Wiki Patterns
grow your wiki
EditGate
What is it?
The gate anti-pattern involves putting up too many barriers to participation on the wiki. Gates are present when people have to go through a difficult account creation process that's not straightforward, have to undergo mandatory training, or have to have their contributions approved before posting them on the wiki.
How do I notice it?
If users have to fill out forms, or request permission, or get approval before being allowed to edit the wiki, then you've definitely set up too many gates.
How do I fix it?
Give every employee a wiki account by default. Make sure they have the most liberal permissions that you possibly can, and encourage the users to create a new wiki page or make an edit their very first day on the job. This will help them become comfortable with the using the wiki in their every-day work.
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Related Patterns
- Too much structure - creating too much structure can be a barrier to participation.
- Sandbox - Limiting users' permissions at the beginning discourages participation.
- EmptyPages - too many gates can result in empty pages on the wiki.
Further Reading
Adoption Patterns
Adoption Anti-Patterns
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What is the relationship between Gate and Registration Required? As Gate is described, Registration Required seems like a specific example of a Gate.
I think the larger issue is that Gate does not address the issue of what constitutes "too many barriers to participation" – and that number of barriers isn't the issue, rather that the barriers provide clearly stated benefits to participants. That's what makes Registration Required a Gate in this sense: it's here because the Confluence wiki is overdesigned, not because it helps a reader or contributor accomplish his or her goals.
I think that the big thing with the 'registration required' is that it is a gate, but if the registration process is short enough then it doesn't provide a deterant from posting but rather something that screens some of vandalism.