Imagining Web 2.0 in Your Organization:
The Wonderful World of Wikis with Cindy Chick
Wikis are easily the fastest way to create mini-web sites on the Intranet or Internet, making them a good tool of choice for many knowledge applications. Wikis can be used to track the status of a project, compile deal documents with commentary, build a small intranet, or collaborate on a procedures manual.
We'll discuss the variety of wiki tools available and identify wiki pitfalls and limitations.
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If you missed the Thinking Outside of the Blog webinar, you can still register to see the recording. Click here to register.
]]>It's important to regularly check the site statistics for the sources that you diligently maintain. If you've promoted your content well, organized it in a meaningful way, and update it regularly, you'll want to know if all your effort is paying off.
The WSS site statistics are quite basic. Here's an example, from my SharePoint site, which runs on WSS:
Here's one, complete with graphs, from MOSS SharePoint. Much prettier.
For more information see:
I hope this helps.
]]>The idea is to use post-its and a file folder to organize your thoughts when preparing a presentation. I've been using it for years, and whenever I think perhaps I could forgo it, and just open up PowerPoint and start there instead, I've been sorry. PowerPoint encourages a very linear chain of thought, and without figuring out in advance the points you want to make, and organizing them outside of PowerPoint, you can end up with a disorganized mish-mash.
But it is decidedly low-tech. And if someone walks into my office and sees my file folder covered in post-its, I look far from organized. I can live with that, but the truth be told, I would like a neater, cleaner way to accomplish the same thing.
This time I'm trying something different, and using Microsoft OneNote to brainstorm and organize. And I must say, I'm liking it! I've set up one page with the same elements that Marie recommends for organizing; I have other pages within the group with screenshots and URLs. After all of this is compiled, and I know what I want to say, THEN I'll go to PowerPoint to put it all together.
I don't hear much about OneNote, but it really is a great product for keeping notes and otherwise organizing those little bits of information you're not sure what to do with.
The power of post-Its without the post-its is working for me!
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Are you hoping to follow hot topics,supplement training, market your department, or create a knowledgebase? Using a blog for these types of initiatives and more. For the most part, Blog applications are only limited by your imagination.Why? Because blogs are simple but powerful tools for organizing and sharing information that are often underestimated and underutilized.
We'll discuss the variety of ways you can use these mini-content management applications in your firm, review some of the more popular blog tools, including. You'll learn how to setup a blog, and organize your content.
I've been connecting with my professional network via LinkedIn for some time, and then there's Twitter, but I wouldn't dream of subjecting other librarians to the details and video of my latest dog agility run. So I'd been thinking a personal social network for sharing information about my dog-related activities would be fun. But what good is a social network, if none of your friends are there? Then, a couple of months ago, my friend Sally said she'd joined Facebook and suggested I'd be surprised at who I might find there. She was right. I found friends, relatives, and an easy way to keep up with them all.
I'm not the only one. The number of Americans over 35, 45, and 55 on Facebook is growing fast. In the last 60 days alone, the number of people over 35 has nearly doubled. (Inside Facebook:Number of US Facebook Users Over 35 Nearly Doubles in Last 60 Days) Women over 55 are the fastest growing demographic. Yes, this is the same Facebook that started as an online haven for college students. As I told my nephew when I found him in Facebook, it's the invasion of the baby boomers.
So how long before the kids run screaming from the virtual room because their aunts, uncles, parents and others are now watching their every move on Facebook?
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In know, I know, there aren't very many firms that suport the use of Firefox. And that's a real shame, because Jureeka is a very handy little utility, and you can only get this kind of functionality in Firefox. In this time of cost-cutting, what could be better than an easy way to retrieve case law at no charge?
One reason Firefox may not be acceptable in your firm is because the Intranet is likely optimized for Internet Explorer. But Firefox can channel Internet Explorer, so it's not impossible to get by with Firefox in a Microsoft shop.....if you can stay under the IT radar...
]]>So I've been watching for possible training opportunities and there are many to choose from. Just type "SharePoint training" into Google, and you'll find literally hundreds of companies that would love to provide you with training. But let's get real....in this economy thousands of dollars for a class and/or webinar just isn't going to happen. Though I have to admit, this one just about had me salivating.
The topic of SharePoint training came up recently on SLA's KM mailing list; the answers are listed on their KM Wiki. (Membership required.) Nina Platt recommended Sharepoint Solutions, but there's that pesky money issue. She also pointed out a webinar done by Factiva called "Taxonomy & Sharepoint: A Powerful Combination." Anything on the subject of SharePoint and taxonomies is going on my to-do list!
Microsoft offers some online training as well as webcasts and podcasts, and the price is right. (free)
I don't have to remind you that there are always tons books out there related to any major software program. Quite naturally, I'm a big fan of books, and I've been poring over a borrowed copy (thanks, Lisa!) of Microsoft® Windows® SharePoint® Services 3.0 Step by Step (Step By Step (Microsoft) and it's not bad. But there's a Murphy's Law of software-related handbooks. They tend to include a lot of good information, but never have the answer to YOUR particular question. Google often does a better job on the question answering front.
The other problem with books for these kinds of topics is that many of them concentrate more on technical aspects such as server configuration, something many of us have nothing to do with, so it's important to find one that's geared towards your particular use of the product.
Below is a quick poll on SharePoint Training. If you've found a good book, website or seminar, please share by clicking on the "comments" link above.
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The biggest downside to moving LawLIbTech is the fact that all the URLs for articles/entries have changed. So if you've linked directly to any content, you'll need to update your links. Just know that everything is still here, and it's readily accessisble by browsing the categories or simply searching.
Oh, and also, if you spot any little oddities with the site, be sure to let me know. Moves of any kind rarely happen without a few glitches here and there.
]]>In blogging's early days, blogs weren't recognized as a valuable information source but as time went on, researchers acknowledged that there was some good content out there. Now, perhaps it's Twitter that's underestimated, especially if you're looking for what's being said about a company or product.
That didn't occur to me until I ready this LawyerKM entry, Twitter as a Knowledge Base and Expertise Resources, and I started searching Twitter.
You could be excused for not realizing you can search Twitter. There is no link to the Twitter search that I could find on my Twitter home page. But go to http://search.twitter.com and give it a whirl. I searched for a fairly unique company name, which is how I found out that Bloomberg has a Twitter, as does Singapore News. Since I'm researching rumors about said company, I added an RSS feed to Google Reader so I could continue to monitor new tweets on the subject.
Here's another example for you. I'm was quite enamored with the Roomba I purchased last year. However, after months of diligently cleaning up after my dogs, the little guy just couldn't take it any more and Roomba was retired to the trash bin. I'm in the market for another one, but am hesitating because I don't want to pay $300 for a cleaning device that is just going to choke on dog fur. I searched Twitter to see how others like the cleaning robot and cool, someone mentions a new version of irobot's Pet Series Roomba has just been introduced. Life is good.
There's an advanced Twitter search in addition to the basic if you need more specificity.
If you want to know what web pages Twitterers are talking about, try Twit(URL)y, as recommended by Stephen Cohen in Top Tools for the Twittersphere, (Information Today, June 2008). I'm adding this one to my RSS reader. When I visited, a video of a couple of Repulican pundits talking on MSNBC about Sarah Palin when they thought the mic was off was at the top of the list. Now I'm watching Jon Stewart's take on Sarah Palin. Okay, I could do this all day.
Everybody's talking...
]]>Of course, there's a certain amount of pressure. People are following me! I should I think of something witty and intelligent to say! Ummm, yeah, well, some days are better than others in that area. :-)
The tool I'm using to monitor Twitter, Twhirl, was recommended in Stephen Cohen's article "Top Tools for the Twittersphere" in the June 2008 issue of Information Today. I have a twhirl window open right now on my second monitor, and the tweets just stream on by.
It's a little ironic. I've been working hard this month to get some control over my email. I'm diligently unsubscribing from the inevitable spam in my inbox. I'm creating filters to direct email to the proper folder. I'm trying to reduce email distractions. So now I can concentrate on the distraction that is Twitter. I probably need to ration my Twitter-ing.
So, this is fun, but is it useful? I actually CAN see some benefits in an enterprise environment. Maybe you're on a project team, and you follow your team member's Twitter stream, so you know exactly what they're doing, what they need help with, etc. It definitely has potential as a collaboration tool.
If you want to know more about Twitter you can hear Jim Milles talk about Twitter with Richard Leiter on BlogTalkRadio. He also wrote about Twitter and Online Community on his blog Buffalo Wings and Toasted Ravioli.
Only time will tell if I end up with a Twitter hangover. :-)
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So, that brings me to Twitter. I've been struggling with the idea of Twitter for a while now. I have to admit, I don't really get it. For those of you who don't know, Twitter is a social networking tool that let's you log very short (140 characters) entries. Your friends can subscribe to your Twitter, and know your every move, should you be inclined to post updates regularly. Many Twitter'ers (?) use cell phones and PDAs to post tweats wherever they might be.
Similar to blogs when they first became popular, Twitters are known for being fairly banal. Have a good dinner? Send out a tweet to all your followers. Bored? Let the world know.
I noted my favorite useful application of Twitter during the last fire season. I can see some uses at work, for example, you could use a Twitter like application to let your co-workers and/or boss know where you are and what you're doing every minute of the day. Hmm, that has its downsides, too.
I'm making an effort to revisit Twitter as a result of a couple of blogs on the topic of Twitter and KM: LawyerKM has a Twitter. Kevin at Lexblog claims that there are actually law firms on Twitter in his entry, Twitter use among legal professionals is growing. He claims Twitter grows on you. Okay, well, we'll see.
I'm going to try to Twitter for a week. I promise not to tweet about missing my train, or the sandwich I'm having for lunch. But I WILL try to note various and sundry thoughts that cross my mind about topics similar to the ones covered in this blog. It is probably inevitable that I include a few dog-related tweats. I'll embed my Twitter stream here, and you, my fair readers, can tell me if you think Twitter is a useful tool, or a waste of time.
If you know nothing about Twitter, and are wondering how to get started, here's a Common Craft video, Twitter in Plain English:
]]>RSS readers/aggregators are great tools for collecting content from disparate sources together into a central workspace where you can review a large volume of news relatively quickly. Free content from the web and search feeds from premium services such as LexisNexis, Llesiant and Factiva can co-exist side by side in your reader.
You can choose to view your feeds in Outlook (Newsgator Inbox), on the web (Google Reader, Bloglines, Newsgator Online) or in a separate application (FeedDemon, RSS Bandit). Some readers offer ways to customize your reading experience by letting you choose the colors, skins and layouts that you prefer.
That’s all well and good, but if you’re monitoring topics for others, how do you take the news from your reader, and deliver your finely filtered results the people who need it?
Certainly, many desktop RSS readers, such as FeedDemon, have “clippings” folders into which you can drag, drop and store the stories you find. Newsgator Online, FeedDemon’s online cousin will allow you to create an custom RSS feed for the contents of such folders. It's also easy to create your very own RSS feed with Bloglines and Google Reader. But these are public feeds, and besides, how many of your attorneys regularly read RSS feeds? I'm thinking not very many.
The feature that I find lacking in the readers I've looked at is the ability to export selected articles to an attractive and customizable report format that can be cut and pasted into an email.
The closest I’ve found so far is a reader called Awasu. As you review your feeds, you can move any feed items you want to save to a “workpad." You can set up as many workpads as you want, and create reports from these workpads. That's a start. But the report formats (templates) provided are fairly basic. While you can customize them, it's not quite as straightforward a process as I'd like.
My most recent experiment involved Newsgator Inbox and Onenote 2007, installed on my home computer. With the "Send to OneNote" feature, I can review RSS items in Outlook (Newsgator), right click on an item, click "Send to OneNote", and the entry is nicely copied to the OneNote Sidenotes tab:
I like the format. But each entry is saved on a separate page. You can easily email individual items, but consolidating them into one list would be cumbersome.
RSS Bandit has a Send to OneNote plugin that works in a similar way. I don't like the format quite as much as the "Send to OneNote" feature above, though.
Do you monitor/filter news for people in your organization using RSS? What tools work for you?
If you're having a hard time getting you and/or your staff started on such a process, take this tip from Anne Welsh's article "Internal Wikis for Procedures and Training", in Online Nov./Dec. 2007. "one colleague...asked me to set up wiki pages for each of the topics I would like to know about, with prompt questions. Having read these, they worked through the procedures "live," stopping every 10 minutes or so to document what they'd done. Then we used their notes as the basis for a walk-through of each task. I added any additional notes I thought I'd need.." What a brilliant way to encourage staff members to detail procedures in a wiki!
Procedures can change on a daily basis. A wiki is ideal for creating a "living" procedures manual that can be easily edited by whomever you choose. Just think, start a procedures wiki and next time you get a new employee, you'll be ready!
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