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FAQ

From SolidWiki


These are the questions we hear most often from people considering MediaWiki for their organisation, or wondering what it's actually like to work with SolidWiki. If your question isn't answered here, reach out through solidwiki.com — we're happy to talk it through directly.

About MediaWiki

Is MediaWiki the same software Wikipedia uses?

Yes. MediaWiki is the open-source platform that runs Wikipedia, along with thousands of other public and private wikis worldwide. When you set up a MediaWiki installation, you're using the same underlying technology — just configured for your own organisation, content, and audience.

Do we need to be technical to use a MediaWiki wiki day-to-day?

No. Once the wiki is set up and editors have a visual editing tool enabled (VisualEditor), most people can create and edit pages similarly to using a word processor. Some advanced formatting still benefits from understanding the underlying markup, but day-to-day use doesn't require coding knowledge.

Is MediaWiki free?

The software itself is free and open-source — there are no licensing fees to use MediaWiki, regardless of how large your wiki grows. The cost of a wiki project comes from setup, customisation, hosting, and ongoing maintenance work, not from the software itself.

Can our wiki be private, with only certain people allowed to see it?

Yes. MediaWiki supports fully private wikis, semi-private setups where some pages are public and others restricted, and fully public wikis. Access can be controlled down to the level of individual pages or sections if needed.

Working With SolidWiki

What exactly do you do for us?

It depends on what you need. Some clients come to us with nothing — no server, no content, just an idea — and we build the whole thing from the ground up. Others already have a wiki that needs a redesign, a migration from another platform, or simply someone to maintain it properly going forward. We scope each project around where you're actually starting from.

How long does a typical project take?

A basic MediaWiki installation can be done in a day or two. A full project — custom branding, extension setup, and migrating existing content — usually takes somewhere between two and eight weeks, depending on how much content there is and how complex the design requirements are. We'll give you a realistic estimate once we understand your specific project.

We already have a wiki, but it's outdated and nobody has touched it in years. Can you help?

This is one of the most common situations we're brought in for. We assess the current installation, check what version it's running, identify outdated extensions or security gaps, and bring it back up to a properly maintained state. In some cases, this also means starting fresh on better infrastructure if the old setup is too far behind to safely upgrade.

Do you only work with large organisations?

No. We work with small teams, individual departments, growing businesses, and large institutions alike. The scope of work adjusts to the size of the project, not the size of the client.

Can you migrate our content from Confluence, SharePoint, or another platform?

Yes, this is one of our core services. We've handled migrations from Confluence, SharePoint, WordPress, DokuWiki, and plain HTML sites. The process involves converting your existing content into proper wiki formatting, carrying over images and files, and making sure links and structure still make sense once everything lands in MediaWiki.

What happens after the wiki is launched?

That depends on what you'd like. Some clients prefer a one-time setup and handle updates internally afterward. Most choose an ongoing maintenance arrangement, since MediaWiki releases new versions regularly and an unmaintained wiki gradually becomes a security risk. We're upfront about which option makes sense for your situation.

Technical Questions

Do we need our own server?

Yes, MediaWiki is self-hosted, meaning it runs on a server you control rather than a third-party cloud platform. If you don't already have server infrastructure, we can advise on suitable hosting options as part of the setup process.

Will our wiki show up on Google?

MediaWiki produces clean, search-engine-friendly pages by default. Whether your wiki should be indexed by Google at all depends on whether it's meant to be public or private — for public wikis, we configure sitemaps, canonical URLs, and other technical SEO basics as part of setup.

Can we add our own branding, logo, and colours?

Yes. Custom skin and branding work is one of our core services. A wiki can be styled to genuinely look and feel like part of your organisation, rather than a generic, unbranded installation.

What if we want a feature that isn't built into MediaWiki by default?

MediaWiki has an extension system with over a thousand existing extensions covering most common needs. If something genuinely doesn't exist yet, custom extension development is also something we offer, built specifically to your requirement.

Is our data safe?

Because MediaWiki is self-hosted, your content lives on infrastructure you control, not on a third-party platform's servers. We also configure regular backups as part of our setup and maintenance work, so content isn't dependent on a single point of failure.

Getting Started

How do we start a project with you?

The simplest first step is reaching out through solidwiki.com with a short description of what you're trying to build or fix. We'll ask a few questions to understand your situation properly before giving you an honest sense of scope, timeline, and next steps.

What if we're not sure MediaWiki is even the right platform for us?

That's a completely reasonable thing to be unsure about, and we'd rather have that conversation upfront than take on a project that isn't a good fit. Tell us what you're trying to achieve, and we'll give you a straight answer — including if we think another approach would serve you better.

Still Have a Question?

If your question wasn't covered here, the best way to get an answer is to ask us directly.

Main Website: solidwiki.com

We read and respond to messages personally.

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