Knowledge and Networks (week 14 postscript)

In a not unrealated aside I would like to talk about the presentation we had from IBM's Petar Bielovich entitled ‘The IBM Learning & Knowledge Journey – lessons, challenges and insights’. He really blew my head away with his talk of knowledge management and how forming social networks is great business; it sounded such a human idea. Of course with computer systems like FaceBook, Myspace and Flickr (etc. etc. etc.) you can form communities all over the world. What a great idea for the State Library.

Here are some of the other things he told us about knowledge and networks that I thought interesting:

1. You always know more than you can say, you always say more than you can write down.
2. Knowledge can only be volunteered never conscripted.
3. I only know what I need to know when I need to know, when I need to know it.
4. My knowledge is unique to me.
5. The knowledge that people build up in their minds over years by experience is called “tacit knowledge” is difficult to access.
6. Downloading this knowledge needs extensive contact and trust.
7. You have to build an environment where people are valued not just because they have knowledge but because they can share knowledge with others.