted is what the group wants reflected, or what the last person wanted reflected.

I think that wikis could be used to show the development of a product, but upon using the wiki in the past week to create a product, it seems like this is not the most effective tool.  There are other tools in Web 2.0 that seem to be a progression from wikis; google docs is a great tool that allows for real-time collaboration, as well as a chat on the side.  This allows for engaging discussion before decisions are made and posted (although, what is the purpose of decisions? A posting can always be changed!).

Kristopher