Can anyone capture the elusive "Wiki-Beast"?

2007-06-11T09:32:00.000-07:00

I'm old-school. I still enjoy locking the door to my porcelain-library with a paper-back for some personal time. At work, I've been known to kill the occasional tree so I can review/edit draft policy or instructions. There's just something satisfying about covering a document in red ink. However, I'm also charged with identifying opportunities for incorporating technology into existing business processes. Recently, I began looking at Mediawiki as an aid to the collaborative development of various large and small official documents. After careful review and analysis of Mediawiki and our processes, I've identified a critical missing link that will prevent implementation unless addressed.

Wikified documents are living entities: “Wiki-Beasts”. Every time you capture the elusive “Wiki-Beast” in your sights, it has evolved, even mutated, into something new and unexpected. Without a way to capture the “Wiki-Beast”, how can the CEO/CIO/CFO etc... brand-it and tame the beast? Here's a "for-instance": I own a policy document identifying how laptops are to be monitored, sequestered, protected, tracked, issued, etc... This document changes every time a new risk or opportunity is identified and determined to be significant. However, until the CIO signs it, it is just a draft document. How can a technophobe capture a moment-in-time copy of this evolving beast for the appropriate stamp of approval? There should be a “simple” way to put a place-holder link in a document template that identifies the specific content in the wiki. Open the template and it pulls the latest content from the Mediawiki, including all basic formatting used in the wiki. Special formatting can be added later or built into the template.

Can anyone aid with the “Wiki-Beast” capture-and-release program or will I have to send the beast to the taxidermist every time I need a “final” version.