Wiki Progress Report Social Networking

Social Networking: Wiki Progress Report

Wiki Progress Report: Social Networking

Wiki Progress Report

This week, I developed a wiki page geared at providing insight on the factors influencing project success or failure. The reading areas included: i) factors related to the project such as resource requirements, size, and urgency; ii) factors related to project leadership such as competence, ability to delegate, trust and commitment; iii) factors related to the organization such as organizational culture and organizational structure; iv) factors related to the team members such as skill level, experience level, and commitment; and v) factors related to the environment such as politics, economic conditions, and legislation (Keyes, 2013).

At first, I did not think the use of the wiki was a good idea, perhaps because the term was completely new to me, and I was afraid that I may not be able to handle it effectively. At the very beginning, I had no idea on how to begin or even how to post my report as we were not given a fixed style on how to undertake the assignment. Later, I found it quite easy to maneuver and I then began to appreciate the benefits of using wikis to communicate and engage with others. To reduce confusion, however, I would advise that instructors avail supporting resources to provide students with an overview of how to use a wiki. They could provide detailed instructions on the same, or links to simple YouTube videos that provide insight on what wikis are, and how they ought to be used (Davidson, 2012). This would ensure that students have a clear understanding of what is required from the very beginning.

I also encountered challenges using the wiki editing tools at the beginning. Often times, I got frustrated after formatting my text in the editing function, only for it to look different when saved. I later understood issues like these after the same were explained to me by a colleague.

So far, I have made contributions, uploaded relevant files, inserted images, and placed links to relevant websites. The wiki fosters collaboration as it makes it possible for parties to communicate in a relatively easy and anonymous manner. I am often too shy to speak and voice out my contributions effectively in public spaces; however, the anonymity provided by the wiki platform has made it relatively easy for me to put my contributions forward.

Besides providing anonymity, the wiki also fosters collaboration by making it possible for me to be judged on my contribution. The history function of the wiki provides details of my contributions as an individual (and the contributions of others for those working in groups) (Davidson, 2013). My instructor is able to retrieve the number and percentage of the total pages I saved and the total contributions I made throughout the week (Davidson, 2012). This kind of transparency pushes one to give their all in the assignment, and play their individual role as they should regardless of other group members' efforts (if there are any). Personally, this aspect will improve my collaborative ability as I work with others in future because it emphasizes individual responsibility and eliminates the inclination to engage in social loafing.