Knowledge Management and Social Networking

I was recently asked a very thought provoking question about the importance of social networking to knowledge management?

Social networking is having a wide and varied impact on ITSM as a whole. As with all new and emerging technologies, organizations must develop strategies on how social networking will be incorporated into their environment. Policies must be established that define what will and will not be allowed in the corporate arena.

Within the knowledge management process, many organizations are embracing the use of social networking technologies but doing so with caution. Once knowledge is posted on the web, it can take on a life of it’s own. There must be internal security policies that insure that proprietry knowledge does not become available to the public. These policies should address the appropriate use of the technology as well as appropriate staff behavior. Policies and procedures should also be defined for filtering, validating and controlling any knowledge that is posted in a social setting.

Some organizations are developing their own internal social networks for the specific purpose of sharing knowledge among their employees. Employees have the capabilitiy to “post questions” and receive their answers via this social medium.

Social media is evolving and organizations will continue to explore ways to leverage it's capabilities while managing some of the inherent risks.

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