I’ve been doing a lot of catching up on my blog reading over the past few days and just came across a great article on the Acronym Blog. Jen Miller has a great write-up on how Associations can use Wikis. I found the post really well written and chocked full of some really solid suggestions. I want to use Jen’s write-up as an impetus to expand on the idea and move from the what to the how.

Trailing below are the first 12, of 25, tips for effectively implementing wikis in an organization based on recommendations from a recent article from eWeek. If you are considering trying to implement a Wiki within your association these tips are for you!

1. Form follows function

The use of Web 2.0 tools requires imposing some, but not too much, administrative structure on the collaboration environment. Too much structure inhibits innovation and interaction. Too little structure can devolve into purely social interactions, engender conflict and produce little valuable knowledge.

2. Establish ground rules early to avoid problems later

As the collaborative environment is being established, people are looking for cues for how to interact. Establishing appropriate cues early sets the tone for interactions to follow. It is much easier to start on the right foot than to correct problems later.

3. Recognize people for what they contribute

Web 2.0 tools provide the opportunity to identify extremely valuable knowledge held by the “crowd.” When members of the crowd do contribute valuable knowledge or insight, reward them for it.

4. Harness peer power

Allow colleagues to evaluate one another’s contributions, even relying on them to distribute many of the rewards mentioned previously. Peers are often in the best position to evaluate a contribution and the work that went into it.

5. Find something that works and stick with it

Effective use of Web 2.0 tools for collaboration depends on both the tools and the community that uses them. New Web 2.0 capabilities are being introduced daily, and it can be difficult for even a tech-savvy community to learn to use them all effectively. In most companies, the goal is effective collaboration, not developing the most cutting-edge IT platform.

6. Look for the diamonds in the rough

Don’t be discouraged if 90 percent of what the collaborative environment produces is not valuable to you or your business. The goal is to find the 10 percent that is truly valuable and that you wouldn’t have found any other way. These are the ideas that are worth the time, trouble and effort of learning the new tools.

7. Find at least one wiki champion

The wiki champion(s) will be responsible for creating awareness of the wiki and reminding others how easy it is to use. See BMart’s post on Acronym for how you can find your Social Media Superstars.

8. Cost does not equal guaranteed success

For most organizations implementing a wiki is a big deal, but it doesn’t have to cost a lot. There are a lot of low-cost packages available for use that are easy to implement and use. Success is never guaranteed and failure can be an inexpensive option.

9. Use the right tools for the right job

Capture information in wiki pages and send URLs by email instead of trying to collaborate with email. Too much great information gets lost or trapped by not using the right tools for the job.

10. Keep it simple.

An rigid structure makes it difficult and intimidating to add new content.

11. Provide a variety of ways to participate.

Remember what it is like to be an outsider and how challenging/frustrating it is to learn something that is completely new to you. Provide users with a variety of ways to participate. A user who only feels comfortable commenting on content at first may evolve into one of your most prolific contributors.

12. Make keeping up easy to do.

Provide tools for users to subscribe to the RSS feed of the wiki. Nothing encourages participation like visible activity.

Stay tuned for part 2 of this series where I share a bakers dozen of additional tips.

How many times are you working on a project with a distributed team when email or phone calls just aren’t cutting it? If you are like me, it happens all the time. Sometimes what you need is a way to get face-to-face with the person or people without the expense or hassle of being in the same place at the same time.

Enter TokBox a free service that allows you to talk to friends and colleagues over live video. All you have to do is head to TokBox, sign-up and they will give you a link that you can use anytime and almost anywhere you want just by sharing a link to your TokBox.

You can put your TokBox on your Facebook, MySpace, or almost any other page, blog or website that you can embed a small amount of code on.

TokBox has widgets for MySpace, Friendster, Freewebs, Blogger, orkut, LiveJournal, iGoogle, WordPress.com, myYearbook, Facebook, TypePad, Netvibes, Xanga and also cut and paste code for almost any other use). If/when you are online, all the other person needs to do is click on the “Push to Talk” button and it initiates a live video chat.

I can see a lot of different uses for this application from providing customer and technical support in a more personal manner to allowing you to connect someone face-to-face when you or they are out of the office. Despite all of the great technology advances we are enjoying, sometimes face-to-face is the best way to get things done. This tool makes it efficient, effective and easy to do just that. You can see how I implemented it on my blog by visiting my contact page

There is no cost, no hassle (other than a really simple sign-up and the need for you to be able to insert a small code snippet to the site you want to add your TokBox to) and nothing to download. An added benefit is the ability to control who can see you and who can’t, always nice for ensuring a modicum of privacy.

Another really cool extension of the application is through it’s integration with Meebo. If you have a Meebo account you can actually launch a group video chat session with up to six people. You can read more about this on the TokBox Blog. Tokbox: http://www.tokbox.com

How often do you have to collaborate with others to think through a new or existing idea? Exploratree was designed to rapidly facilitate the idea iteration process. It’s essentially an interactive mind mapping tool with a few twists.

Using Flash as the engine, Exploratree allows users to create what they call “Thinking Guides” - tools or frameworks for thinking through an issue and considering different aspects or perspectives that can be useful for helping to develop thinking skills. You can use one of their 23 ready-made templates or simply work from a blank canvas to develop your own to add images, text, and shapes that help you develop and evolve your thoughts.

While the application was originally designed as part of the Enquiring Minds project - a three-year research and development program that is run by Futurelab and funded by Microsoft - working alongside teachers and students in two UK secondary schools the project to develop a distinctive approach to teaching and learning that takes the knowledge, ideas, interests and skills that students bring into schools more seriously and enables young people to take more responsibility for the content, processes, and outcomes of their learning, it is now available for more general use.

By using the power and functionality of the application you can create your document and then send it to a friend or group of friends for review/comment, or allow them to log-in to your Thinking Guide to edit and save changes.

I see a lot of relevance and applicability for this application, and others like it, in connecting distributed work teams and allowing them to rapidly iterate through ideas and projects they are working on/through. I can also see a lot of value in using it alone because it’s simplicity and ease of use allows a user to focus the creation or elaboration of an idea or brainstorm as opposed to being focused on the technology used to facilitate the ideation or brainstorming process. In other words it does what it’s supposed to without getting in your way.

If you are a visual thinking (like I am) who is looking for a light weight, web based tool that is feature rich but very easy to use for collaborating or brainstorming, I’d say that Exploratree is worth taking a look at. No download is required. You can try it without registering, or sign up to the service to get your work saved online, all for free. Exploratree: http://www.exploratree.org.uk