Wikis/Wikipedia

I think wikis are an interesting concept, but I've always been reserved from using sites such as Wikipedia, due to the fact that I can't be sure that what information I'm receiving is correct. The idea that anyone is allowed to edit postings causes me to have some reservations with this type of system. Granted, the readings from this week note that Wikipedia's error rate in its articles is only slightly larger than that of Encyclopedia Britannica. That single statistic helps to alleviate my fears of using information on the site, but I will still always hold some level of mistrust with what I find. I'm also very interested to see what the academic world thinks of using Wikipedia as a source in a research paper. I know in the past I've been told to avoid Wikipedia for the reasons I stated above. However, do most teachers allow Wikipedia to be used as a credible source, now that it has grown to a size where the information is highly reviewed and edited if found to be incorrect? That may still be the preference of the teacher, but thinking as a high school student, it is a question I would ask before starting any new class.

Everything I wrote above is specific to Wikipedia, but I do want to comment on wikis in general for corporation use. My opinion is that wikis could potentially help a business, but only if it develops a culture where wikis are found to be highly valuable and people wish to share their ideas through this medium. I'll be honest and say that I would rather pick-up the phone or send an email, rather than use a document with the wiki feature. I also think that there are still quite a few baby boomers in the work industry who would be confused with the wiki format. Furthermore, many people in the work industry are not proficient typists, so using wiki documents could have a negative effect on their productivity. Even beyond this, some people are better off expressing themselves through phone or personal conversations. Ideas may lose their luster if they are transmitted through a wiki format.

Although there appear to be some downsides of this technology, I also think there are certain general situations where it may be successful. I think two main things have to be considered before a company would consider using wikis. First, there has to be a high level of trust among the employees of the business. If employees do not trust each other and think they have valuable things to offer, the wiki documents will be constantly changing as people attempt to assert their opinions over others. Second, I think a company needs to have a structure that could take advantage of wikis. At this point in time, it isn't something that any business could just pick-up and start using. For instance, a highly decentralized business with little interaction between an older population of co-workers could find this quite difficult. However, a company that utilizes small teams familiar with technology- working together to find solutions- could see a huge benefit from this technology. Again, I believe it all comes down to what type of interactions occur at your business and whether your people trust each other. Sure....everyone writes e-mails at work.....but there is a huge gap between writing an e-mail and expressing all your ideas through a constantly evolving online document. My belief is that wikis will eventually work their way up in corporations......I just think they may be about 10 years ahead of their time for many corporations and businesses.