social networking and knowledge-sourcing in the digital age (for fun and profit) papen september 23...
TRANSCRIPT
Social Networking and Knowledge-Sourcing in the
Digital Age (For Fun and Profit)
PAPEN
September 23rd 2004
Presented by Charles Lanigan
My Background• Professional
– Develop workflow and collaborative applications for PNC Bank– Adjunct Instructor at the University of Pittsburgh College of
Business Administration (CBA)
• Education– MA in Instructional Design & Technology from the University of
Pittsburgh
• Memberships– Pgh. Regional Knowledge-Management Consortium (PRKMC) – Past Pgh. Chapter President, Society for Technical
Communication (STC)
Agenda
• Traditional Job Search and Other Networking
• Online and Virtual Job Search and Other Networking
• Comparison
• News You Can Use: Skills and Techniques
Traditional (In-Person) Networking
• Meet and Greet
• Verbal and Social Skills
• Who You Know (More Than What You Know?)
Traditional Networking Occasions
• The Golf Course
• Professional Events and Conferences
• Social Occasions (e.g., cocktail parties, sports events and bridge nights)
• Bars, Restaurants and Coffee Houses
Traditional Networking Dynamics
• Small Talk
• Personal Introductions
• Friend of a Friend
• Time to Think, Digest Evaluate in Context
Traditional Examples of Sharing Knowledge and Expertise
• Reading Newspapers, Books and Periodicals
• Gossip and Conversation
• Formal Lectures, Teaching and Presentations
• Purposeful and Serendipitous Meetings
Traditional Networking Assets and Skills
• Social Graces• Acting and Looking the Part• Body Language• Art of Conversation and Discourse – Relating to
Others• Being at Ease and Putting Others There• Vocabulary and Language -- Code-Switching• Personal and Professional Reputation – in
Immediate Circle and Larger Community
The Information Revolution• Multiple Sources and Channels of Digital and Other
Information• Emphasis on Speed and Ubiquitousness (Info.
everywhere, all the time through wireless, etc.)• Emphasizes Information as Opposed to Knowledge
(Lack of Context)• Emphasizes Style Over Substance (i.e., PowerPoint and
the downfall of western civ.)• Many Sources Anonymous or Unknown to Us
Personally and -- We Unknown to Them• Hard to Separate the Wheat from the Chaff
Sources of Information and Knowledge-Sourcing in the
Digital Age• Formal and Informal
• Television (Including Advertisements, Infomercials and Programming)
• E-mail and the Internet
• PDAs
• Cell Phones, Pagers, Blackberry
Examples of Virtual Networking and Sources of Knowledge
• Web Sites (for News, Job Searching, etc: Monster.com, Workopolis.)
• Chat rooms, Discussion Forums and Virtual Social Networks Such as Linked-In, Friendster
• Web logs (Blogs)• Collaborative Work Spaces• Wireless Access
Comparison of Networking
In-Person:• Manners• Physical appearance
and tone of voice• Verbal skill• Emotional intelligence
(EQ)• Body
language/confidence• Heavy on reputation
(who you know)
Virtual (Online)
• Netiquette (online courtesy)
• Writing skill (no auditory or body-language cues)
• Clarity of purpose (goal-directed)
• Heavy on technical skill and expertise (what you know)
Personal Implications
Pluses:
• Immediate access
• Libraries at our fingertips
• Interaction across cultures and geography
• Transcends space, time, physical barriers
Personal Implications, Cont.
Minuses:
• Distraction
• Lack of Privacy: Because we can, we are seduced (or forced) into feeling we must always be informed and available
• Instant Gratification
• Information Overload
Social Implications
Pluses:
• Broaden circle of community: Find people and organizations w/ whom we have common interests and goals
• Share expertise (e.g., medical conditions, child-rearing, jobs, etc.)
Social Implications, Cont.
Minuses:• Lack of accountability• Devaluation of content and meaning:
– Shallowness over depth– Instant answers over judgment– Narrowness of interest over universality
• Diminishment of social occasions and need for skills (e.g., old-style coffee house camaraderie and conversation vs. online chat and Starbucks Wi-Fi)
Professional Implications
Pluses:
• Access to an unlimited market to promote yourself or products
• Cheap and easy to put up or join a web site or online forum
Professional Implications, Cont.
Minuses:• Attention-deficit and info. overload • Blurring of personal and professional spaces• Emphasis on giving immediate answers
instead of asking good questions• Seduced into relying on (and blaming)
technology instead of human decision-making abilities
Professional Implications, Cont.
Neither Here Nor There:
• Competing in the global community for customers and jobs (e.g., outsourcing)
• Interacting with individuals from a variety of backgrounds, cultures and locations
• Complicated by lack of common cultural referents and assumptions
News You Can Use: Relevant Skills and Techniques
• Know and ask for what you want• Clearly define terms, goals and tasks. Don’t
automatically assume you know what people mean and they know what you mean
• Beware of lazy communication, obfuscation, jargon and misinterpretation (including those due to cultural differences)
• Give a little and get a little: Knowledge-sourcing is knowledge-sharing
News You Can Use: Things to Keep in Mind
• Use technology for your purpose rather than have it use you
• Evaluate information, demands and tasks on a continuum of urgent vs. important (S.R. Covey)
• Think cost/benefit: web logs, online chat and discussion boards all require an investment of your time and energy
• Six degrees of separation: Just because someone subscribes to the same online forum doesn’t mean you have anything in common. People have their own agendas.
Virtual Networking Examples• Linked-In
– Professional networking/matchmaking service
• Workopolis – Canadian employment site– www.workopolis.com
• RSA– Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures &
Commerce– http://www.thersa.org
• MagicalDesk– Personal networking e-mail and info. Management– http://www.magicaldesk.com
