Hi
I need to set up a wiki (to launch a business idea) and have no idea
how to do it. Please could you let me know:
1. What software I need
2. Whether I can do it by myself or need someone to help (assume that
I'm a pretty basic web user with no webmaster skills)
3. What else I need to do to get it up and running

Any other info that you think would be relevant would be helpful

Thanks

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Request for Question Clarification by mvguy-ga on 11 Nov 2006 23:38 PST

Are you talking about a wiki that would be on an intranet (available
only within in the company) or on the Internet (available to anyone)?
Thanks.

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Clarification of Question by westnick-ga on 12 Nov 2006 07:52 PST

On the internet
Thanks

Hi,

If you had asked this question just a couple years ago, I would have
had to give you a fairly complex answer. I would have had to tell you
that this was something that you shouldn't attempt on your own, and
that you would have to have to work with someone who at a minimum
could operate a Unix server of some sort and install wiki software on
it.

But today, the task of setting up a wiki is fairly simple. All you
have to do is subscribe to a wiki hosting service, then get things
started using an interface that you can handle yourself if you're
capable of participating in something like the biggest wiki of all,
Wikipedia.  You don't need to buy any software, just use a browser
with an Internet connection. All the complicated stuff is handled by
the hosting service.

I've read through various articles on Wiki hosting services, and one
that seems to be mentioned fairly often is Wikispaces, which can be
found at http://www.wikispaces.com/ .  I'll refer to it here as an
example, then list other possibilities below.

As you can see from the home page, Wikispaces is designed so that
beginners can easily get started. If you'd like to see how this site
works, you can sign up for a free account to test things out. Since
you're doing this for a business, you'd probably be interested in
signing up for an upgraded account, which gives you more flexibility
in terms of who can access and see the wiki, as well letting you have
pages without advertising on them. Upgraded accounts here top out at
$100 per month and look liked they'd fill the needs of most small
businesses.

Here are some other wiki hosting services that look like they might be
suitable for the type of business use you describe:

EditMe
http://www.editme.com/
This site lets you use "rich text" editing, so you can get effects
such as boldface without having to know HTML (web coding language).
Corporate accounts are available up to $50/month.

Socialtext
http://www.socialtext.com/products/pricing
This company specializes in working with businesses. It costs more
than some of the other services, but it also appears to offer more.

PBWiki
http://pbwiki.com/
This site claims you can get your business wiki started in as little
as 10 seconds. I'm not sure it's quite that fast, but it may be worth
a look.

SiteGround
http://www.siteground.com/wiki-hosting.htm
This hosting service offers a choice of wiki software.

Since you're planning to do a wiki for business use, you should check
with potential hosts to see what they offer in terms of backups and
security.  You also should check to see what provisions they make in
terms of how you would get access to your data in case the company
ever goes out of business.  Most of the sites listed above let you
sign up for free accounts or a free short-term trial, and you should
take advantage of that before you commit your company to any
particular system.

If your company already as a Web site, you might also want to contact
your Web site hosting company. Many of them, although they don't
specialize in wikis, should be able to install wiki software on their
systems with little trouble. In that case, workers would still be able
to access the wiki via their Internet browsers. But you might not get
the hold-you-hand help you get with some of the specialized companies.

Here are some other sites that might be of interest to you:

How to Start a Wiki
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Wiki_Science:How_to_start_a_Wiki

Wiki Site
http://www.wiki-site.com/index.php/Main_Page
Wiki Site lets you set of up Wikis using Wikipedia-like software.

What You Can Do with a Wiki
http://personalweb.about.com/od/wikihostingandsoftware/a/511wiki.htm

FlexWiki
http://www.flexwiki.com/

Wikihost.org
http://wikihost.org/

Wiki Hosting Comparison Guide
http://www.editthis.info/wiki/index.php/Wiki_hosting_comparison_guide

How to Start a Wiki
http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Wiki

http://personalweb.about.com/od/wikihostingandsoftware/
Wiki hosting and wiki software

I hope you find this information helpful.

Sincerely,

Mvguy-ga










Search strategy:

I used the term "web hosting" on Google and followed numerous links
from the articles and sites I saw:
://www.google.com/search?q=wiki+hosting

try this link:
http://www.wiki-site.com/index.php/Main_Page

shiri

Before you go signing up for anything, be absolutely sure to make sure
you don't want this place:
http://www.elwiki.com/

Hi,

Just to let you know, some hosting providers include Wiki scripts
within their hosting plans, CPanel hosts use a product called
Fantastico and Plesk hosts such as ourselves utilise the Application
Vault. Having your own hosting account does provide you with a lot
more flexibility with what you can do as apposed to going with a
company which specifically provides Wiki hosting only, maybe something
you would like to consider.

Regards,

Tahir Ahmed
NetspaceOnline.net
http://www.netspaceonline.net