Blogging

Using weblogs, or blogs, as vehicles for knowledge management initiatives is a relatively new concept, but one that has gained rapid recognition. The earliest weblogs appeared only a few years ago. As personal journals, often espousing individual political views or chronicling personal daily events, blogs did not seem to fit into an organizational knowledge management framework. Attitudes towards weblogs and uses of blogs are changing quickly, however. In a collaborative work environment, blogs bring significant benefits to enterprises willing to adopt the technology. Writers of blogs, called bloggers, can add to the sum total of knowledge for research projects, share industry and product knowledge, capture and disseminate pertinent news from outside the enterprise, and contribute valuable insights on specific subjects. They are particularly useful for promoting knowledge in cross-cultural environments.