This post originated from an RSS feed registered with Java Buzz by Michael Cote. Original Post: Intranet Weblogs, Wikis Feed Title: Cote's Weblog: Coding, Austin, etc. Feed URL: https://cote.io/feed/ Feed Description: Using Java to get to the ideal state. Latest Java Buzz Posts Latest Java Buzz Posts by Michael Cote Latest Posts From Cote's Weblog: Coding, Austin, etc.

My co-workers and I have been talking about using weblogs and syndication internally at our company for quite some time. We've had a wiki for a little over a year (since I started working there and set it up ;>), and though the major contributors are the programmers, other groups have started using it too: not to mention other product groups starting their own wiki's.

Still, there's something alluring about establishing internal weblogs in addition to the wiki: a sort of form for quick "what I'm up to and problems I'm encountering" forum (at least, for us coders), an online Stand Up Meeting. The open question, though, is still "would it work": would people actually use the system by both using it to look up information and contributing information to it.

It's clear that, no matter what, it'd have to be a bottom-up initiative. For some reason, content management that's largely peer-to-peer doesn't seem to work as effectively (or simply never materializes) when it's run from the top; maybe there's just not a good way to pitch it, so it has to be a grass-roots type of thing.

Anyhow, I just wanted some text to accompany the link to a post on this topic:

The company I work for is very project-oriented, as opposed to being run by a bunch of middle managers. This type of culture, I believe, could take advantage of weblog technologies internally to disseminate project and other business information. There are many advantages to a project-oriented culture - e.g. it's a flat hierarchy and so it's more dynamic and responsive to change, kind of like the Web in fact. However one of the disadvantages of a project-oriented workplace is that information stays within silos. One project team often won't know what another project team is doing, even though there may be a lot of knowledge they could share that would be mutually beneficial and therefore benefit the company as a whole.

And, of course, in steps weblogs to flatten the dreaded information silos.