need of a web based message board

[Walter Vaughan]

Don Bush wrote:

> our company has a need for some type of  a message board for 
> communications with
> the overseas operations for products being developed. 

Late to the discussion... but we have started using Mediawiki (the same stuff 
that Wikipedia is built with) and it's been embraced by everyone, more so than I 
ever thought possible in the past few weeks.

It takes about 10-15 minutes of training per person, and we've got them 
uploading pictures, commenting, adding content, the whole ball of wax. And these 
are NOT the computer savvy people who are doing this.

We've even installed a plugin that allows inline flash(YouTube) videos for even 
more interactive content, so we dont have to worry about playback on various 
video players.

We'll be using it for the training manuals for our ERP, we're using it for setup 
and configuration instructions for our ERP, troubleshooting and adminstering our 
FacetPhone server, proceedures for currently handling a manual Ebay order, step 
by step disassembly of a 1987 at a junkyard while we removed parts, 
manufacturing proceedures and tips,.... anything that's in someone's head.

I see this wiki will have as much importance in the near future as our entire 
ERP project, maybe even a lot more afterward because it will contain all our 
collective knowledge and DNA.

Of course, it's a single point of failure unless you do the standard stuff like 
backups, redundant drives, etc...

But from what you want to do, a wiki may be the trick. By definition, you cannot 
erase anything from a wiki, so can always go back in time in case some important 
data is erased by accident. And if it's information that once the project is 
done is no ones business... delete the wiki.

--
Walter