When to Use Discussions, Online Documents or Wikis

August 25, 2011 2 Comments

If you’ve used a discussion, online document, or wiki in Central Desktop, you may have noticed that these file types have many of the same features in common. Perhaps you’ve asked yourself, “What are the differences between these three options?” Below are a few tips and some best practices for these items to help guide you when choosing between these interactive file types.

At A Glance: Discussions, Online Documents and Wikis

Gather Feedback with Discussions

Discussions are best used to gather feedback from a small or large group of members. Members can interact with discussions through the Central Desktop application (www.centraldesktop.com) or via email with all responses being posted back to Central Desktop to avoid fragmented threads. A key difference that separates discussions from the pack is that discussions do not include a version history. You can edit a reply if you like; however, tracking document changes is more suited for online documents or wikis.

Discussions are best used to gather feedback from a small or large group of members.

Discussions are best used to gather feedback from a small or large group of members.


Create and Distribute Information with Online Documents


For files that require revisions and multiple saves, online documents might be the right choice. Each save is placed as an entry in the version history, and you can refer to any of your previous saves in this area. In general, you can easily revert to or reference any previous versions of your document at any time. Another useful tool available for online documents is the audit log, which provides you with information such as who has viewed the document or when the document was last saved.

For files that require revisions and multiple saves, online documents are the right choice.

For files that require revisions and multiple saves, online documents are the right choice.


Build Knowledge Repositories with Wikis


Wikis are virtually synonymous with online documents in terms of feature set; however, these two items are presented and stored differently. Wiki pages, for example, are not stored in the Files & Discussions tab the way online documents and discussions are. Instead, wikis are given a dedicated tab for easy access. In addition, wikis are listed in a wiki tree, which allows you to easily organize these pages into categories and sub-categories. In practice, wikis are generally used as reference pages to quickly view information. Examples of this practice are user manuals, best practices and frequently asked questions (FAQs).

Habib "Hobbes" Daof

Habib "Hobbes" Daof

Habib is a member of the Support Team and enjoys working with others to find solutions for their business needs. According to Habib, "I've always enjoyed helping people and I understand technology, so technical support is a good fit." In his free time, you'll find him in front of his computer, still jumping from link to link in the rabbithole that is the Internet.
Collaboration tips, SocialBridge
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  • Trung

    Nice write up and great explanations!

  • http://www.newusgov.org Larry

    This is a helpful topic. I am setting up a site for the U.S. public to collaboratively draft an Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, to reform the government. My thought was that the collaborative document be on a wiki format. Does this sound right?