Wikis and Conferences
Now this is something I wish ASTD would do for TechKnowledge. It’s a brilliant use of a wiki, but it takes some marketing.
Each year for Learning 200x, the Masie Center launches a wiki. The wiki has a page for each session, which the session leaders and, ideally, the participants, then update. Updating occurs before, during, and after the conference session. It’s like pre-work, but better.
Using the wiki, session facilitators can get a better handle on what their participants are interested in hearing and better prepare for their sessions. The participants get a better idea on what will be covered and can make informed decisions about which session they want to attend.
Because the wiki sticks around for about a year or so afterwards, the discussion can continue.
Here’s the catch: People are still afraid of wikis. I encounter it all the time. Elliot and the Masie Center team are tasked with "marketing" the wiki, trying to get folks to use it. It’s slow going this year it seems, at least so far. Past experience tells me that the wiki will pick up some steam the week before, and during the conference.
The Masie Center has been sending out countless emails about the conference and about the wiki, encouraging people to go use it. But they’re missing something (and it would be easily rectified). For their nifty social networking app, the Masie Center has provided a nice tutorial. However, there’s no tutorial for the wiki. I think popping a tutorial onto the front page of the wiki would be great. In fact, PBWiki even has a nice little Flash tutorial that I’ve put into several of my other wikis. It’s a simple step, but I think it would lessen the "wiki fear" that people seem to have.
Anyone can poke through the Learning 2007 wiki at http://www.learningwiki.com. Only registered attendees can edit and comment.
