I will break my own principle about not simply referencing another blog’s work, but I think in this case, it’s a worthwhile rule break. I came across a great piece by Harold Jarche on his blog called Sense Making with PKM.
Harold nicely lays out a simple Personal Knowledge Management framework combining internal processes with external activities. He then maps these processes and activities to web 2.0 tools (both generic types and specific open source examples.)
How Effectively Are You Managing Your Personal Knowledge?
Harold’s work resonated strongly with me, and I plan to work hard at personally applying his framework (I know, the best laid plans, and all that!) Perhaps this hit me so forcefully because I have felt somewhat disappointed with my own ability to take real advantage of all these new technologies in a more disciplined and structured way. I use a lot of discrete tools (several social networks and a collaboration hub, Google reader, Delicious, Mindmesiter, Yammer, etc.) but still don’t feel as though I’ve integrated them into a natural process that truly augments my ability to sort, categorize, make explicit, connect, exchange, leverage and contribute to the rapidly proliferating sea of information and knowledge relevant to my world, and to that of my consulting clients.
Please share your own thoughts about this crucial topic – what are you doing that’s helping you? Why do you think its working for you? What are the barriers to getting better at this and how can you mitigate them?
(Graphic image courtey of iKnowlej.com)
Filed under: Change Management, Key Frameworks, Useful Tools, Web 2.0 | Tagged: Personal Knowledge Management, PKM, Web 2.0
Thanks for the kind words, Vaughan. I don’t know if I’ve “mastered” my own PKM process either. I keep adding tools, refining processes and then falling off the wagon when work gets busy. In the long run I’ve found my blog to be my best PKM tool.
Thanks for being candid, Harold! Your comment on your own blog being the best PKM tool really resonates with me. I’ve often found myself searching my blog to help answer a client question.
Blogging itself creates a discipline of reflection, categorizing, making explicit, and going public. In turn, this also facilitates retrieval, connecting and exchanging. And, of course, it’s contributing by definition!
This actually prompted me to write a post back in January called “You’ve got IT questions – we’ve got answers” suggesting that others might use my blog that way.
Anyway, I really like the way you have organized your thinking around this topic – I’m going to try hard to get better at this and will report back in 2-3 months. Meanwhile, your blog is now in a priority position on my RSS reader!
Thanks Harold ! Certainly PKM will lead to a better person in his most perplexed environment.
leoneth