Using wikis

Setting up and using wikis @ ILRI

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Set up the wiki

After Wikispaces closed in 2018, we now use MediaWiki to create wikis to collaborate online, document events or keep track of collective work (view the list of ILRI wikis). Usually, the social media coordinator (currently Tsehay Gashaw) creates wikis and sets them up so please do not create wikis without first consulting Tsehay Gashaw.

Create sections

Every wiki will be different, following the specific needs of a given initiative. However, typical wiki sections for a new wiki might entail the following sections:

• About (mirroring content on the initiative's website)
• Contacts (a page with all the key people and their contact details)
• Publications (possibly with an RSS feed displaying the latest publications)
• Events, possibly with a link to a Google Calendar
• Communication tools (including the logos, templates etc.)

Inform and involve staff

You may want to:

• Introduce the general logic of the wiki and what people may expect to find there
• Identify champions to manage and update the wiki content
• Train content managers on basic wiki editing
• Regularly mention the wiki to keep it on the radar of the people involved in the initiative

Manage wiki content

It is important to keep the wiki up-to-date. These steps might help:

• Regularly document key events on the wiki
• Rely on content champions to keep updating their pages
• Provide refresher training for content managers on editing wiki pages
• When the initiative ends, you may keep the wiki up and running, but you might want to update the pages in a way that reflects the end of the program