Why A Wiki? A Parable About Wikis, Housing, and Pork

Of all the new media tools that I talk to people about, it seems that a wiki is the hardest for them to understand and want to implement. So I thought a story might help.

Once upon a time, there were three little pigs. Yes, they had weight issues — but they were happy and healthy little pigs and lived in the forest.

But they were upwardly mobile little pigs, and longed for the opportunities of the urban environment. Dance clubs, grocery stores, and barbecues. So they headed off to the big city. Upon arrival, they realized that their lives would be much better if they had their own little bachelor pads. They considered condos, time-shares, and managed living — but houses still sounded great.

Each decided to choose a style of home.

Piggy #1 bought a big book — “Pig Houses For Dummies” — and started reading.

Piggy #2 went to a two-hour class — “Pig Housing 101″ — and fell asleep listening to the lecture.

Piggy #3 built a wiki. He encouraged other piggies all around the world to contribute information. One pig in Germany (his name was Otto) shared his experiences with building a home out of straw. A pig in Australia (his name seemed to be “Mate”) had built his home out of old beer bottles. But pigs all around the world responded with the fact that pig homes built of bricks were the best. Nearly wolf-proof. Long lasting. Good resale value.

So the third little pig built his home from bricks. It was low maintenance, which allowed him lots of time to visit the trendy bars and eating spots. He met lots of girl pigs, brought them home, and entertained them in safety. He used the best practices of others all around the world to help him make a critical housing design decision, implemented the plan with access to subject matter experts, and all the content was created by the users.

Without a wiki, he would have only been delicious.