Think Customers: The 1to1 Blog

First, a little explanation of just what a wiki is. Wikis are co-created webpages that are editable by any member of the user community and literally grow from nothing into a knowledge database, fan site, or discussion forum.

Wikipedia is definitely the most well-known of these, for reasons good and bad: it’s a quick reference guide, but as has been well-documented, its content can be of questionable veracity. Journalists, researchers, students and the like are thus generally discouraged from using Wikipedia as a primary source.

Nevertheless, with some standards in place -- Wikipedia does have a staff of editors to vet entries and to at least pay lip service to maintaining accuracy -- a wiki can be a valuable tool for building relationships with your customers. By giving them access to voicing their opinions and recording their experiences, a wiki should be able to actively encourage your customers to talk not only to you, but also to fellow customers, creating in the process a dialog that just might be of value to everyone concerned.

1to1 Media also has a wiki, where readers are encouraged to share best practices, comment on what we’re doing, and discuss issues within the CRM space. Our wiki is powered by wetpaint, whose very name is the giveaway that wikis are intended to be fluid, ever-evolving sites that, with any luck, will result in your taking something away with you when you move on.