This chapter provides an overview of Business uses of wikis. The combination of simplicity, transparency and openness that wikis offer is an excellent response to the needs of today's dynamic, collaborative, knowledge-intensive work environments. Because wikis are a very flexible communication medium, the chapter cannot offer a comprehensive list of actual and potential uses. Nevertheless, the explanations and examples given will convey the general flavour of what has been done with wikis in corporate environments and give a glimpse of the possibilities.
The chapter begins with a look at those characteristics of wikis that distineuish thpm from other types of collaboration Software or groupware used in Business organisations. We then present a picture of wiki use within organisations, both at the general level, and with more detail using a few examples. Finally, we analyse three prominent patterns of wiki use in businesses: as a tool for project and group collaboration. as a knowleHtre Hase and as a means of gathering and disseminatine new information internally.