Rene Stach, 09-Mar-05 @ 15:06PM

KB 2.0 discussion forum available

By the way, if you like to talk about the KB 2.0 project, please use the KB 2.0 discussion forum on the KB 2.0 project page.

Rene Stach, 09-Mar-05 @ 15:02PM

View from management perspective

Many of the points you mention are valid, many can be improved. Some examples:

Moderator
=========
We do not have strict moderation on KB. A professional moderator has to read all postings, summarise dying conversations, edit abusive content, discuss with members etc. Unfortunately, the project KB 2.0 (that runs KB) does not have the resources to hire such a moderator. We are happy to be able to pay our main editor.

Technical issues
================
I often read about requests for technicals changes. The project KB 2.0 runs 3 years. The project has resources for 4 man months of work. Thus, it is not possible to provide everything the members ask for.

The real good point is, that Sift is running other communities and KB can benefit from technical features that are developed for the other sites. Nonetheless, a significant customization effort has to be put in.

This approach allows for some new features that will probably be available by summer:

1) The design will be adapted to the new design we used in the new brochure. Technically it is a step from old HTML to probably standard-compliant HTML. A big change.

2) A new administration interface for editors will contain a WYSIWYG editor. This is something many of you have asked for.

3) To foster the discussions the forum software will get a major update.

4) It will be possible to use incoming RSS feeds on KnowledgeBoard.

5) Other features less important for editors: The European KM projects directory and KM journals area will be released.

Conclusion
==========
I hope these insights into the work of KB can explain why some things cannot be done and why other things take a long time. We are keen to provide you with everything to make KB a vital place as ong as the resources allow us to. Please note that KB 2.0 is smaller than EKMF was. We have to find a good compromise in many areas. Let's try to make the best out of it!

René

Cindy Hoong, 09-Mar-05 @ 13:01PM

interaction from KB

Corrina is new to KB, therefore she comes with fresh looks, fresh enthusiam ..

Conversations come from both sides. To keep conversations alive takes more than just a DEAD website. Website can only be kept alive by HUMAN BEINGS. And the human beings at KB 2.0 (the managing portion) is not exactly jumping up-and-down to keep readers excited.

If Corrina has enough time on her hand to go back and search KB 1 and KB 2, she will find that at least 80 to 90% of the materials on KB comes from readers, SIG editors etc. Then perhaps she would understand why KB is so quiet these days.

My idea of moderators on any forum is one that would 'jump' in, take over and re-kindled dying conversations (that is conversations that worth savings to allow more exchanges of ideas) ... I do not see that at KB. KB depends on SIG editors to do the job, but how?

One way traffic is good for road users, but is never good for exchanging ideas.

When a person is being ignored by KB management often enough, they walk. After all there are many more interesting sites than KB. Therefore ideas die.

Although cummbersom, I do not see the technical portion of KB website is the REAL problem that kept people away, I see the problem as an operation and management issues. SIFT is using KB as a test bed. Never put enough effort in making this a workable KM site that worth to carry EU's name. SIFT has many other sites that have a different feels. Sometime I wonder if SIFT is being paid to manage this site from EU.
Cindy

Corinna Flöck, 09-Mar-05 @ 08:29AM

good suggestions

Hi Denham,

thanks for your suggestions!
From the interviews I know that many people are having difficulties with the interface/navigation of the site, so this is definitely one thing that must be discussed afterwards to find a suitable solution.

Your second comment about "tags" sound really interesting to me. I agree with you that it might be useful to bookmark articles or discussions to get back to them easily but I don't know if this is possible... My idea is to have a section in your personal profile, which makes it possible tosee which articles or disussions you've visited lately.

Because s.o. in the interviews mentioned your name related to my question about moderation of comments and articles on the site (he said you were an expert in training), I'd like to know what you're thinking of it? Must it be improved or is the level alright for the purpose of KB?

Denham Grey, 08-Mar-05 @ 01:33AM

Trying again and again

Hi Corinna,

It seems there have been many reviews - what is short IMO is taking action afterwards!. This Sift interface is difficult, disconnected and discouraging.

Perhaps we should be offerred 'tags' in the next revision, so we can find our way back interesting content?

Corinna Flöck, 07-Mar-05 @ 12:51PM

Glad to see some discussion about KB happen!

Hi all,

I just found out about your conversation about KB! I am espesially interested in this discussion, as I'm currently doing a survey in order to collect user feedback and suggestions to further advance KnowledgeBoard. In this connection I've already done telephone interviews with some users. To collect additional answers, since two weeks
the questionnaire is published on KB. http://www.knowledgeboard.com/survey/

In my opinion it is very important for our community, that the KB users get the chance to tell about their positive and negative experiences with KnowledgeBoard.
Many aspects you mention here, have also been discussed during the interviews and it seems important to me, to deal with these topics.

Please go on discussing here (I will follow it up with big interest!),and please also fill in my questionnaire, so I can report your positive and negative remarks as well as your suggestions for improvements to the KB team!

Thanks
Corinna Flöck

Denham Grey, 07-Mar-05 @ 00:06AM

KB and roses

Jacques writes:
>>KnowledgeBoard is wonderful for information about KM.

Not sure I would agree. KB is short on dialog. KM blogs contain more news and greater diversity of ideas (KB does have a great list of KM blogs though).

The KB interface is difficult to navigate, I get lost between front page postings and SIGs. I find the need to login every time I wish to post tiresome at best.

>>Getting the right information at the right time in the right context to the right person.

is hardly the core of KM - for me that is reserved for learning, increased awareness, improving understanding and sharing meaning

If I had to summarise KB, I would say - very large periphery and way small core.

Chris Macrae, 06-Mar-05 @ 08:32AM

denham

At KB (amongst other spaces worldwide) , you always make 2 kinds of intervention on me

1) is to heckle; which I usually ignore

2) the other is to say something positive like here;
http://www.knowledgeboard.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=137999&d=1&h=417&f=56&dateformat=%o%20%B%20%Y
I take a deep breadth: hope someone else will build where magically we appear to on same KM crossroads;(not as we both know from work at Howard Rheingold that there is a big difference once context exists). I could have answered yes: why not a KM that learns as much about group size as on calling groupKM community, team , network. In particular:
I agree, as someone brought up with humanistic literature of entrpreneurs & intrepreneurs & knowledge workers great innovation (the initial design, gestation, birth of idea) is bred by a few people ; how its commercialised feels like a black hole - how transparently are how many people going to share in the success as well as the risk because the world doesnt beat the door to a better mousetrap any more;(even open learning howvever valuable has no space today without a conversation built around it: so case of www.cluetrain.com which this community was modlelled on hi-trust system dynamics are often not understood and then not structurally sustained); but studying big matters too: languages are needed to be shared by many people; the world would not be doing very well if no language was known by more than 12 people; I love some middles in management: Chief Emotions Officer Branson says he never lets any one person manage more than 60 people (its intelligently impossible); according to the HR lady at Donald Trump's place- a similar rule (whatever you think of Trump) he chooses people good for his business and gives them space to grow but that also mean with a maximum number per manager; so yes someone could have picked up our joint thread and amplified this

Next:when I was first appointed a sig editor; I did not think it unreasonable to make about 2 posts a day, to see which conversations take off; since then lots of other things have compounded, as they always do in big elongated communities; but I am not going to be bullied out of an average of 2 posts a day; why not others do 2 posts a day?; why not a front page designed so that people went to more than the 5 conversations featured or the 7 conversations in play, that would make sense for a 6000 member community in my mind; I dont know other large communities designed around a live menu choice of only 12 conversations; I have asked why this is almost since my first interaction, and had no answer other than that's how it is. I dont usually respond to personal remarks, and am that going to post in this thread again however many flames against me appear. Anyway, soundbiting isnt where I spend time.

Guy Benchimol, 06-Mar-05 @ 08:10AM

Betting on collaborative work

Well, Jacques, I read some of your papers and noticed that you boosted networking and collaborative work to improve each others competencies.

In another story entitled "Exploring tacit knowledge", we are experimenting Cmaps to make easier the emergence of new concepts and synthesize the dialogue between us.

Perhaps, you woud be inclined to share this experience either in "Fast and furious" or in "Exploring tacit knowledge". You may participate in an on-going Cmap or open a new one yourself.

To be used as you think fit, you will find beneath the directions for use:

First time:
http://www.ihmc.us
- Cmap tools
- download

Afterwards:
IHMC public Cmaps (2)
knowledgeboard

Good luck (and don't hesitate if you encounter a technical problem to mail to me)!

Denham Grey, 06-Mar-05 @ 01:48AM

Dominating voices

There is a decided imbalance in the KB posters. Chris dominates almost all the conversations and this seems to dampen reciprocity and reduce diversity.

It is hard to 'talk' against a background of economic tirades, obsession with measurement and the constant reference to that 1984 article.

I admire Chris for his tenacity and his voracity, perhaps if others spoke out, his 'voice' on KB would not be so overpowering?

Jacques SOUILLOT, 04-Mar-05 @ 14:03PM

Thanks for this first collaboration

Someone just phoned me to say it would be a good idea to use small pictures instead of big ones on the main pages. Then it would still be possible to make the "big" pictures available on a new page, for those who want to have a closer look at them.

A good idea it would appear.