There is a buzz these days going around the workplace in the area of online collaboration and its name is Microsoft SharePoint.
As scattered individuals around the globe come together to add value and share knowledge and information in our new collaborative "project" based world, tools such as SharePoint are going to proliferate the landscape, if they haven't yet already.
As many of you know, Microsoft SharePoint is nothing new. The tool has been around for a while. I should know, I used the tool back in the late 90's when it was being touted as the breakthrough work flow tool for all your project woes. But only recently has it gained increased notoriety in the workplace, probably more so through necessity than any new technological breakthrough; but as more and more projects have become more complicated and more sophisticated, and where greater visibility is needed on these projects for all to see, tools such as SharePoint are only going to increase in scale and complexity.
Some of the key selling features of the tool is that it is a Microsoft product, completely integrated with all the other Microsoft products, such as Project, Excel, Word, etc. Another key feature is that it very, very, very easy to use. Once the site portal is up and running, setting up and configuring your own SharePoint project portal should take you less than an hour. And if there is an issue along the way, there is a myriad of tools, resources and individuals all welcome to lend a hand. The SharePoint community is fantastic in this regard.
But one of the key features that I gain from the tool is its ability to allow users to compile, coordinate and capture key content in one local repository for current and future preservation. Now there are other tools out on the market that can do just the same or a better job of content capture, but SharePoint has found its niche and is holding strong to it position. What else could you expect from Microsoft. I will wager that SharePoint will probably be the dominant social networking tool in the enterprise for the foreseeable future.
SharePoint integrates blogs, wikis, document libraries, tasks, project tasks, calendars, workflow, survey capabilities, etc. all under one umbrella and the interesting part is that it is done well. These features make managing and monitoring goals and objectives of a project, initiative, campaign or what ever you have in mind quite easily. The concept of integration and collaboration are key to the tool that seamlessly compiles content and data in one central location. It truly is a Share-Point.
As knowledge management, or as I like to refer to it, knowledge integration gets its second wind in the business environment, tools such as SharePoint will only increase in use. Primarily because these tools allows individuals, teams, groups, etc. to create new content, upload data and socialize information more readily among peers and management, where the integration of ideas and thoughts will only proliferate, and secondly, it provides a repository of future preservation, if used properly, will become the organizations central location for knowledge within the organization.
SharePoint also provides a venue to create communities of practice and communities of interest within the tool. So knowledge capture and dissemination is only created by the use of the tool, and did I mention, that SharePoint is a Microsoft product and fully integrated with all the other office components. Oh yeah, I did. But I digress
So march forward and collaborate.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Connections, a LinkedIn world
Connections, connections, connections, we all strive to have them, maintain them, manage them and cultivate them.
But as our world gets smaller and smaller, or better said, flatter and flatter, maintaining connections over time and space becomes that much more challenging.
That is where tools like LinkedIn and Facebook come in.
These tools serve a valuable purpose in allowing individuals to reach out and touch base with past and present colleagues, friends, associates, etc.
A key value I see in these tools is that it provides a window into an individuals professional life. Many a time I have gone into LinkedIn (my professional social collaboration tool of choice) to catch up with an old colleague, only to find out by reviewing their profile, they have moved on to a new organization. Their information has been updated and their email has changed. From my perspective, this is great. I now know where they are and what they are doing. Problem solved.
The flip side of the coin is that if users do not activity monitor and manage their profiles, after making a move, you will probably lose contact with that individual over time. Several times I have gone into LinkedIn, knowing that someone had made a change in organizations, only to find that they still have their old position and company listed under current. Lost contact.
Other benefits I see are the Q/A components built into these tools. Again, I am specifically talking about LinkedIn as this is where I have decided to create my "collaborative" world . This feature allows users to post a question to their "connections" and have them respond in kind. I have used this on several occasions and have found the responses both helpful and informative.
Lastly, and more exciting is the new component build within the tool which provides users with news content their colleagues are reading on a particular subject within their organization. I found this new feature one day when I logged onto the site and found a small section at the top of the page with news feeds on my agency. This was fantastic! It provided me with a local newsstand of information on energy related content, all pushed out to one location.
As these tools become more and more prolific in our society, additional features and functionality will only be a matter of time. At present, they personally provide me with a way to stay in touch, be informed and collaborate all within one central location. The world is truly flat and it is only going to get flatter.
But as our world gets smaller and smaller, or better said, flatter and flatter, maintaining connections over time and space becomes that much more challenging.
That is where tools like LinkedIn and Facebook come in.
These tools serve a valuable purpose in allowing individuals to reach out and touch base with past and present colleagues, friends, associates, etc.
A key value I see in these tools is that it provides a window into an individuals professional life. Many a time I have gone into LinkedIn (my professional social collaboration tool of choice) to catch up with an old colleague, only to find out by reviewing their profile, they have moved on to a new organization. Their information has been updated and their email has changed. From my perspective, this is great. I now know where they are and what they are doing. Problem solved.
The flip side of the coin is that if users do not activity monitor and manage their profiles, after making a move, you will probably lose contact with that individual over time. Several times I have gone into LinkedIn, knowing that someone had made a change in organizations, only to find that they still have their old position and company listed under current. Lost contact.
Other benefits I see are the Q/A components built into these tools. Again, I am specifically talking about LinkedIn as this is where I have decided to create my "collaborative" world . This feature allows users to post a question to their "connections" and have them respond in kind. I have used this on several occasions and have found the responses both helpful and informative.
Lastly, and more exciting is the new component build within the tool which provides users with news content their colleagues are reading on a particular subject within their organization. I found this new feature one day when I logged onto the site and found a small section at the top of the page with news feeds on my agency. This was fantastic! It provided me with a local newsstand of information on energy related content, all pushed out to one location.
As these tools become more and more prolific in our society, additional features and functionality will only be a matter of time. At present, they personally provide me with a way to stay in touch, be informed and collaborate all within one central location. The world is truly flat and it is only going to get flatter.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Communities of Practice
We are all knowledgeable, and perceived as experts in at least one aspect of our life, whether it is the ins and outs of building a world class backyard deck, to setting up policy and procedures around large IT projects; we all have our knowledgeable subject areas where no one can touch us. Capturing that knowledge and disseminating it to all the masses so that all benefit, well that is the challenge of any true knowledge management initiative.
In the past, if someone wanted to gleam knowledge, expertise, experience from a SME (Subject Matter Expert), they simply asked them how they came to that conclusion or result. Since many of those individuals worked and stayed with the same organization for years and years, tapping that knowledge was a fairly easy task. But as more and more knowledge is quickly disappearing either through retirements, rotations, lay offs, career moves, etc., it is ever more important to capture that information in a reliable and readily easy knowledge management content management repository enviornment.
Tools such as Microsoft's SharePoint and Tomoye provide an easy, reliable experience via an online web portal were subject matter experts can provide true value by taking a proactive role in managing their knowledge.
These online collaborative tools allow users to input, manage, disseminate, and collaborate their expertise on a wide range of topics and subjects. Subject matter experts have the capability to create forums, discussions and content within one central repository. Key documents can be uploaded, discussed, and shared among a wide variety of key stakeholders all providing additional key content value.
These communities of practice create a venue where these experts become their own knowledge management repository providing present and future generations access to information that would have normally been lost had these tools not been available.
As we move forward in our knowledge management initiatives, these tools will help us keep information and knowledge central and easily accessible and retrievable.
In the past, if someone wanted to gleam knowledge, expertise, experience from a SME (Subject Matter Expert), they simply asked them how they came to that conclusion or result. Since many of those individuals worked and stayed with the same organization for years and years, tapping that knowledge was a fairly easy task. But as more and more knowledge is quickly disappearing either through retirements, rotations, lay offs, career moves, etc., it is ever more important to capture that information in a reliable and readily easy knowledge management content management repository enviornment.
Tools such as Microsoft's SharePoint and Tomoye provide an easy, reliable experience via an online web portal were subject matter experts can provide true value by taking a proactive role in managing their knowledge.
These online collaborative tools allow users to input, manage, disseminate, and collaborate their expertise on a wide range of topics and subjects. Subject matter experts have the capability to create forums, discussions and content within one central repository. Key documents can be uploaded, discussed, and shared among a wide variety of key stakeholders all providing additional key content value.
These communities of practice create a venue where these experts become their own knowledge management repository providing present and future generations access to information that would have normally been lost had these tools not been available.
As we move forward in our knowledge management initiatives, these tools will help us keep information and knowledge central and easily accessible and retrievable.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Communities of Interest
On a daily basis we seek connections, whether its calling a friend up to see how she/he is doing, emailing a colleague to grab a cup of coffee after work, or just chatting with the individual standing in line with you at the store to buy your groceries (My all time favorite). As we delve in more and more to cultivate and explore these social relationships, we learn more information about these individuals and the interests and passions which shape their lives.
Online communities of interest provide a venue for users to share interests collaboratively with like-minded individuals. Whether it's getting the latest on a local alumni College Association or exploring the pitfalls and danger of a downhill trail to a local mountain bike group, these communities foster connections, linkages and camaraderie among the participants; where like minded people can commingle online and share their experiences.
I recently joined a communities of interest website last week which has been of great interest. During my middle school years I had the opportunity to live overseas with my parents when my father was working with the IAEA. As a result of this wonderful experience, I had the opportunity to attended Lomas High School in Mexico City. Lomas was a private school based in the Reforma section of Mexico City which had a very international flair. Well, the school year ended and we all moved on. My family and I eventually moved back to the States, but I never forget the rich friendship and wonderful learning experience I encountered while I was at Lomas.
Fast forward 20 plus years, and as I am surfing the Internet I came across Lomas High School's Alumni Web site (www.lomashighschool.com). What a great find. I immediate signed up for their online news feed of information and going on's with all the ex Lomasario's. This has been a great link to the past on what others have been doing since their time at Lomas. I have had the opportunity to reach out and participant in this community of interest. It has been a way for me to reconnect with others that had similar experiences at Lomas and share my input.
Participanting in communities of interest is a wonderful way to share common goals with new participants and create connections with like minded people.
Online communities of interest provide a venue for users to share interests collaboratively with like-minded individuals. Whether it's getting the latest on a local alumni College Association or exploring the pitfalls and danger of a downhill trail to a local mountain bike group, these communities foster connections, linkages and camaraderie among the participants; where like minded people can commingle online and share their experiences.
I recently joined a communities of interest website last week which has been of great interest. During my middle school years I had the opportunity to live overseas with my parents when my father was working with the IAEA. As a result of this wonderful experience, I had the opportunity to attended Lomas High School in Mexico City. Lomas was a private school based in the Reforma section of Mexico City which had a very international flair. Well, the school year ended and we all moved on. My family and I eventually moved back to the States, but I never forget the rich friendship and wonderful learning experience I encountered while I was at Lomas.
Fast forward 20 plus years, and as I am surfing the Internet I came across Lomas High School's Alumni Web site (www.lomashighschool.com). What a great find. I immediate signed up for their online news feed of information and going on's with all the ex Lomasario's. This has been a great link to the past on what others have been doing since their time at Lomas. I have had the opportunity to reach out and participant in this community of interest. It has been a way for me to reconnect with others that had similar experiences at Lomas and share my input.
Participanting in communities of interest is a wonderful way to share common goals with new participants and create connections with like minded people.
Friday, November 9, 2007
What it means to you
Social networking has become the defacto norm for online collaboration and networking with family, colleagues, friends, peers, business partners, etc. across the globe.
As our lives become increasingly more complex and time constraints weigh on our daily life, social networking has become a viable solution in order to interact and keep in touch with individuals near and far.
Online tools such as Linkedin, Ryze, Facebook, etc. have enabled us all to connect in ways we never would have before. These tools provide us with a mechanism to see how other are doing, what they are working on, where they have been and who they are connecting with.
Linkedin has been a favorite of mine for years. It provides a way for me to see what others are doing professionally and connect with colleagues I have lost touch with over the years. Linkedin also provides me the opportunity to post questions to my network and get answers fulfilled within a matter of minutes.
Not too long ago I was searching Linkedin's directory of hundreds of thousands of connections and came across an old friend of mine that I knew overseas. Well, when I saw him there, I sent immediately sent him an email to get "Linkedin" and presto, the link was established, and I was connected. This is one of the benefits of these tools, it levels the playing ground and connects people that might have been lost forever and reunites them again online, in a collaborative, professional environment.
Other similar tools provide value in the same way, and based upon your community of interest those tools will fulfill your requirements accordingly.
Social online collaboration used in conjunction with personal collaboration provides the users a wonderful mix of updates, connections, queries and interactions that otherwise would have gone amiss.
As I move forward with this site, I look forward to your input and feedback on what has worked, lessons learned, take aways, etc. on using social online collaboration.
Welcome!
As our lives become increasingly more complex and time constraints weigh on our daily life, social networking has become a viable solution in order to interact and keep in touch with individuals near and far.
Online tools such as Linkedin, Ryze, Facebook, etc. have enabled us all to connect in ways we never would have before. These tools provide us with a mechanism to see how other are doing, what they are working on, where they have been and who they are connecting with.
Linkedin has been a favorite of mine for years. It provides a way for me to see what others are doing professionally and connect with colleagues I have lost touch with over the years. Linkedin also provides me the opportunity to post questions to my network and get answers fulfilled within a matter of minutes.
Not too long ago I was searching Linkedin's directory of hundreds of thousands of connections and came across an old friend of mine that I knew overseas. Well, when I saw him there, I sent immediately sent him an email to get "Linkedin" and presto, the link was established, and I was connected. This is one of the benefits of these tools, it levels the playing ground and connects people that might have been lost forever and reunites them again online, in a collaborative, professional environment.
Other similar tools provide value in the same way, and based upon your community of interest those tools will fulfill your requirements accordingly.
Social online collaboration used in conjunction with personal collaboration provides the users a wonderful mix of updates, connections, queries and interactions that otherwise would have gone amiss.
As I move forward with this site, I look forward to your input and feedback on what has worked, lessons learned, take aways, etc. on using social online collaboration.
Welcome!
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