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ARW
ARW
Why Wetpaint?
Jan 5 2008, 11:21 AM EST | Post edited: Jan 5 2008, 11:21 AM EST
I'm interested as to why you chose wetpaint as a host, and whether you considered others, but rejected them. Inspired by this wiki, I've set up a dummy-run myself at wetpaint (http://baxtercommunications.wetpaint.com), but I get a lot of Adsense ads appearing - which you guys don't seem to get. Does that mean you paid to have them removed? Certainly the Wetpaint interface is easier to use than the standard wiki software, but I'm now also looking at blogging software, like Wordpress, which is also free but doesn't insert ads. If you give everyone editing rights, there doesn't seem to be a lot of difference in practice with a wiki - or am I missing something? Having said that, however, I do like the idea of having a communally written in-company encyclopedia, rather a set of blog postings, which (it seems to me) are more likely to be regarded as personal property, with authors resenting anyone altering/editing them. Anyone had any experience of this? Do you find this valuable?    
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jnedelka
jnedelka
1. RE: Why Wetpaint?
Jan 7 2008, 5:15 PM EST | Post edited: Jan 7 2008, 5:15 PM EST
To answer some of your questions:

The reason I chose to use Wetpaint for a wiki is very simple; they pitched me the story idea. I did look at other wikis and wiki software when I was writing the story for X-Factor, but I felt that Wetpaint was representative. They were also the wiki used by the Discovery Channel, which was one of the examples I used in my story of how to use a wiki.

We don't pay for this wiki, and as far as I know Wetpaint didn't remove the ads for free for us. I'd be as interested as you are why Adsense ads don't appear when I view the wiki. As far as blogging software, we use MoveableType for the 1to1 Blog (www.1to1media.com/weblog) and I find that since their recent update the interface is at least as good as Wordpress or the other software available.

With blogs, wikis, and other social media, you're right that the practices behind the technology is more important than the platform it's served on. More often than not, the only one affected by easy-to-use software is the administrator of the site, and users don't notice any differences.

I'll let other people answer your last question about authors resenting people editing their work, given my bias as a writer. 1  out of 1 found this valuable. Do you?