Whether you are creating a new wiki, adding material to an existing one, or revising one, applying the three-step writing process is effective and adaptable. While wikis don’t require that you have much technical or writing expertise, it is still important for you to apply the three-step process to assure that your contributions are credible and reliable.
When writing a wiki, you must plan, write, and complete it, just as you would with any other written document. The planning phase of the writing process is utilized when you are determining the purpose for your wiki. Is it long-term or short-term? Who will be allowed to later modify the content? What rules and guidelines will you establish for it? These questions and many others must me answered when creating, adding to, or modifying a wiki. The basic steps of planning are also useful when planning a wiki.
It is important to develop an audience profile so that you know how to structure your wiki better. You should be sure to provide all of the required information, and ask yourself whether or not it is accurate, ethical, and pertinent. It is also necessary to find out if other similar material already exists, because if so, you know you do not need to create a new wiki, but rather add to an existing one. Following this procedure will help you find out whether or not you need to do further research on your topic and will guide your towards writing you wiki.
When writing a wiki, it is important to keep several things in mind: You must let go of expectations of authorship, because the value of wikis generally stems from insight of its contributors. Members participating in the contribution to a wiki sometimes need to be encouraged to edit and improve each other’s work. Using templates and other formatting options can help to ensure that all content fit’s the same style. You should do a horough amount of research and understand the guidelines that have been set by wiki contributors, because they help to maintain consistency and accuracy in your writing and the writing of others.
Once you begin completing your wiki, you can implement procedures from the three-step writing process to ensure that the wiki is of superior quality. Double check that you don’t have long noun sequences, unclear sentence structure, awkward references, or unparallel sentences. As with writing other messages, you can step away after you’ve written your first draft to clear your mind before you begin completing the message.
Make sure your writing is clear and concise, because your audience is looking for quick, useful information. By applying the three-step process, you can effectively write and contribute to wikis. Since approval isn’t required to post new material, it is important that you are careful when planning, writing, and creating a wiki. In doing so, you sound more knowledgeable and professional. If you utilize templates and guidelines for wikis, contributions are consistent and discussions about wikis are better encouraged.
