"The first is to examine what KM means in the context of our own status as knowledge workers. If we are expected to create new knowledge, or better apply existing knowledge, or do a better job of sharing knowledge; what new skills and practices does that demand from us? It's too tempting and too easy to fall into the trap of thinking about KM as another one of those topics that affects somebody else in the organization, but I don't need to change. To borrow from the late Walt Kelly, "we have met the enemy, and he is us." I believe this is a fertile and, largely, unexplored dimension of the KM problem....

There will be KM issues that are better addressed at the organizational level than the individual knowledge worker level. Suppose, for example, that you concluded that it would be desirable to reduce an organization's use of email in favor of more KM friendly tools like threaded discussion (or weblogs for that matter). As an individual knowledge worker, you might come to that conclusion, but would make little progress organizationally implementing that decision for yourself. Someone needs to help the organization come to that conclusion and develop a plan for leading the way." [Jim McGee: TEC924]

These two paragraphs represent two of the major issues I'm facing right now. I want to incorporate k-logging into the intranet we're building, but until then (if I can even pull it off) I'm using Radio as my personal KM system. Not for projects mind you, although that might be next. Theoretically I can password protect those directories if need be, and then I'd have a proof of concept. But it would be individual, not organizational. 

Most of the folks in my organization wouldn't consider themselves "knowledge workers." If I'm going to scale it beyond myself and a few others I've gotten to buy into it, I'll have to provide training, documentation, and compelling reasons why folks should do this. How do I identify the skills and practices I'll need to convey to them to make this successful?

Sorry... just worrying out loud here. Hey Jim - can you get me a pair of rose-colored lenses on KM? ;-)

Some more Middle East links:

• The Truth about Israel (a more partisan blog)
• The Electronic Intifada Diaries: Live from Palestine
• IsraelInsider: Security Incidents by week (done in Flash) [via Slate]
• Tal G. in Jerusalem (Israeli blog) [via Slate]
• Electronic Intifada (Palestinian blog) [via Scripting News]

There is much to browse through from the Presentation Links from Internet Librarian International 2002, and I'll probably be reading through almost every presentation on this page, but here's a healthy sampling. [via Library News Daily]

• Benchmarking of Library Web Sites by Brian Kelly and Penny Garrod
• Navigation Elements on Library Web Sites: What Works Best? Lesley Moyo (Powerpoint file)
• Weblogs & Blogging: What & Why? by Peter Scott
• New Devices and the Web by Helen Petrie and Brian Kelly
• Adapting to New Technologies: Wireless by Mary Peterson (Powerpoint file)
• Using RFID Technology in the Library by J.F. Malschaert
• Online Learning Courseware: Web Based Technologies by Darlene Fichter and Frank Cervone (Powerpoint file)

I am hoping that the first two links listed above will complement Andrew Pace's Building and Optimizing Library Web Services issue of Library Technology Reports (the current March/April 2002 issue), which I hope to get to this weekend. (Sorry, but it's available by subscription only.)