Earlier today I moderated a KMers.org TweetChat on the subject of Social Computing and Knowledge Management. We had great participation, and according to TweetReach.com, the last 50 tweets using the #KMers hashtag reached 16,212 people.
Thanks to Liz Williams, Brett Miller, V Mary Abraham, James Monroe, Stan Garfield, Juha Krapinoja, Allison Maguire, Ryan McClead, Ben Hack, Kelly Craft, David Wallace, Joe Raimondo for joining the dialogue.
Here’s the complete transcript:
Greetings #KMers! Before we kickoff the discussion on Social Computing and #KM, please introduce yourself. #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
My name is Jeff Hester, and I'm a #KM business analyst at Fluor in SoCal. I'll be moderating this TweetChat today. #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
Mary Abraham from AboveandBeyondKM.com in transit in NYC. Hope my connectivity holds up as I travel during the next few minutes. #KMers
@VMaryAbraham
VMaryAbraham
Q1: How do you define social computing, and how does it differ from KM? #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
Social computing is a process by which people interact to make things happen... #kmers
@gbrettmiller
Brett Miller
...KM is how organizations leverage and exploit the results of those interactions. #kmers
@gbrettmiller
Brett Miller
Participating in kmers.org TweetChat. Answer to Q1: Social computing is very useful for KM, and it is has other uses #KMers
@stangarfield
Stan Garfield
@JuKra59 The unspoken flipside to Q1 is "How do you define KM?" For many it is asset-centric. #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
RT @JuKra59: First thought: SocComp is more relation- & network-centric and KM more asset-centric. -> agree #kmers
@gbrettmiller
Brett Miller
@gbrettmiller agreed, but KM can also be one of the things people make happen using social computing. Can be involved at either end. #kmers
@liz_with_hat
Liz W
Social computing: creation and exchange of user-generated content - very useful for KM within an organization #KMers
@stangarfield
Stan Garfield
By some (older?) definitions, #KM is a database for capture and reuse of explicit knowledge. Most of us believe it's much more.. #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
Social computing enables people to make connections, share knowledge and create new knowledge. #KMers
@maguireap
Allison Maguire
I hear several of you saying social computing is a means to #KM, and possible more. #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
@jeffhester @Jukra59 2G KM is also network-centric, tho. It's not just assets, it's the ppl who generate them and how they interact #kmers
@liz_with_hat
Liz W
Which leads to Q2: What social computing tools and approaches are working well for you? #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
A1: is it as simple as saying that social computing covers tools & ways of interacting while KM is abt how we handle specific info? #KMers
@VMaryAbraham
VMaryAbraham
@liz_with_hat You could say that those people and their interactions are themselves "assets", at least from an org perspective #kmers
@gbrettmiller
Brett Miller
@liz_with_hat Great point! The real value of #KM comes through the interaction of people. #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
@gbrettmiller @JuKra59 #kmers Wouldn't anything with "Management" in its title be more asset-centric?
@moehlert
Mark Oehlert
@gbrettmiller true, but people usually aren't motivated by language that they perceive as objectifying them #kmers
@liz_with_hat
Liz W
@jeffhester Trying to define #KM is like voluntarily jumping down an endless rabbit hole! #KMers
@VMaryAbraham
VMaryAbraham
RT @rmcclead: A1: Soc Comp is the modern communications infrastructure. It can be used for KM, but is not KM by itself. #kmers
@gbrettmiller
Brett Miller
Q2: threaded discussions, blogs, wikis, team spaces, microblogs, videos, tagging #KMers
@stangarfield
Stan Garfield
true RT @VMaryAbraham: @jeffhester Trying to define #KM is like voluntarily jumping down an endless rabbit hole! #KMers
@krcraft
Kelly Craft
True! RT @VMaryAbraham: @jeffhester Trying to define #KM is like voluntarily jumping down an endless rabbit hole! #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
RT @VMaryAbraham: @jeffhester Trying to define #KM is like voluntarily jumping down an endless rabbit hole! #KMers
@rmcclead
Ryan McClead
A1: Social computing is about presence and conversations - what might activity streams say about #innovation potential? #KMers
@benhack
benhack
@JuKra59 I understand yr reluctance 2 focus on tools, but the tools have contributed 2 the ability 2 B social online #KMers
@VMaryAbraham
VMaryAbraham
The means to and end? PRT @benhack: Social computing is about presence and conversations... #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
@JuKra59 is social computing all about the tools? Or is it about how we connect? #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
@jeffhester Social computing is abt the network we build and interact w/ via specific tools #KMers
@VMaryAbraham
VMaryAbraham
A recurring theme seems to be that Social Computing enables effective #KM. #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
RT @VMaryAbraham: @jeffhester Social computing is abt the network we build and interact w/ via specific tools #kmers
@gbrettmiller
Brett Miller
@VMaryAbraham "tech-first" initiatives often underestimate the non-tech aspects. If they are 'OK', technology is quite uncritical. #KMers
@JuKra59
Juha Krapinoja
@rmcclead KM is not entirely impossible, but certainly more difficult w/o social computing #KMers
@VMaryAbraham
VMaryAbraham
Some organizations utilize social computing tools to build ad hoc "communities." Which leads to Q3... #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
I may have overstated. :) RT @VMaryAbraham: @rmcclead KM is not entirely impossible, but certainly more difficult w/o social comp #KMers
@rmcclead
Ryan McClead
Joined #KMers. Excited to be with you! I think new kind of digital workflows are desperately needed for better society.
@jessesoininen
jessesoininen
@JuKra59 Absolutely agree. I don't endorse a " tech-first" discussion but acknowledge that these tools are special #KMers
@VMaryAbraham
VMaryAbraham
Q3: Where do informal social computing "communities" or team rooms fit in the context of communities of practice? #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
@rmcclead Well, when you have only 140 characs, it's easy to do. ;-) #KMers
@VMaryAbraham
VMaryAbraham
A3: the communities and teams are critical to social computing -- it's the network #KMers
@VMaryAbraham
VMaryAbraham
Back to Q1 via Q3: Social computing is (at its heart) a "bottom-up" activity, while KM is more of a "top-down" activity. #kmers
@gbrettmiller
Brett Miller
@VMaryAbraham I think #KM without a soc comp component may be more effective, but very limited in reach and persistence. #KMers
@rmcclead
Ryan McClead
RT @JuKra59: If the "tribe" finds the motivation and will to share, they'll find a way. The informal communities are the best CoP #kmers
@gbrettmiller
Brett Miller
@gbrettmiller I'd argue that both social computing & KM can & should work in both directions. Depends on context. #KMers
@VMaryAbraham
VMaryAbraham
A3: I differentiate between community sites, websites, & team spaces. Communities should be open, and team spaces are often closed #KMers
@stangarfield
Stan Garfield
@gbrettmiller Unless, of course, you involve different layers/strata of execs, line workers, customers -- social beats hierarchy. #kmers
@deedubya
David Wallace
@gbrettmiller Is #KM really a top down activity? Should it be? I guess I don't think of it that way. #KMers
@rmcclead
Ryan McClead
@jeffhester A3: It would be hard to sustain any #COP wihtout the feeling of connectedness the social tools can give you #KMers
@benhack
benhack
@VMaryAbraham I think they can both work at both levels, but not so sure they work in both directions #kmers
@gbrettmiller
Brett Miller
Team spaces are useful to a project team or work unit to collaborate, but should not be used to isolate knowledge useful to others #KMers
@stangarfield
Stan Garfield
@rmcclead I agree that social computing can reduce barriers to #KM and increase participation/ reach #KMers
@VMaryAbraham
VMaryAbraham
@rmcclead goes back to how you define KM. If you see it as a "management of assets", as I tend to, top-down seems appropriate #kmers
@gbrettmiller
Brett Miller
Interesting perspectives on top down vs bottom up. Approach may depend on the nature of the knowledge and expertise shared. @jukra59 #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
@benhack @jeffhester KM top-down rep comes from yrs of failed mgmt efforts to harvest brain contents. Social/COP more open, invite #KMers
@deedubya
David Wallace
@gbrettmiller Can you say more abt this? I've seen social computing mandated/modeled at the top & grassroots #KM #KMers
@VMaryAbraham
VMaryAbraham
@deedubya Agreed. Ideally, KM should be collaborative, not hierarchical. Gets better co-operation, if for no other reason. #kmers
@liz_with_hat
Liz W
@stangarfield how do you help get knowledge from a closed team room to an open community? #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
Personally, I see both: provide strategy from the top down; enable innovation and collaboration from the bottom up. #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
@liz_with_hat Yes, collaboration is good. Hierarchy may help align/reinforce link btwn knowledge flow & strategy #KMers
@VMaryAbraham
VMaryAbraham
@deedubya if you define #KM has "harvesting brain contents" you've already failed. #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
@jeffhester @stangarfield Need to identify the boundary spanners and get them to share in their COPs #KMers
@benhack
benhack
#jeffhester I agree. I see the challenges in KM initiatives mainly in the management of cultural change, what is needed in between #KMers
@JuKra59
Juha Krapinoja
@VMaryAbraham social computing can be mandated from the top-down, but only actually executed from the bottom up. #kmers
@gbrettmiller
Brett Miller
Help users choose the right tools; encourage posting to open repositories & linking from team rooms; help move content into the open #KMers
@stangarfield
Stan Garfield
Since we're discussing top-down/bottom-up approaches, this leads to Q4... #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
gotta go, will catch up tomorrow. Thanks @gbrettmiller @deedubya @JuKra59 for interesting discussion and @jeffjester for moderating #kmers
@liz_with_hat
Liz W
RT @stangarfield: Help users choose the right tools; encourage posting to open repositories & linking from team rooms; help move content ...
@benhack
benhack
Q4: Should social computing tools be "managed?" Why or why not? To what degree? #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
RT @VMaryAbraham: A3: the communities and teams are critical to social computing -- it's the network #KMers
@mijori23
Michael J Ricard
@gbrettmiller I've seen powerful social computing executed @ the top of the hierarchy. Perhaps it's abt context-appropriate execution #KMers
@VMaryAbraham
VMaryAbraham
I think if you only take a bottom up approach with no links to business drivers from top, you will fail to get real benefit. #KMers
@maguireap
Allison Maguire
RT @stangarfield: Help users choose the right tools; encourage posting to open repositories & linking from team rooms; help move content ...
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
@jeffhester A4 Suggest policies/practices more than tools -- platforms are like smartphones, tablets everyone finds their faves. #Kmers
@deedubya
David Wallace
RT @stangarfield: Help users choose the right tools; encourage posting to open repositories & linking from team rooms; help move content ...
@deedubya
David Wallace
#KM #KMers KM Chicago October 11th meeting, with Jeff Merrell http://t.co/m8PM0Lli
@knowledgetank
knowledgetank
@VMaryAbraham I would say that the actual location in the hierarchy isn't important, people engage in SocComp because they want to #kmers
@gbrettmiller
Brett Miller
A4: social tools should be guided, governance is necessary to avert chaos but its a delicate balance.#KMers
@maguireap
Allison Maguire
A4: There are tradeoffs betwen open/uncontrolled and managed/controlled social computing. Some management is helpful to avoid chaos #KMers
@stangarfield
Stan Garfield
@deedubya Great suggestion. Also allows flexibility, since the tools are constantly evolving and new tools emerging. #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
This is a contentious topic: some people want no limits, & some want to tightly control. Get all views, use common sense, be flexible #KMers
@stangarfield
Stan Garfield
A4: I think "guided" may be a more appropriate approach than "managed". #kmers
@gbrettmiller
Brett Miller
RT @maguireap: A4: social tools should be guided, governance is necessary to avert chaos but its a delicate balance.#KMers #kmers
@gbrettmiller
Brett Miller
@maguireap so some governance helps build trust, reliability and credibility? #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
Amen! RT @gbrettmiller A4: I think "guided" may be a more appropriate approach than "managed". #kmers
@deedubya
David Wallace
Good choice of words. RT @gbrettmiller: A4: I think "guided" may be a more appropriate approach than "managed". #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
Agree RT @gbrettmiller: A4: I think "guided" may be a more appropriate approach than "managed". #KMers
@rmcclead
Ryan McClead
A4 Perspectives are changing, @marciamarcia wrote a very insightful piece on the "social enterprise" http://t.co/P8EOVuYE #kmers
@JoeRaimondo
Joe Raimondo
@stangarfield Depends on sensitivity of content/strategy. Worked on Open Inno programs where lower-value stuff cd be crowdsourced #kmers
@deedubya
David Wallace
Yes governance can build trust in the tool integrity but equally could breakdown trust if mishandled.#KMers
@maguireap
Allison Maguire
Provide guidance, rather than management. Keep a light touch, but provide direction to avoid chaos. #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
Q5: So when does social computing and collaboration become KM? Is there a boundary between the two at all? #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
RT @jeffhester: Provide guidance, rather than management. Keep a light touch, but provide direction to avoid chaos. #kmers
@gbrettmiller
Brett Miller
@jeffhester Provide guidance to the SocComp process, then manage the output of that process for business value (a restatement of A1) #kmers
@gbrettmiller
Brett Miller
If you were to draw a picture of the relationship of social computing and KM, what would it look like? #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
A5: Social computing supports KM, but it also supports marketing, recruiting, PR, customer relations, etc. #KMers
@stangarfield
Stan Garfield
Q5 Really is a matter of strategy. Is strategy about promoting social expression or about strategic capture amplification & reuse? #kmers
@JoeRaimondo
Joe Raimondo
KM can make good use of social computing, but it can also make use of many other people, process, and technology components. #KMers
@stangarfield
Stan Garfield
A Venn diagram would show two circles which intersect, but also have non-intersecting areas. #KMers
@stangarfield
Stan Garfield
@stangarfield You read my mind. Fits with @jukra59's ham and eggs analogy, too. #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
A5: I don't think SocComp/Collab ever "become" KM, they are two separate but complementary things (ham and eggs - @JuKra59) #kmers
@gbrettmiller
Brett Miller
RT @stangarfield: A5: Social computing supports KM, but it also supports marketing, recruiting, PR, customer relations, etc. #KMers
@thelaurenklein
thelaurenklein
@tracyconn Hi, Tracy. You can let the other #APQC advanced working group members know the weekly KMers.org TweetChat is going on now #KMers
@stangarfield
Stan Garfield
Q6: In an ideal world, how would you provide guidance on social computing and would it relate to how you manage knowledge? #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
Enjoy the beautiful California sunshine! RT @tracyconn Participating in our first Advanced KM Working Group here in Santa Clara #KMers
@candicedeforest
Candice
+1 RT @JuKra59: Addendum to the ham&eggs analogy: The plate underneath is the tech. Size & color dont matter as long as H&E taste ok. #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
A6: Make people aware of available tools, explain when to use each, integrate with KM/intranet, make easy to use, listen, improve #KMers
@stangarfield
Stan Garfield
Q6 The set of core skills at an individual level for being effective at "social" that is still emerging. Social media literacy. #kmers
@JoeRaimondo
Joe Raimondo
A6: Social computing is going to affect speed of know sharing, know creation, innovation, networks and in turn how we manage results. #Kmers
@maguireap
Allison Maguire
That went by quickly! The hour is upon us. Thanks to everyone for joining the discussion today. #KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
Please feel free to continue the dialog. I will capture the transcript and post on KMers.org#KMers
@jeffhester
Jeff Hester
@jeffhester Thanks for a great discussion. I learned things about my own opinions on KM and SocComp that I never realized before. #kmers
@gbrettmiller
Brett Miller
@jeffhester What is it they say, "you don't know what you think about something until you actually say it"? That was me today. #kmers
@gbrettmiller
Brett Miller
If you’ve got a KM-related subject you would like to discuss, get involved! Volunteer to moderate a TweetChat at KMers.org.
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