Here is an upcoming event that although I may not be able to make it I still think it is worth while following up on and check it out, specially since one of the event participants is Bill Ives, who, I am sure, would be weblogging about the event in its due time, along with Verna Allee. Social Media, Networks & Tools will get going on Friday the 19th and has got an impressive lineup, that is for sure. Here is the announcement details that I have received myself through e-mail:

“Networks propel business. They are the fabric of society. Fluency in the language of networks is critical. Your breakthrough Ohio Network Cluster event will examine Social Media, Networks & Tools. All are welcome.

Join globally recognized authorities on social networks, blogs/wikis, value networks and social media for open, authentic conversation on networks and network analysis. Luminaries for your cluster include Valdis Krebs, Verna Allee and Bill Ives.

The social and network reorientation of work, business and society is accelerating. Social networks are front page news.Blogs are fundamentally altering our information landscape. Critical to these spectacular transformations are the rapidly expanding fields of social media, social network analysis and value networks.

Over the last several years, network archetypes and analysis have exploded onto the KM, collaboration, community, organizational and institutional scene. Social network software, blogs, wikis and people-based applications are everywhere.

Social networks and value network analysis are now being applied broadly with stunning results. Learn, see and discuss these powerful new applications. Identify and discover innovative network practices from experts with decades of hands-on experience.

Your non-commercial, open, low-cost and authentic Spring 2006 Action/Research Cluster will cover this territory in depth. Mastery of social and value networks will equip you with exceptional benefits and advantages. Your Social Media, Networks & Tools cluster network event is critical for all 21st Century leaders.

The modest participant sponsorship tuition includes all materials, meals, books, parking and refreshments. All participants receive a learner’s version of InFlow software and access to an extensive library of open source tools for value networks.

Dress is business casual. Wi-Fi access is available. A pre-event reception is planned on May 18th for registered participants. Bring business cards. Pre-registration in advance is required. All are welcome.“

As I said, this is one of those events that I would certainly be interested in finding out more how it went, thus if you are going to be there and care to share somewhere online your experiences it would be great ! As I said I do hope that Bill will also venture into doing some conblogging and give us some insights as to how it went because there is no doubt, indeed, that weblogs, wikis and whatever other social networking tools, are changing the current KM and remote collaboration landscapes bringing back KM into the font page where the key towards a successful KM strategy may not longer be due to the tools and processes but more on the people themselves, which is perhaps where it should have been altogether in the first place.

Thus let’s see if we can get our hands on the event and report on how it went. Fingers crossed that we would be able to have some account of it as the time approaches by. We shall see…

Technorati Tags: Social Media, Social Networks, KMCluster, Knowledge Management, KM

Yes, indeed, at least, that is the plan. But it comes with a twist. It looks like the web hosting folks where I am having elsua have decided to shut down their servers, not enough profit, and over the weekend they have sent me an e-mail saying that I would need to find another hosting service before the end of this month. Yes, I know very sad news. Thing is that I have been advised that I will not be losing any of the information as there are a number of backups in place. However, it looks like I would need to transition into a hosting service that would provide a similar functionality, like DirectAdmin, in order to facilitate a smooth transition. And this is where the quest starts and why I am going to ask you folks for your help and advice.

I have been looking into a couple of different web hosting offerings already but I would certainly love to hear your thoughts / suggestions and what different options are there. Basically, I am looking for a recommendation to have another web service hosting my weblog with the smallest disruption possible where I could migrate all of my weblog (Based on WordPress) content in some very easy steps. Oh, of course, I am also looking for some competitive options money wise, like everyone else, I guess. So I would love to hear your suggestions on your own experience with whatever the hosting company you may have been dealing with all along.

Over the weekend I have been thinking about perhaps going back to one of the major weblogging engines out there, like Blogger, TypePad, WordPress and the like but in the end I wasn’t totally convinced. I once used Blogsome, loved the experience, but then moved on. And this time around it would be the same thing. It would be the first time that I would have to do this so I am hoping it goes rather smooth and painless. We shall see. Keep those suggestions though as I would need to make this migration sooner rather than later. Look forward to hearing from you.

Technorati Tags: Metablogging, WordPress, TypePad, Blogger, Blogsome

For the last few weeks Seth Kahan has been conducting a number of very good interviews with some of the top thinkers and Knowledge Management leaders that I can certainly recommend checking them out. There are quite a few of them already and I just thought I would comment on a couple of them that I found particularly interesting and inspiring. One of them is the recent interview he did with John Kotter around the topic of The Power of Storytelling where John comments on how crucial he feels the role of storytelling is in helping spread the knowledge amongst knowledge workers in order to help them become much more productive and collaborate with one another.

Indeed, a really worth while going through interview to say the least. In it you will be able to find plenty of gems that will certainly make you nod a few times and which for the sake of giving you a teaser I am going to reproduce over here:

“Stories stick in the brain in a holistic way, better than charts, numbers and concepts. As a result the probability that the message will have an impact on behavior goes up“

Yes ! Indeed, one of the reasons why I have never been very keen on using charts in order to deliver a message. I have a tendency to divert from them big time to the point where I now use them to just present different key topics and then develop on them through the usage of stories or narrations to describe them. But the key point is that those charts are not the center of the speech. Stories are.

“But, you add a lot more information if you not only tell the stories, you show the audience. I do this by picking out parts, just like a play. I create little one-act plays“

That is perhaps one of the main items that would separate a good storyteller from a great one ! If you have a story you would want to share with others to deliver a message you certainly need to show the audience; engage with it in the conversation and, above all, show the passion! That acting while delivering your story is what will actually get people to remember your story, not the wonderful charts you may have put together. Last week, while I was attending the TLE event in Madrid, there was a presentation by one of my colleagues around the subject of stress and how to manage it and the audience was thrilled throughout the session not by the charts she was using but because of the stories that were behind them. After the session everyone actually remembered everything about the presentation itself and could relate and apply some of the different tips shared just because of those same stories and not because of the charts. People have a tendency to remember stories, not charts.

“Stories are key. If you want people to remember ideas so they can change and get better results, tell them stories“

Absolutely ! I just couldn’t have agreed more with that statement. In fact, that is what would make Knowledge Management really meaningful and successful at the same time. That sensemaking through telling stories (And with passion) is what will stick with knowledge workers and somehow we probably need to understand that some times things are a lot easier to deliver than what we thought they would be. Indeed, telling stories would certainly help achieve that. Thus next time you have to put together a presentation for a particular audience, think about that same audience and use stories to convey your messages. They would certainly be enjoying them, and learning a whole lot more in the process, than without them!

Technorati Tags: Storytelling, Knowledge Management, KM, Seth Kahan, John Kotter

While I was putting together 10 Great Strategic Benefits of Blogging earlier on this morning, I bumped into another weblog post that I thought was worth while mentioning on its own since it comes to tackle a question that I keep getting several times a week from folks who are rather skeptic or reluctant to try out weblogging to help them with their knowledge sharing and collaboration techniques. The actual weblog post is titled How to become a Successful Blogger by Christopher Salazar and while going through it I just couldn’t help thinking about another weblog post I created in the past and which comes pretty close to the overall thinking as well: 10 Tips for Becoming a Great Corporate Blogger.

Indeed, Christopher comes to share what he feels are the key points to go for whenever you would want to start your own weblog and while going through them I just couldn’t help adding my two cents worth of comments:

• Think PASSION, not numbers: “Blogs written with passion are much more powerful, resourceful, and interesting” Yes ! Yes ! Yes ! What else would I need to say on top of that ? Not much, I know, but that is exactly how I feel about my own weblogging experience. It is all about the topics you are passionate about and which you would want to share with others and get them involved! Be contagious!
• Join the CONVERSATION: Another big Yes !!! Whoever thought that weblogging is not about the conversations should think again, because that is the whole point of blogs: dive into the conversations and interact with others on those topics that you feel would be worth while discussing. That, to me, is the difference between a standard web site and a weblog. Be conversational!
• Exhibit THOUGHT LEADERSHIP: Another good point about what weblogging should be like. Adding your two cents into the conversation because, after all, we all have got an opinion on that particular subject and there is a great chance that you will always have people around you wanting to listen to what you have got to say. Be unique!
• Create Trust: Ahhh, what can I say about this one that I may not have said already. Without trust any KM strategy is bound to run into trouble sooner or later. Trust should be an integral component from any knowledge sharing organisation where collaboration with others is key. Be trustworthy!
• Enable comments: Indeed, and this is one of the things that I have been enjoying myself for some time now here in elsua.net. From the very beginning I had enabled comments but people would need to register in order to post something. A few weeks afterwards I actually decided to open up comments to everyone to get some further conversations going from those who would just bump into whatever weblog post and indeed ever since I did that some of the best conversations over here have taken place that way. On the other hand, though, I should also mention that if it weren’t for Akismet, currently running in this weblog dealing with over 2,500 spam comments, things would have been a whole lot more different. Either way, be open!
• Become the starting and ending point for all conversations: This is one of those tips that I cannot stress good enough how important it is to help webloggers become part of the conversations. How many times have you been to a particular weblog post that you found interesting and added your two cents worth of comments to then find out that the weblogger will not even reply back to continue adding on further. My tip in here is that if you have got comments enabled you should make an extra effort to respond to those comments, even if it is out of courtesy (And that would include as well Trackbacks). Failure to do so you would probably be better off not enabling comments and avoiding the hassle of not interacting any further. Be involved!
• Network with other bloggers: “Build relationships, do not just sit back and hope things will happen“. I know, perhaps one of the critical success factors for any weblogger out there who wants to succeed at it. This is the main reason why I ventured into creating with Denham the KMBloggers community. I always felt that if you would want to network with other webloggers you probably would be better off not just participating in their weblogs but also getting them together in the same space where conversations could flow in multiple levels and with a whole bunch of participants. That is why as things settled down again, after being gone whole of last week, I have got a whole pack of stuff to share to get those conversations going and that would be happening over the next day or two. Thus stay tuned ! Join the KMBloggers community today! (Or whatever other network of webloggers you would feel identified with)

And that would be it! Off you go with some great tips on why weblogging may be the next big thing for you to continue helping spread the knowledge and collaborate with others. Weblogging may be, or may be not, for you, but one thing for sure is that it provides a new ground for people to get together, collaborate and share what they know with others in a way where the benefits would work both ways: for the writer and the listener. It will now be up to you to get involved or not.

Technorati Tags: Metablogging, Knowledge Management, KM, KMbloggers, Business Blogging

Last week, while I was away from the office, and even though I had the intention of talking about it, I missed out on the weekly blog boost from the LinkedIn bloggers group I am part of for a number of weeks now. I thought I would be able to talk briefly about it but in the end I couldn’t manage it. More to come on that later. However, with all that said, here we go with another Wednesday, another blog boost. And this time around the lucky winner is Laura’s Winning Ideas by Laura Ricci. I must say that Laura has put together an interesting weblog to follow up on if you are into the creation of proposals that would sell themselves to your customers. Worth while subscribing to for those interested, to say the least.

However, what struck me the most was one of the very last weblog posts she has created around the subject of How to Prevent Burnout. While reading through it I just couldn’t help nodding about some of the great tips she has shared over there regarding how you can avoid reaching beyond the stage of burnout. In particular the one on taking a 20 minute nap throughout the day. Reason why I have enjoyed that particular tip is because it reminded of a weblog post I created some time ago around the same subject: Power Napping for Improved Productivity, where I referenced Power Napping for Increased Productivity, Stress Management and Health by Elizabeth Scott.

I must say that I not always take advantage of such naps, or siestas, whatever name you would want to make use of, but I tell you something, whenever I can I try to go for one of them and I cannot stress out enough how re-energising they can be. It makes you feel like you could go for the rest of the day with the same energy as in the early morning. I have been trying to go with this tip for quite some time now and it surely makes you feel completely different. In case you haven’t tried it out, you should. I guess this is one of those worth while tips following up on and I am glad that Laura feels the same way as well. I actually found out throughout the years that they are great specially when you are travelling to different conference events with very long and intensive agendas from the early morning till the late evening. There is nothing like a 20 minute nap in the middle of the afternoon to then be able to respond to such demanding events throughout the whole day. I tried it out back again while I was at the TLE event in Madrid and will certainly repeat it in whatever the next event that I may get to attend. And believe me, you should do it, too. You would thank me for it later.

Technorati Tags: Burnout, Stress, Power Napping, Work Life Balance

While I was getting ready and prepared for the presentation I did on Personal Knowledge Management at the IBM TLE event last week I got to read some very interesting stuff on the subject of PKM and I thought I would just pick up some of those thoughts and place them over here. One reference material that I found worth while reading and commenting on because of its thought-provoking nature was Denham’s take on Personal Knowledge Management available at the KMWiki space (One of the main collaborative tools for the KMBloggers community that we recently launched). Specially this particular fragment:

“My thoughts tend to be somewhat away from the PKM mainstream, as I favor collective knowledge creation, vetting and sense-making. IMO, PKM is closely tied to personal learning and inquiry which is all about social practices.

Leverage does not come from personal thought organization or access, but from a network of weak ties, dialog and awareness in community. It is not the tools or practices you use, but the empathy you feel and the relationships you maintain, - these determine how effective you are at knowledge creation, how aware you are and what you learn.“

And then this one:

“My take is PKM has a rather narrow focus. It is firstly about information organization for the individual, personal effectiveness, voicing and networking. Proponents claim PKM is about taking responsibility for your learning, inquiry, learning, awareness and skills, improving knowledge related competencies and increasing your efficiency.“

While I agree with him 100% on this argument I think it would also be important to put things into perspective as to what the real purpose of Personal Knowledge Management is. Its focus certainly may not be primarily “networking, community participation, tacit knowledge exchanges and inquiry“. As well “Personal voicing, thought organization and personal publication do not do justice to the social components necessary for real knowledge work” but it is certainly bringing together a good start. The way I see it is as follows: for Knowledge Management, and its multiple sub-disciplines, to be able to survive there needs to be a much more personal and committed involvement in sharing what knowledge workers know. It needs to be “managed” locally before it would be able to move into the next level: the networking and sharing with others.

One would need to organise themselves with those resources that matter to them before they would feel they would be ready to share with others their best know-how. So I have always felt that for social learning to work (where “social learning is about communities of practice, collaboration, inquiry, joint problem solving, building relationships, social capital and sharing insights”) one would need to prepare themselves for it. It is not something that would happen overnight, it takes time. It takes a substantial amount of effort to build up on trust levels and social capital skills. And that is why I have always thought that Personal Knowledge Management would be key to make it all sustainable. If not, take a look into all this hype that is going around the subject of social software. People are sharing their thoughts, their favourite photos, links, online spaces to hang out, etc. etc. not only in order to be able to manage all that content locally but also to prepare themselves to share those same resources with others coming along with a strong voice so that those interactions are as rich as you could possibly expect.

And as far as I can see it seems to be working. At least, you can now see how more and more knowledge workers are taking ownership of what they know and are willing to share it with others. That personal approach towards knowledge sharing and collaboration is what I feel would provide the common ground for later on getting involved in much more complex relationships, like social networks, social learning and the like. It needs to start somewhere, I know, and to me that somewhere would be Personal Knowledge Management. The basic background for a more robust KM strategy where nurturing relationships, knowledge sharing and collaboration with others would be the main key but the success factor in my opinion would be on how well those knowledge workers are able to manage personally what they know and what they would want to share with others. What are your thoughts? Go ahead and share them over here or over at the great ongoing discussion taking place already over at Looking at personal knowledge management.

Technorati Tags: Knowledge Management, KM, Personal Knowledge Management, PKM, Social Networking, Social Software, Collaboration, Social Capital