Social Tools & Knowledge SharingDave PollardKMWorld & Intranets 2007 Session A105

dave.pollard@sympatico.cahowtosavetheworld.ca

The Value Propositions for KM

• Improve work productivity• Improve decision making• Increase capacities• Increase understanding of risk• Improve connectivity,

collaboration and knowledge transfer (strengthen relationships)

• Improve innovation

Social Networking Tools: Types• People-Connectors

(find and strengthen relationships)

• Social Publishing & Info-Sharing (publish, subscribe, discuss and link to what you know)

• Collaboration & Communication (connect and work together more powerfully)

• SNA/Sensor/GIS Mashups (use GIS or sensing technology to expand the functionality of any of the above)

People Connectors

• People-Finders (LinkedIn)• Social Network Mappers (InFlow)• Proximity Locators (DodgeBall)• Affinity Detectors (NTag)

LinkedIn

InFlow (orgnet.com)

DodgeBall

NTag

Social Publishing & Info-Sharing• Journals (Blogs, Podcasts)• Social Bookmarkers

(Del.icio.us)• Photo/Graphics Sharers

(Flickr, SlideShare)• Memediggers (Digg, Reddit)• Product Evaluators (Wize,

ThisNext)• Personal Diaries (FaceBook)

Del.icio.us

Flickr

SlideShare (for .ppt, .pdf)

Digg

ThisNext

And of course, FaceBook

Collaboration & Communication• Wikis (FluWiki)• Forums (Yahoo Groups)• Project Collaboration

(BaseCamp)• Document Collaboration

(Google Docs)• Mindmaps (Freemind)• VoIP/Virtual Presence (Skype,

GoToMeeting)• Open Space / Peer Production

FluWiki

Yahoo Groups

BaseCamp

Google Docs

FreeMind

GoToMeeting

SNA / Sensor / GIS Mashups• Disease Outbreaks• Home Monitoring• Travelogues• Do-It-Yourself Social

Networking Applications?

Tracking Disease Outbreaks(a Nature Magazine / Google Earth mashup)

Keys to Success

• Experiment with pilot groups who ‘get it’

• Use simple, ubiquitous technologies

• Focus on real-time and just-in-time applications

• Use stories and future state visions to persuade CxOs

Impediments & Risks

• Security paranoia• Lack of urgency• Need for trust among

network members

10 Inexpensive Ways to Introduce Social Networking Tools to Your Organization1. JIT desktop videoconferencing for decision-

making and document editing by physically remote groups

2. Instant messaging pilot3. Google Desktop and other simple PCM tools4. A JIT canvassing system5. Self-managed “Know-who” directories6. RSS aggregator pages for specific CoPs7. Blogs for (a) SMEs, (b) CoP coordinators, (c) e-

newsletter editors8. Mindmaps displayed for real-time meeting

documentation9. Google Docs for collaboration with people

outside the organization10. Open Space event for addressing an

intractable organizational problem