For some reason…. the word legacy has been on the brain lately. Are we doing good things with this moment in time when accessible tools for creating, communicating and collaborating (how’s that for alliteration?) are developed and refined on a daily basis? It would seem like a wasted chance to not take full advantage of these platforms.
However, legacy as the term defined by Merriam Webster as “transmitted by an ancestor” only felt partially right for describing the sense of purpose that has been gnawing as of late. Although, I have envied those that have achieved the great accomplishment of authoring a book or composing music that lives well beyond their physical being … where I am coming from is more in line with compiling Knowledge.
For a business perspective from the past, institutional knowledge was attempted to be documented via policy manuals. Those with the task of compiling would discuss practices with the implementers, document their findings to be analyzed and revised by higher ups in the organization, and ultimately published and distributed as a way to pass on this information.
The great missing elements were;
A) True collaboration, in the sense those with the most detailed and explicit knowledge were filtered by those that were doing the documenting.
B) Ease of access and search functionality for this knowledge was hampered by the limitations of paper in a binder.
C) Refinement of the knowledge by way of simple editing tools, which would allow for updates as new knowledge was obtained.
This great bank of knowledge was obsolete almost as soon as it was published!
This is no longer the case as knowledge can be gathered and shared in real time via blogs, audio podcasts, video podcasts and ultimately collected, refined, protected and transmitted via Wikis.
Taking the extra step of establishing a Wiki seems to be the culmination point that has been missing as we have morphed from the various stages of internet functionality … however, it represents THE ultimate purpose for all of this. Yes, it’s great that we can shop, chat with long lost friends, build communities, and send 140 character updates, but there can be nothing more responsible than compiling and refining your personal knowledge in a way that is accessible for others.
The capability is not only limited to the demands of corporations but can be applied to social scenarios such as parenting, the arts, hobbies, etc.
A great example of creating knowledge in a real time way and transferring that information into a searchable, cross-referenced database has been developed by Leo Laporte at his great TWiT Network.
All of the information about the hosts, shows and references from his vast array of programming can be found at the TWiT Wiki. As Leo, the hosts and guests on the podcasts discuss current topics, the information that they bring to light is updated into the Wiki as another means of distributing the knowledge.
Why shouldn’t we operate under the same premise? As we are all investing considerable amounts of time creating rich media content for the web, isn’t it our responsibility to compile the information in such a way that it can be transferable?
Blogs are a great linear form of stating facts and opinions with some level of search functionality, however the content tends to scroll off the front page and land in the archives. A wiki format creates a much simpler way to maintain and access this information .. including the ability to update and collaborate.
Just think how you would feel if you had the ability to peruse your parents or grandparents Wiki detailing all that they knew about farming, blacksmithing, pottery .. or whatever their area of interests might have been. It would be fascinating as well as informative!
Now, go forth and Wiki ….
