Don’t get me wrong, I can use a wiki quite competently, its just I don’t like using them. Its something about their style (or lack of it). I still don’t believe I’ve seen a great looking wiki in my time. I know I’m missing the point - a wiki is about collaborating and sharing ideas. But think about it, when you do that in the real world you do it in a nice environment. When we want to share ideas we don’t lock ourselves away in cupboards, we meet in places that inspire our thinking.
Anyways I’m rambling. My point is I am now using a cracking application that I thinks fills that void left by wikis. I found iscrybe about a year ago whilst it was in alpha testing but couldn’t get to try it. Then a month ago Chris from Bittersuite sent me an email saying I had to check out this app. Low and behold iscrybe was live. Well since then I have been hooked. It has its downsides (in terms of categorising my data) but its a joy to work with. Check out the vid (its the bit after the calander stuff):
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2 Comments
I agree, wikis are set up by computer geeks and only used by computer geeks. I also have never seen a nice wiki.
Its a simple matter of function over form. Wikis are generally setup as a place for people to share information. Information isnt pretty, its informative.
When I page through the Encyclopedia Britannica (you remember, those really big books people used before the internet), I see information. Lots of information. All neatly categorised and ordered, with an easy to use index.
Unnecessary attempts at “prettying” up pages that only have the purpose of sharing information is a distraction. If you had to fold a “to do” list into an origami crane, and then give it to someone to do, they might be initially impressed by your creative prowess. But after spending 10 minutes trying to figure out where the information is they need, they might become a little frustrated.
Dont get me wrong, usability is vital, but I dont think that was brought into question in the original post.