Creating a Wiki in SharePoint

Introduction

• Presenter: Greg from SharePoint Maven
• Topic: Demonstrating three options for creating a Wiki in SharePoint
• Definition of a Wiki: A knowledge base, FAQ list, or formal knowledge base with instructions, text, and images.
• Purpose: Capture knowledge within SharePoint

Option 1: Custom List Functionality

• Concept: Use the list application to create a table similar to Excel with rows and columns.
  • Each row represents a question and answer.
  • Columns include question, answer, and metadata tags for categorization.
• Steps:
  • Create a new list for FAQs.
  • Create columns for questions and answers.
  • Add additional columns like category, contact person, and additional information as hyperlinks.
• Features:
  • Simple implementation.
  • Ability to categorize questions with metadata.
  • Options to filter, group, and sort entries.
  • Search functionality for keywords in questions and answers.
• Limitations:
  • Best for short, quick questions and answers.
  • Limited real estate for extensive content.

Option 2: Collapsible Sections on a Page

• Concept: Use sections on a SharePoint page, each representing a question and its answer.
• Steps:
  • Create a new page with collapsible sections.
  • Each section is a question and its corresponding answer.
  • Incorporated web parts for multimedia content like videos or forms.
• Features:
  • More visually appealing than lists.
  • Flexibility to embed various content types.
  • Collapsible sections offer a clean user interface.
  • Ability to link directly to specific questions.
• Limitations:
  • Lacks metadata sorting and filtering.

Option 3: SharePoint Pages (Dedicated Pages for Each Article)

• Concept: Create a dedicated SharePoint site with individual pages for each question-answer combination.
• Steps:
  • Create a separate page for each FAQ entry.
  • Use templates to standardize content presentation.
• Features:
  • Most flexible and scalable option.
  • Unlimited real estate for content.
  • Pages are searchable and linkable.
• Limitations:
  • More complex to manage.

Conclusion

• Each option has strengths and is suited to different scenarios:
  • Lists for short, straightforward questions.
  • Collapsible sections for moderate content and visual appeal.
  • Dedicated pages for a comprehensive, scalable knowledge base.
• Presenter’s favorite: Dedicated pages for scalability and comprehensive coverage.
• Additional resources and tutorials available on SharePoint Maven’s blog and YouTube channel.

Contact Information

• Website: SharePoint Maven
• YouTube Channel: SharePoint Maven's YouTube Channel
• Thank you and farewell message.