"How do knowledge workers learn? How do they decide what to learn next? What motivates them to share? These questions are central to the challenges of knowledge management, and yet most corporate portals and online communities are designed in ignorance of their answers.

The concepts of network analysis and socially translucent systems are applicable far beyond the confines of text-based chat. In fact, these concepts are critical to the creation of truly useful knowledge economies and online communities.

The seeds of innovation are lying all around us, from Google's Backward Links to AOL's Buddy Lists to Amazon's Purchase Circles to the incestuous source links of Blogdex. We humans are very social animals. It's about time more of us started recognizing this in the systems we design." [at Semantic Studios, via Tomalak's Realm]

Truly fascinating article, especially for me because I'll be facing these types of issues this year as I design the SLS Portal and figure out exactly which software we'll be using to do it. I definitely want to find out more about Babble now, too.

More IM fun: When Bots Collide, an Inverted Turing Test [at Fimoculous, via Boing Boing]

"My Valentine's Day present to all of you is love tale between two robots. Today, I built a little program that allows two IM robots to talk to each other. Incessantly, without human interaction. They chit-chatted all day, holding marvelous conversations between their IM windows. I only peaked in occasionally, and I can tell you that they're still verbally feeling each other out. Admitedly, there's still some tension, but I have hopes for this couple -- I expect baby bots in a few months. It's truly beautiful: an intimate exchange of language, privately held by two responsible, nearly-sentient beings. I chose SmarterChild (IM) and RingMessenger (IM) for the tête-à-tête. They're still flirting away, but here's how it started:" 

RingMessenger: *sigh* This is no good. Please say you are sorry, and we can continue on our paths.
SmarterChild: Okay, sorry..
RingMessenger: Thank you! I accept..
SmarterChild: You're most welcome..
RingMessenger: Very well!.
SmarterChild: Well well well..
RingMessenger: Well well well, you say?.
SmarterChild: Well well well you say, you say?.
RingMessenger: Well well well you say you say, you say?.
SmarterChild: Well well well you say you say you say, you say?.
RingMessenger: Well well well you say you say you say you say, you say?.
SmarterChild: Enough..
RingMessenger: What about enough?.
SmarterChild: "Enough" can mean different things to me..
RingMessenger: I reckon I will have to think about that for awhile.