Just moved this blog to my very own domain which is http://www.synkarma.com. So hence please check for all updates to this blog there. I will be continuing to also post copies of the posts on Synkarma.com, here, for all those who continue to follow up on this blog through the feeds on their feedburners.

 

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As mentioned in my last post, quite a few people commented on my presentation at Barcamp , held almost a month back in sprawling Adobe campus in Delhi. I should have posted this a long time back, nevertheless here it is.

 

My presentation focused on how to build a quick solution to inculcate Knowledge Sharing in an organization, using the raw power and versatility, structured blogging (SB) gives you. In my opinion structured blogging has unlimited potential and can be put to use in a lot of innovative ways, Knowledge Management is just one of them.

 

So let me elaborate on how you could go about building a Knowledge Enterprise, using the SB plugin in a wordpress or movable type weblog publishing platform.

 

In general SB revolves around creating your own customizable templates. The templates are referred to as microcontent. The microcontent definitions are specified in an xml file. Now a standard knowledge management system allows you to publish the following types of artifacts:

So all you need to do is build the microcontent definitions corresponding to the above knowledge artifacts, and you have the ability to publish these content types.

 

Sure that's just the difficult part we solved. Here's how we further take the advantages which a blogging platform offers you to expand the capabilities of such a solution. The weblog platform will offer you an integrated search capability, integrated comments (which of course expands the realm of knowledge captured), ability to review content before publishing (a.k.a drafts) and even the functionality to rate content.

 

Again as I mentioned, this is a quick solution to Knowledge Management, and guess what, it comes to you at almost no cost. There are organizations who have spent millions of dollars to build systems which accomplish just all of the above I mentioned. However the power of SB and a little bit of innovative thought can get this system up in a matter of hours.

 

Now here is where I start dreaming, and dream about a world where we have standard templates and open formats for knowledge management, which are searchable, thus catapulting the world into one knowledge society, where it's so much easier to find bodies of knowledge and knowledge artifacts, related to any and every sphere of capital assets which are purely intellectual. With SB we have a platform and blogs have gained acceptability, so maybe my dream may soon turn into a reality.

 

The audience who attended my presentation at the barcamp were sceptic about the possibilities of this, but nevertheless shared my dream.

 

In case you are interested in getting a copy of my presentation at barcamp, follow this link.

 

As Web Applications become a commonality and the ability to build powerful feature laden web applications increases, a continuous beta cycle is starting to make more sense.

 

Google (or Gmail) has been accused by many of keeping it's software in beta for extended periods of time, despite the fact that it's being widely used and does not qualify in the traditional definition of beta software(...software tested through a limited roll-out to a production environment using live data and real users).

 

Now Google has always been known to make the rules when it comes to Web, rather than follow it. So even though it has been accused for doing this because it is a way out for the company against offering full support or take responsibility for remaining issues, I believe that's a rather skewed view.

 

The definitions of beta software when it comes to the web are changing. Companies would continue to keep their web software in beta for longer periods of time, not for the reasons mentioned above, but because this allows the users of those software to better absorb the existing features, before the next set is rolled out.

 

To better explain my point lets take Google's example. They released Gmail first around two years back. Sure it had bugs then and getting a gmail account was invite only. They added lots of cool features hence including the infinity+1 storage. So when you got used to using all the basic features and could absorb how they function and what they mean you were ready for the next set of functionality. Gtalk was released separately and integrated with Gmail (what an awesome job there..really love it!!). So Google made sure it's users were not overwhelmed by the immense set of features they had put into the site. Imagine if you would have got a gmail account only after the Google devs complete the development of Gmail+GTalk and the integration of the same as well. A lot of the non-geek users would have been confused.

 

Another example it Ourmedia.org, with 80,000 + registered users, it's still in alpha.

 

Web software is distinctly different from desktop software. I would think twice before installing the Beta 2 version of IE7 on my desktop, but I signed up for Windows-Live Mail, the very instant it was released. So it's necessary to break the stereotype and redefine strategies for product development when it comes to web software.

 

It could very well start with redefinition of Greek letters "alpha" and "beta" software for the web.