effective knowledge worker workshop

The Effective Knowledge WorkerThe Effective Knowledge Worker

Unicom Seminars30th September 2008

David GurteenGurteen Knowledge

Begin with the end in mind

Purpose of the WorkshopPurpose of the Workshop

• To help us become more effective knowledge workers

• To look at some ideas/tools/techniques/behaviors

• To encourage us to think and learn about what it means and to take action

Make the most of the dayMake the most of the day

• We are here to learn from each other• Get to know each other better• Be open - take risks• Informal, get up walk around, ask questions• Be yourselves - have fun• Ambiguity, chaos & differences in perception are OK• There are no right or wrong answers• The only dumb question is the one you do not ask!

My StyleMy Style

Martin BuberMartin Buber

I have to tell it again and again: I have no doctrine. I only point out something. I point out reality, I point out something in reality which has not or too little been seen. I take him who listens to me at his hand and lead him to the window. I push open the window and point outside. I have no doctrine, I carry on a dialogue.

Format of the DayFormat of the Day

• Day broken into sessions• Sessions in two parts

– presentation– discussion

• Agenda is a guideline - may depart from it• Much to cover in the day - time keeping important• Goal is to cover basics of each concept - not detail• Discussion/conversation/networking is a key

Capture Ideas & IssuesCapture Ideas & Issues

• Capture ideas and issues– things to do– actionable insights– ideas– things to think about– people to meet– books to read

• Capture one ‘actionable insight’ from the day!

gurteen.comgurteen.com

• Workshop has been built from materials on gurteen.com– book reviews, conferences,

events– links, people profiles,

quotations– articles, downloads, weblog

Getting to know each other

David GurteenDavid Gurteen

• KM Consultant/Speaker/Facilitator

• Knowledge Website

• Knowledge Community/Letter– 15,000 people– 154 countries

• Knowledge Cafés– London, New York, Adelaide

Speed Networking

A simple technique that can be used in a variety of settings to bring a group of people together

• to start to get to know each other • or get to know each other a little better

How do you Speed Network?How do you Speed Network?

• Break into pairs

– Find someone you don’t know

• Two minutes to chat then move on to another person

• Tell your partner something unusual about yourself

• When I blow my whistle once - move on

• When I blow my whistle twice - its all over!

AgendaAgenda

• 09:00 - 09:15 Begin with the End in Mind (15 mins) • 09:15 - 10:00 KM 2.0 - KM goes social (45 mins)• 10:00 - 10:45 Make your connections count (45 mins)• 10:45 - 11:15 Coffee (30 mins)• 11:15 - 11:45 Dare to Share (30 mins)• 11:45 - 12:45 Knowledge Café (60 mins)• 12:45 - 13:45 Lunch (60 mins)• 13:45 - 14:30 Learn before, during and after (45 mins)• 14:30 - 15:15 Conversation & Telling Stories (45 mins)• 15:15 - 15:45 Tea (30 mins)• 15:45 - 16:30 Social Tools (45 mins)• 16:30 - 17:00 Share actionable insights (30 mins)

KM goes social

ObjectivesObjectives

• A brief history of KM• The impact of social tools

and Web 2.0 on KM• KM 1.0 and KM 2.0• KM goes Social

Two early forms of KMTwo early forms of KM

• Techno-centric KM

• People-centric KM

Techno-centric KMTechno-centric KM

• Corporate KM• Birth 1995 (Lotus Notes 1989)• Internet, Intranets, Office, E-mail • The management of

unstructured information• Database and search centric• For many organizations what

KM is about!

People-centric KMPeople-centric KM

• Personal Knowledge Management (PKM)• People Centred Knowledge Management (PCKM)• Soft tools e.g. Cops, After Action Reviews• Pioneers

– BP (Chris Collison, Geoff Parcell)– Buckman Labs (Bob Buckman)

People-centric KM ToolsPeople-centric KM Tools

• Communities of Practice• Storytelling and narrative• After action reviews• Peer assists• Retrospects• Knowledge Cafes• Open Space• Appreciative Inquiry

KM TodayKM Today

• Both forms of KM practiced• KC UK

– Collaboration– Content

• Over-hyped, underperformed• Is KM dead?• KM changing/evolving• Not driven by the traditional KM community

The DisruptorThe Disruptor

• Social Tools• Quietly evolving on the web• Roots not in KM• Social Tool thought leaders

and even KM advocates avoid the label!

Social ToolsSocial Tools

• What are social tools for?– Finding and connecting with people– Building communities– Sharing Knowledge

• They are in fact personal/social KM tools!


• Weblogs• Wikis• Social book marking & tagging• Social Networking Communities• Instant Messaging/Presence• RSS Feed Readers• Micro-blogging• Podcasts, videocasts• Mashups

•Blogger•Technorati•MediaWiki•LinkedIn, Facebook•Delicious•Google Reader, Bloglines•Skype•Flickr•YouTube, Google Video•Twitter•Odeo•Slideshare•iPod•Creative Commons

Web 2.0Web 2.0

• The social web• The participatory web• Built around social tools• Evolved, emerged• Not planned• Not IBM or Microsoft• Open protocols• Low cost

Enterprise 2.0Enterprise 2.0

• Taking Web 2.0 into the organization• Weblogs and Wikis• IBM and Microsoft now in the game• And more …

Everything 2.0Everything 2.0

• 2.0 meme is spreading!• Business 2.0, Management

2.0, Leadership 2.0, Education 2.0

• Social Tools are incredibly powerful

• Change the game• Put power in the hands of the

people!• Can be seen as disruptive &

even subversive

So what does this mean for KM?So what does this mean for KM?

KM 1.0KM 1.0

• The old traditional, corporate, techno-centric command and control form of KM

KM 2.0KM 2.0

• Take– People-centric KM, PKM

• CoPs, AARs, KCafes, …

– Social Computing• Weblogs, Wikis, …

• To create– A new form of KM – KM 2.0 or Social KM

Social KMSocial KM

• Corporate• Top down• Centralised• Command & Control• Monolithic systems• Explicit Knowledge

• Personal• Bottom up• Decentralised• Distributed• Ecosystems• Tacit Knowledge

KM 1.0 KM 2.0

KM Tool ComparisonKM Tool Comparison

• Taxonomies• People Finders• Databases• E-mail• Newsletters• Discussion Forums

• Social Tagging• Social Networking• Blogs & Wikis• Instant Messaging• RSS Feeds & Readers• Blogs

KM 1.0 KM 2.0

Social KMSocial KMKM 1.0 KM 2.0

KM is extra work KM is part of my everyday work

Work is behind closed doors Work is open and transparent

People are afraid to talk openly Anyone can say anything

People directories provide contact information

Social Networking platforms reflect who is doing what with whom

Content is centralised, protected and controlled

Content is distributed freely and uncontrolled

IT chooses the tools I use I have a choice & select my own tools

Knowledge sharing is database centric Knowledge sharing is people centric

Knowledge is forcibly captured just incase

Knowledge is naturally captured as part of my work

Best Practices Stories

Social KMSocial KM

KM 1.0 KM 2.0

Distribute by e-mail Subscribe to feeds

CoPs centrally controlled Anyone can start a CoP

Centrally controlled publishing Anyone can publish

Search for experts and content separate Content filtered through experts

Content is centralised, protected and controlled

Content is distributed freely and uncontrolled

Context stripped Rich stories, audio and video

Professional voice, 3rd person Personal voice, 1st person

Think quietly alone Think out load together

Efficiency and productivity Improved decision making & innovation

KM is about ConversationKM is about Conversation

KM is simply the art of enabling trusted, context-rich conversations among the appropriate members of communities about things these communities are passionate about.

Dave Pollard

A powerful global conversation has begun. Through the Internet, people are discovering and inventing new ways to share relevant knowledge with blinding speed. As a direct result, markets are getting smarter and getting smarter faster than most companies.

The Cluetrain Manifesto

SummarySummary

• KM is fundamentally social! Its about people sharing their knowledge; learning from each other and working together more effectively

ResourcesResources

• Category pages on gurteen.com– Knowledge Management & Personal Knowledge Management

• Weblogs– Dave Pollard– Lilia Efimova– Steve Barth– Denham Grey

Conversation/QuestionsConversation/Questions

Make your connections count


• Introduce you to the concept of knowledge networking

• To encourage you– to think and learn more about it– to practice it

Forms of NetworkingForms of Networking

• Social networking– to make friends

• Business networking– to sell things

• Job networking– to get a job

• Knowledge networking– to build relationships in order to learn from each other & to

get things done together

What is Knowledge Networking?What is Knowledge Networking?

• Knowledge Networking is– sharing with each other

– learning from each other

– working together more effectively

• It is about– connecting yourself and other people to people

– connecting yourself and other people to information & new ideas

• It is also– reciprocal!– about emotional support– a form of two-way coaching

The PurposeThe Purpose

• Knowledge Networking is not an end in itself• You need to keep the purpose in mind• To help you & others get things done that are of

value to the business– that support the business strategy– more efficiently, more effectively

• To help you discover new opportunities that are of value to the business– and to act on them

Personal BenefitsPersonal Benefits

• Get things done more effectively• Learn what is going on around you

– other people are your eyes and ears

• Gain new perspectives– other people think differently to you

• You get to see the ‘bleeding obvious’– other people see things that you don’t - even when they are

in your face!

• A more effective & successful knowledge worker!

EthicsEthics

• Some people have a problem with networking– they think it is unethical!

• An implicit mutual contract– I’ll help you and you’ll help me

• If contract broken - it is OK to walk away

How do you network?

Beware of business networkingBeware of business networking

• Knowledge networking is quite different from business networking

• Most books and web material are not relevant or just plain terrible!

How to handshake!How to make yourself seem

more interesting!

Its not just about youIts not just about you

• How do I connect with other people?– What is in it for me?– What is in it for him or her?

• Also how do I connect other people!

• And how do I connect people to new ideas!

• You are a facilitator/catalyst

Balance the Operational with the Balance the Operational with the StrategicStrategic

• Short term• business outcome

focused• existing stuff• develop relationships

with people to get things done now!

• Long term• capability outcome

focused• new opportunities• develop long term

relationships with key people in order to expand your and their influence

Manage your ConnectionsManage your Connections

• Make new connections– getting out and about

• Develop your connections– building relationships

• Leverage your connections– actually getting things done

• Let some connections whither– rarely kill them

Make New ConnectionsMake New Connections

• Find people– Talk to people!– Make good ‘excuses’ to meet people!– Meet people when you travel– Join networks and societies, socialize

• Let people find you– Give talks, publish articles– Ensure you have a strong web presence– Join LinkedIn,FriendsReunited

Develop your ConnectionsDevelop your Connections

• Rolodex or personal database!• Build relationships

– email, phone call, face to face, lunch, dinner, drinks

• Find other ways of staying in touch– Maybe a newsletter– Website etc.

• Above all provide value to them!

Leverage your ConnectionsLeverage your Connections

• On any project think– Who can help me?– Who can I help?– Who should be kept informed?

• Don’t be afraid to ask!• Involve people appropriately

Be Open & Be TransparentBe Open & Be Transparent

• Be open• Let ideas in - be open to

other people• You see opportunities in

the world and go out and connect to people

• e.g. talk to a stranger or new recruit, take a crazy idea seriously

• Be transparent• Let other people see

what you are doing• Let them find you and

connect with you• e.g. create a weblog,

give a talk, publish regular reports

Focus on business outcomesFocus on business outcomes

• Beware focusing on activity• Beware focusing too long term/strategically• Focus on action - getting stuff done!• Align your activity with the business strategy• Understand what is important to senior

managers• Focus on business problems & opportunities• Go the “battle”

SummarySummary

• Knowledge networking is very powerful• None of us do it enough• Take it seriously• Get out there and network more ...

ResourcesResources• Books

– Personal Networking by Mick Cope– The Brand You 50 by Tom Peters

• Category pages on gurteen.com – Knowledge Networking– Dialogue & Conversation

• Social networking sites– LinkedIn– Facebook

Coffee

Dare to Share


• To take a look at knowledge sharing– what are the benefits of sharing?– what are the barriers?

• To look at the importance of “trust”• Encourage us to think about why we share and how

we can improve our ‘sharing’• Introduce you to the knowledge café• Run a knowledge café

SharingSharing

• We do not ‘share knowledge’ in the literal meaning of sharing

• Not like sharing a cake– Synergistic 2 + 2 = 5

• More about:– Personal Networking– Helping each other– Working together– Collaborating

Personal Reasons for SharingPersonal Reasons for Sharing

• To help other people & to help ourselves• Other people

– to get things done– to build relationships so they in turn help us

• Ourselves– Learning to be gained– Knowledge is perishable– Someone else will make our knowledge productive first

Personal Barriers to SharingPersonal Barriers to Sharing

• An attitude that knowledge is power• Fear of job loss• Fear of embarrassment• Inertia• Lack of time

Is Sharing Natural?Is Sharing Natural?

• Some say – sharing is human & comes naturally

• Other say– knowledge is power and sharing is not natural

Knowledge SharingKnowledge Sharing

Share your Knowledge

• credit to somebody else• passed over for promotion

• depression• alcoholism

• marital breakdown• destitution• die a bum

Is this really true?

Reasons for Sharing• ego

• money reward• guilt

Do we share?Do we share?

• At work we ALL help each other to a greater or lesser degree

• Within our department• Within our project work• With friends and trusted colleagues• Within our network

Why do we share?Why do we share?

• We share because– it is in our interest– we have something to gain

• We do not give our knowledge away• We implicitly TRADE things

– tangible and intangible

• The barriers to sharing– lack of TIME!– lack of obvious benefit i.e. there is no trade– lack of trust

Trading KnowledgeTrading Knowledge

• we need to do our job• we are afraid of the

consequences if we don’t• we like them• we want to look good• we want them to like us• we enjoy it • we are looking for promotion

• we are looking for a new job• we want them to be indebted

to us• we want to build a potentially

useful relationship• they pay us or give us some

other tangible reward

We help people when they approach us for a varietyof reasons - tangible & intangible (often implicit):

The Desire to LearnThe Desire to Learn

• By sharing our knowledgewith others

• WE learn– we learn from them– we make our tacit knowledge

more explicit– our assumptions are revealed– we are forced to simplify things

• We can often learn more thanwe teach!

If we want to learn we should

teach!

Stephen Covey

The trick to sharing moreThe trick to sharing more

• If we approach someone– help make clear the benefits

• If we are being approached– look for the benefits

• Especially the learning benefits

Benefit & TimeBenefit & Time

TimeAvailability

Benefit

high

low

high low

no brainer

Opportunity for learning/relationship

building

explore/escalate

suggest an alternative

SummarySummary

• Knowledge Sharing is more about ‘trading intangibles’!– we need to look for the benefits

• Learning is one of the the major benefits

• It is important to build and maintain trust

ResourcesResources

• Category pages on gurteen.com– Knowledge Sharing & Trust

• Books– “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey

– “Personal Networking”by Mick Cope

The Knowledge CaféThe Knowledge Café

BackgroundBackground

• Background: conversation & dialogue

• My dislike of ‘chalk & talk’ presentations

• My desire for people to engage with the subject and to learn through conversation

• Three concepts:– People already have the knowledge– A good question helps surface that knowledge– If people see things for themselves they are more committed

to act!

What is a Knowledge Café?What is a Knowledge Café?

• A knowledge café is a means of bringing a group of people together to have an open, creative conversation on a topic of mutual interest to surface their collective knowledge, to share ideas and to gain a deeper understanding of the subject and the issues involved.

Why is the K-CafWhy is the K-Caféé important? important?

• The world is a much more complex place than it used to be - at times even chaotic - it is not always clear what is going on - we need to take time to UNDERSTAND

• We do not find the time these days to have open conversations, we are under pressure to make quick decisions

• KM for example should not be about creating and sharing ever increasing knowledge but understanding more fully the knowledge that we do have!

Where can it be used?Where can it be used?

• Used for many purposes• To help form a team or community• To gain insight into a complex problem• To better understand an issue• To help solicit input to a new project• To get buy-in for a new project

What resources are needed to run a What resources are needed to run a K-CafK-Café?é?

• Not a lot to run to a simple format

• A group of people

• A facilitator or host

• A room with plenty of space

• Tables & chairs - ideally round tables to seat about five people– but you can run one in a lecture theatre if need be!

How do you run one?How do you run one?

• K-Cafés can be run in a number of different ways. Some formats are simple others are more complex

• I use a simple format

• A K-Café runs from 60 minutes to a couple of hours

• They work best with between 20 and 30 people

• But can be run with a dozen or as many as 100 people

The Knowledge CaféThe Knowledge Café

• One person speaks for 10-15 minutes to set the theme for the conversation– poses one or two key questions

• Group breaks into small groups of five to discuss - dialogue (30 mins)

• Come back together to have a large group conversation and to share insights (30 mins)

Engage in DialogueEngage in Dialogue

• When we engage each other in dialogue– we enter into a conversation with a view to learn from each

other– rather than impose our views on the other.

Dialogue is based on the work of the physicist

David Bohm

The Outcomes of a K-CafThe Outcomes of a K-Caféé

• Real outcome is what you take away in your head• New connections with people• A deeper understanding of the issue discussed• A deeper understanding and insight into other

people’s perspectives• A better appreciation of your own point of view and

how it is seen by others• A better knowledge of what you know and don’t know

and what others know and don’t know• In a better position to make more informed decisions

Principles of DialoguePrinciples of Dialogue

• Suspend assumptions, do not judge• Observe & listen to one another• Welcome differences & explore them• Allow taboo subjects to be raised safely• Listen to your inner voice• Slow the discussion• Search for the underlying meaning

Where can I learn moreWhere can I learn more about Knowledge Cafés? about Knowledge Cafés?

• A good stating point is gurteen.com

• My regional Knowledge Café’s– London, Bristol, Manchester, New York, Adelaide

• The World Café– theworldcafe.com

• The Society for Philosophical Inquiry– philosopher.org

The Knowledge Café

The Challenge of Knowledge SharingThe Challenge of Knowledge Sharing

What prevents us from networking and sharing our knowledge more effectively?

How might we overcome these barriers?

Learn before, during and after


• Introduce the concepts of– learn before, learn during, learn after

• Describe how to run after-action-reviews (AARs)– personal, informal, formal

• Encourage the use of AARs

Learn from DoingLearn from Doing

• Need to learn continuously

• Learn collaboratively by doing

• Deliberately build learning into business activities

• Adopt After-Action Reviews at all levels

• Capture lessons

After-Action ReviewsAfter-Action Reviews

What is an After-Action Review?What is an After-Action Review?

• Review of an event– to promote learning– to reinforce success– to eliminate deficiencies

What is an event?What is an event?

• An event has a – a beginning and an end– a purpose– measurable objectives– entire action or– smaller part of an action

• Project• Project milestone• Internal meeting

• Presentation• Meeting

or phone conversation with customer,

supplier, or partner

How to run a After-Action ReviewHow to run a After-Action Review

• Questions– What were the desired outcomes?– What were the actual outcomes?– What were the differences?– What was learnt?

What else do you need to know to What else do you need to know to run an After-Action Review?run an After-Action Review?

• Open climate– practice dialogue

• Observe the event– if possible

• Do immediately• Involve everyone

– no hangers on

• Record lessons– use technology

What different types of After-Action What different types of After-Action Review can be held?Review can be held?

• Formal– at end of project or project milestone– takes time– planned, need resources– need a facilitator

• Informal– any time! May take just 5 mins– no resources, no facilitator

• Personal– on your own, any time

What are the benefits of What are the benefits of After-Action Reviews? After-Action Reviews?

• Learn from experience

• Inexpensive, easy

• Immediate payoff

• Learning at 2 levels:– Individual learning– Team learning

Before, During & AfterBefore, During & After

• Learn Before (Peer Assist)– pre start of project meeting to learn from previous projects

• Learn During (AAR)– continuous AARs, mainly informal

• Learn After (A retrospect)– end of project AAR - formal– project post-mortem

ALL can be run at the personal level!

SummarySummary

• AARs are simple yet powerful learning tools• Start to practice personal AARs• Start to practice informal AARs with close colleagues

or in teams• Ensure formal AARs are scheduled into all your

projects– before, during and after!

ResourcesResources

• Books– Learning to Fly by Chris Collison & Geoff Parcell– The Project Management 50 by Tom Peters

• Category pages on gurteen.com– AAR & Project Management

• National Electronic Library for Health website– www.nelh.nhs.uk/knowledge_management

Business is a Conversation


• To raise awareness & interest in the role of conversation in our organizational lives

• To encourage us to think about conversation and to improve the quality of our conversations

Business is a conversationBusiness is a conversation

Business is a conversation because the defining work of business is

conversation - literally.

And 'knowledge workers' are simply those people whose job consists of having interesting conversations.

David WeinbergerThe Cluetrain Manifesto

Conversation is a meeting of mindsConversation is a meeting of minds

Conversation is a meeting of minds with different memories and habits.

When minds meet, they don't just exchange facts: they transform them,

reshape them, draw different implications from them, engage in

new trains of thought.

Conversation doesn't just reshuffle the cards: it creates new cards.

Theodore ZeldinConversation

KM is about understandingKM is about understanding

For all our knowledge, we have no idea what we're talking about.

We don't understand what's going on in our business, our market, and our world.

KM shouldn’t be about helping us to know more. It should be about helping us to

understand.

So, how do we understand things? It's through stories that we understand how the

world works.

David Weinberger, The Cluetrain Manifesto

ConversationConversation

“A mechanistic and unproductive debate between people seeking to defend their

own views against one another”

“A frank exchange of ideas or views on a specific issue in an

effort to attain mutual understanding”

Debateor

dialogue?

DialogueDialogue

• When we engage each other in dialogue– we enter into a conversation with a view to learn from each

other– rather than impose our views on the other.

The kind of conversation I’m interested in is one in which you start with a willingness

to emerge a slightly different person.

Theodore Zeldin, Historian

Principles of DialoguePrinciples of Dialogue

• Suspend assumptions, do not judge• Observe & listen to one another• Welcome differences & explore them• Allow taboo subjects to be raised safely• Listen to your inner voice• Slow the discussion• Search for the underlying meaning

SummarySummary

• Business is a conversation• Conversation is creative• Understanding is more important than

knowing more• Dialogue is the key to quality conversations

Telling Stories


• Introduce the concept of Storytelling– what is storytelling?– what are the benefits?– what makes a good story?– how can they be used?

• Focus more on ‘personal storytelling’ rather than as a corporate tool

• Encourage you to start to use storytelling more

What is storytelling?What is storytelling?

• Storytelling is the use of stories in organizations as a communication tool to share knowledge

• Always existed - but now being used as a deliberate tool for sharing knowledge

• Traditional communication is often dry, lacking in context and inspiration

• Storytelling involves people and inspires them

• Use of everyday language is more authentic & human

What are the benefits?What are the benefits?

• Good for complex ideas & concepts in an understandable form• Can be used to convey knowledge that is difficult to articulate• Provides the context in which knowledge arises

• Increases likelihood of meaningful knowledge transfer

• Provides a ‘living, breathing’ example of how to do something and why it works

– rather than telling people what to do, hence people are more open to the lessons

• Stories tend not to get interrupted!

What can stories be used for?What can stories be used for?

• To stimulate thought, creativity and change• To help transfer knowledge

– knowledge transfer is not about pouring knowledge into a person’s head

• To help communicate complex ideas• To communicate messages that have an emotional

dimension• To help build relationships & community

What makes a good story?What makes a good story?

• Relevant and timely• True and authentic• A ‘plot’ - something strange, remarkable or funny • Told from the perspective of a single protagonist• Structure - a beginning, middle and end

• Focused on the positive!

• Easy to remember

Personal StorytellingPersonal Storytelling

• We all tell, often without realizing we are doing it• Stories from personal experience

– I tell many about my daughter Lauren

• Identify those stories and refine them• Be on the look out for new ones

– especially those from personal experience

• Consciously tell more stories

SummarySummary

• Storytelling is an effective communication tool• Not a panacea - often not appropriate

– e.g. objective reporting

• Identify your stories & refine them– you use them far more than you realize

• Practice them

ResourcesResources

• Category pages on gurteen.com– Conversation, Dialogue & Storytelling

• Books– “The Springboard” by Steve Denning– “On Dialogue” by David Bohm

• Websites– www.stevedenning.com– www.theworldcafe.com

Coffee

Social Tools


• To look at social tools• To explain the ways in which they can be

used • To encourage you to explore and experiment

for yourselves


• Social Tools• Social Software• Social Networking• Social Networking Platforms• Social Network Analysis (SNA)• All rather loosely defined

What is a social tool?What is a social tool?

• Social software enables people to rendezvous, connect or collaborate through computer-mediated communication and to form online communities.


• Weblogs• Wikis• Social book marking & tagging• Social Networking Communities• Instant Messaging/Presence• RSS Feed Readers• Micro-blogging• Podcasts, videocasts• Mashups

•Blogger•Technorati•MediaWiki•LinkedIn, Facebook•Delicious•Google Reader, Bloglines•Skype•Flickr•YouTube, Google Video•Twitter•Odeo•Slideshare•iPod•Creative Commons

But also more traditional toolsBut also more traditional tools

• E-mail• Instant Messaging• Discussion Forums• Lotus Notes applications• Groove, Teamroom, ...• And ones you might not expect

– online dating– ebay

What Differentiates Social tools?What Differentiates Social tools?

• Used by large numbers of people– thousands, tens of thousands, millions– who do not know each other

• To form loose communities• Allow you to find & connect to people who

you don’t know• Draws on the power of large numbers• Tends to exclude more traditional tools

Properties of Social ToolsProperties of Social Tools

• bottom-up• open - not closed• decentralized• subversive• emergent properties• uncontrolled• often free• enthusiastic amateurs

Weblogs

What can Weblogs be used for?What can Weblogs be used for?

• Personal journals• News logs/feeds (journalists, professional or amateur)• Knowledge-logs (k-logs)

• Marketing & Support blogs/extranets• Real-time conference blogs• Status reporting blogs• Project blogs (group blog)• Lab note books

What can Weblogs be used for?What can Weblogs be used for?

• Used to support CoPs• Event weblogs (similar to status)• Idea logs• Meeting or Action weblogs …• Communications weblogs MD or HR• Feedback weblogs• Trend Indicator weblogs …• Education weblogs

– schools, universites, business schools etc

– a form of e-learning ...

What are Weblog communities?What are Weblog communities?

• Emergent• Naturally form - dynamic

– like-minds tend to cluster together

• Finding like-minds– google, day-pop, blog-chalking– blogrolls– trackback– referral logs

• The feeling is of having a ‘conversation’ not one of ‘publishing’

What is the Psychology of Weblogs?What is the Psychology of Weblogs?

• Own it and take pride in it• A record of your thoughts/ideas• A personal learning journal• Highly personal, own voice• Primarily for yourself• No pressure to publish, comment or reply• Ability to access

– ‘like-minds’– ‘world-class minds’

What are the politics of weblogsWhat are the politics of weblogs

• Dilemma of being open• “Thinking publically”• These may be my private thoughts

– but they are now public

• If legal issues with e-mail & IM then what about weblogs?

• Ray Ozzie’s ‘corporate blogging policy’

Bottom LineBottom Line

• Weblogs are incredibly powerful knowledge networking tools– sharing and creating knowledge– networking and network formation

• Their full power is yet to be really recognized!

RSS Feeds, Newsreaders, Aggregators and Podcasts

What is RSS?What is RSS?

• RSS– Rich site summary or real simple syndication– Real simple sharing!

• Widely adopted defacto XML standard– developed by Netscape for news distribution

• Uses simple set of XML tags– to create a “news feed" e.g. headline, link, description

What is an RSS Feed?What is an RSS Feed?

• A stream of “items” in the format:– title– date/time published– author– url/link to source– textual body

• Produced by media organizations & amateurs• News feeds: newspapers, magazines• Podcasts: audio and video ‘magazines’• Websites: weblog postings and website updates

What is an RSS Reader?What is an RSS Reader?

• RSS Reader or RSS Newsreader• Allows you to subscribe to & read RSS feeds• Many freely available

– download to PC• AmphetaDesk newsreader

– online web service• Bloglines (a social tool in its own right)

What is RSS Aggregator?What is RSS Aggregator?

• Often another name for an RSS Reader

• Reads a number of feeds & consolidates them onto a single web page for reading or creates a new consolidated feed!– E.g. Planet KM

• You can treat weblogs as news feeds – publish them in RSS format– aggregate them like news feeds

PodcastsPodcasts

• Video iPod• TEDTalks• Video podcast of all

my Google videos– Undocumented Google feature

+ Feedburner– Took minutes to create

SummarySummary

• Powerful information distribution tool• Has established itself as a standard• Everything but everything is starting to

support RSS feeds• Huge potential to reduce e-mail overload

Social Tagging & Folksonomies

Del.icio.usDel.icio.us

• "Del.icio.us is a social bookmarks manager

• Allows you to:– add sites you like to a personal collection of links– categorize those sites with keywords– share your collection not only between your own

pcs but also with others.

Del.icio.usDel.icio.us

• Uses non-hierarchical keyword categorization• Tag your bookmarks with a number of freely chosen

keywords (folksonomy verses taxonomy).• A combined view of everyone's bookmarks with a

given tag is available– the URL "http://del.icio.us/tag/wiki" displays all the links

tagged "wiki".

• Collective nature makes it possible to view bookmarks added by similar-minded users

Social TaggingSocial Tagging

• Del.icio.us– tags links

• Flickr– tags photos

• YouTube– tags videos

• Technorati– tags weblogs

What is a Wiki?What is a Wiki?

• A wiki is a type of website that allows users to easily add and edit content

• Especially suited for collaborative writing

• The name is based on the Hawaiian term wiki, meaning "quick” or "fast"

FeaturesFeatures

• Easy to use

• Do not need to know HTML

• Anyone can edit a page– revisions kept

• Free!

WikipediaWikipedia

• Phenomena!• No reward or recognition!• High quality• Little central control• Low cost

ExamplesExamples

• Wikipedia– http://en.wikipedia.org

• SocialText– http://www.socialtext.com

• Confluence– http://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence

• Contactivity– http://groups.headshift.com/display/CONT06/Home

FlickrFlickr

• I photo every event in which I participate

• Upload to Flickr• Embed slide show on my website• Can merge photos taken by

different people with a common tag & create a composite slide show

SkypeSkype

• Lotus Notes, Firefox• Skype

– Voip, Skype-in, Skype-out, SMS, IM– Presence– Conference calls– Webcam

• Pamela: record interviews

YouTube & Google VideoYouTube & Google Video

• Started out with “What is KM?”– Over 30 mini-interviews uploaded– Embedded in my site

• Other KM and related videos on my site e.g. Patrick Lambe (blip.tv)

• HK Knowledge Café, NLB talk• More planned

TwitterTwitter

• Micro-blog– Update from mobile phone

• Panel on my website• Twitter: current activity• Skype: online presence• 78 people following me

FaceBookFaceBook

• Over 250 friends• About 200 Community members• Keeps you connected and in-touch at the

‘micro-level’• Waiting to see what emerges

Google ToolsGoogle Tools

• Google Maps• Google Video• Google Search Engine• Google Alerts• Google Maps API• Google Reader• Google MP3 player• Google Gadgets• Google Webmaster tools• Google Adsense• Google Analytics• Google Docs

The operating system is the web!

Some thoughts on the futureSome thoughts on the future

The FutureThe Future

• I’ve been an early adopter• I take this for granted• I never foresaw the growth in social tools and

their enthusiastic adoption• But we have only just started• The use of these tools and the new ways of

working that they enable is transformational!


• More and more amazing online tools– Powerful– Easy to learn, easy to use– Highly customizable/programmable– Free

• All the things that I have done– Anyone can do today– Outside and inside the firewall!– You do not need to be a programmer


• More home workers• More mobile people working, globally,

anyplace, anytime• More independent workers• Social tools provide ideal support for this type

of work• People will demand access to these tools

within their organizations

Social Tools SummarySocial Tools Summary

• Social tools are in their infancy• But are very powerful• Tools for knowledge networkers• Driven from the bottom up• Fundamentally about “personal knowledge

sharing”• Puts power in the hands of the users!

ResourcesResources

• Category pages on gurteen.com– Weblog– Social Networking– RSS

• Google Reader

Share actionable insights

Actionable InsightsActionable Insights

• KM 2.0 – KM goes social• Knowledge Networking• Knowledge Sharing• Knowledge Cafes• Learn before, during and after (AARs)• Conversation & storytelling• Social tools

– weblogs, rss, podcasts, wikis, folksonomies, ...

www.gurteen.com

David GurteenGurteen KnowledgeTel: +44 1252 812 878Email: [email protected]

LicenceLicence

• You may use these slides under the following Creative Commons Licence

• Attribution-Share Alike 2.0

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/uk/

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/uk/