Wiki Collaboration at Westminster?

Purpose

The purpose of this tutorial is to help explain how promoting "online collaboration" through the use of WIKIs may help reduce volunteer workload, and build a customized online database for church volunteering and operational activities that not only can be used to share with the Westminster congregation and the Orangeville community, but with the entire World...

This tutorial will focus on the possibilities and advantages of collaborating over the Internet with the most effective tools.

The Importance of Collaborating Online

YouTube Video

If you want to see the visual steps for "Powering Up Computer Lab", here is a link to a customized YouTube video: N/A

Written Concepts

Below are the written concepts (in case you prefer to have a printout of these procedures):

A Little History and Perspective

The concept of collaborating on-line is not new. Even the predecessor to the Internet (ARPAnet) which was developed by the U.S. military in the 60's was used as a deterrent for an adversary to make the "first nuclear strike", thus creating the MAD doctrine (Mutually Assured Destruction). This, in turn, led to reduction of nuclear arms and non-proliferation treaties. In the 70s and 80s, there was a need for nuclear and rocket scientist to collaborate to advance nuclear missile research (since each department needed to see the "big picture" as opposed to only their particular contribution. It just do happened to be that these scientists worked in research organizations, universities and colleges, allowing instructors and students to start using those tools such as e-mail, and web-browsers accessing the World Wide Web.

Ironically, the mechanism that developed from the "fear of war", developed into an infrastructure to help to promote peace and helping to "bring people together".

That is what would I call an unexpected but highly pleasant side-effect!  :)

Computer programmers, since the 70s, connected via computer networks to collaborate when creating software application, with very quick and efficient results. If the new catch-phrase "Working in the Cloud" applies to storing documents and editing them in "cyberspace", then this author has been "Working in the Cloud" since 1998 (long before this term was invented)...

This need to "connect" has now extended from educational institutions into our homes and our everyday lives:

• Smart phones, Blackberries, tablets, etc
• Checking e-mail on a daily basis
• Checking weather conditions or checking school cancellations on web-pages
• Expectation (no longer luxury) of wireless connectivity in public places (eg. McDonalds has now gone wireless)
• Feeling of "disconnection from World" if Internet service is down

This need to connect is further validated by the quick growth of social media applications such as:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Myspace
• Angie's List
• Craig's List
• Freecycle
• Ebay
• etc...

This trend will not only continue, but rather accelerate as our increased need for purposeful "connection" grows.

The Wrong "Ties That Bind"

Although many tools already exist for on-line collaboration, many of them are not properly used, or used at all.

For Example:

• Nearly everyone uses e-mail, but although very useful, e-mail is not the best method for on-line collaboration.
• Certain Social Media software (eg. facebook, twitter) are useful for posting messages and keeping in touch with friends and events,
  but lack the ability to create and collectively edit ideas and document content.
• Document generation and editing (eg. word-pressing, spreadsheets, slide-shows) are mainly edited "off-line", which requires more work downloading and uploading files. Although they may be posted to web-pages, those documents are not really considered "living documents"...

Hidden Opportunity Costs

To be completed ...

"Unlock Those Chains": Collaborate Online

To be completed ...

"Reduce, Reuse, Recycle"

To be completed ...

Barriers to Success

To be completed ...

"Water Seeks its Own Level"

To be completed ...

Where Do We Go From Here?

To be completed ...

Additional Resources

Here are some resources to assist the user using WIKIs:

• Wikispaces: Free WIKI Provider