What makes Wikipedia Successful
Posted by Peter Zakrzewski in Social Media on March 9th, 2009
Regardless of how you feel about the quality or accuracy of the content that’s being developed on Wikipedia, as a collaborative initiative using a social medium it has been very successful. Even despite some of its more recent setbacks, you can’t argue that it’s brought together a multitude of individuals with very diverse backgrounds and expertise and allowed for the creation of a product that has become, for many, a first stop on their journey to learn something new. (If that’s their only stop then they’re not doing in-depth research, but then the same could be said for any other information resource.)
As I listen in on Wiki conversations and hear people present their arguments of why Wikis are a great way to get people to share, collaborate, and create good content, the first statements usually sound something like, “Well…its great because on a Wiki when somebody puts up inaccurate information or tries to vandalize the site, anyone else can easily go in and correct the error. “And that’s where the conversation usually stops because that’s usually enough to get a Wiki installed.
So what happens next? The Wiki gets installed overnight, they open it up to everyone, and after a little while they wonder why people aren’t using it or why the people who are using it are still creating really crappy content. Read the rest of this entry »
My Why of Social Media
Posted by Peter Zakrzewski in Social Media on March 6th, 2009
- Because I want to consume.
- Because I want to create.
- Because I want to share.
- Because I want to have control over how my creations are organized and presented.
- Because I want to contribute to something greater.
- Because I want to comment.
- Because for every one of my interests, passions, obsessions, there are 1000 people out there just like me.
- Because I want to connect and stay in touch.
- Because I want to find new ideas and gain new perspectives.
- Because I want to receive feedback, recognition, and acknowledgment.
- Because I want to discuss, debate, and communicate.
- Because I want to know more about everybody.
- Because I want to expand my knowledge and understanding of the world around me.
- Because I want to make learning a part of everyday life.
…because the internet makes it all blindingly easy.
Why do you Social Media?
Knowledge and Information: Children in the classroom
Posted by Peter Zakrzewski in Organizational Learning on February 11th, 2009
Whenever somebody asks about my previous work experience and my educational background, I can’t help but mention that at some point in my life I was an aspiring teacher. Summer camps, volunteering in elementary school classrooms, and even pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in education.
My colleague asked once, “How do you think those experiences influence the work that you’re doing now?” I answered bluntly, “I have no idea”.
Or at least I didn’t, until recently. Read the rest of this entry »
Connecting Knowledge, Learning, & Innovation to improve business performance
Posted by Catherine Shaw in KM World and Intranets 2008 on October 7th, 2008
One of my favourite sessions was on “Connecting Knowledge, Learning, & Innovation to improve business performance” presented by Tracy Conn and Janine Valvoda. Tracy is the Assistant Vice President and Janine is the Chief Culture Officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
A lot like our organization, their organization is conservative, has a strong knowledge base and is expecting retirements. Read the rest of this entry »
Chose your KM birthday party
Posted by Peter Zakrzewski in KM World and Intranets 2008 on October 6th, 2008
I’ve been sitting on this one for quite some time now and, before the spark dies out completely, I want to draw your attention to Dave Snowden’s closing keynote speech at KMW08.
I invite everyone to download a podcast of Snowden’s speech and try giving it a listen starting about 22 minutes and 20 seconds into the recording. Its at this point in his presentation that Snowden provides a fascinating analogy to describe chaotic, ordered, and complex adaptive systems. Read the rest of this entry »
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