Weblogs as Base for Knowledge Management Systems?

cpfeifer asks: "I'm joining a small startup that needs a knowledge management solution. I know that 'knowledge management' is seen an empty buzzword, but after working at a company where the communication is very poor, I see the value of allowing folks to post their own news instead of having it filtered through some sort of corporate newsletter. I've seen the commercial portals (Plumtree & others), but after seeing a couple of OSS publication systems (phpNuke, Slash), I think these would fit the bill quite nicely." Aside from some of the basic features found in weblogs (posting, archival, sorting and searching), what else is necessary for the proper maintenance and use of such a system? How hard would it be to adapt existing weblog-ware to this task?

Re:tsop tsrif

[unitron]

When you tried to spell "our" backwards, it came out "rou" (which is "uor" frontwards), instead of "ruo". Does this mean that you are dyslexic? Does this mean that you are cixelsyd?

Reduce turnover

[ObviousGuy]

The most important and accessible location of information is in your experienced employees' heads. It's great to have things written down and all and it should certainly be encouraged, but even with such knowledge, it is much easier to interpret the writings if the person is still on staff.

So bottom line: Pay the engineers a lot. Don't let them leave the company.

Wiki

[King of the World]

Weblog software is based around entries for a time period (posts from last week, etc.). Most Knowledge Bases aren't time-based, they're topic based, so there's no immediate fit. Also, weblog software isn't really about editing someone else's posts to improve the information like most KB's are.

Go for a Wiki. I can recommend MoinMoin

(sorry if there are any spelling mistakes, My goddamn fonts are broken and I can only read this back in this bizarre roman/metropolis thingy)

Re:Wiki

[cpfeifer]

I initially thought of a wiki, but there's navigational issues. Folks get lost navigating though a big hypertext without some sort of visual user cues about where they are, where they've been. Can you put attachments in wikis e.g. binary documents?

Re:Wiki

[Anonymous Coward]

TWiki (twiki.org [twiki.org]) can do this, it's specifically designed for corporate intranets. Every page knows what its "parent" is, and you can see the chain all the way to the main page, and you can also attach binary files to any page. Pages and attachments are kept under version control so you can easily see the history of a topic.

Wiki Absolutely!

[Big Sean O]

A Wiki would be preferable to a weblog for a couple of reasons:

1. Knowledge changes over time.
   
2. Connections between topics are central to understanding.
   
3. Each person has something to contribute. It's important to keep the participation threshold low.
   

A Wiki has these benefits over a Weblog.

Most wikis support a RecentChanges page. This allows you to see what topics have been modified recently. Therefore you can track those projects/clients/topics that interest you.

The participation threshold is very low. You don't have to learn any formatting codes. Links to other topics are created by smashing words together LikeSo or putting them in brackets [LikeThis]. (No bothersome href's to type).

I'd recommend UseMod Wiki [usemod.com] because it's simple to setup (it's perl-based and doesn't rely on a fancy DBMS on the backend) and it is fairly free of 'creeping featuritis' which plague some of the other Wiki products.

Re:Wiki Absolutely!

[metacosm]

I agree entirely with the above post, and, our IT department uses a wiki every single day, it has brought our group together and has become the knowledge center.

Features you really want in a Wiki/Weblog

• Revision History
  
• Login
  
• Upload
  
• Data/Article Connections
  
• Everyone can participate
  

Recommendations for getting it in use

• Seed the database with the data you control
  
• Create some good "general" pages like PhoneBook, SoftWare, Documents, ToDo, ScratchBoard, SandBox
  
• Put software and shared apps in it
  
• Put backgrounds or other goofy stuff related to your company up
  
• Let it be known it is an open-forum and EVERYONE is welcome to edit EVERYTHING.
  

My company personally uses OpenWiki [openwiki.com] backed by Microsoft SQL 2000 (you can leave it with the default of a Jet 4.0 database).

What I did to jumpstart usage is started a few good wiki pages, such as PhoneBook and SoftWare. Places where we could keep track of phone numbers, and upload all the software we deploy around.

That was about 2 months ago, and it started with around 10 pages, it is now well above 500 pages, and growing everyday. And many of the pages are long (50+ pages printed out) full of great documentation.

TWiki

[DamienMcKenna]

Try TWiki [twiki.org], a perl-based system that adds version control, user accounts and a range of other useful features. The UI is a bit icky, but you can edit the templates to fix that.

More than Wiki

[candot]

I was in the same spot a month ago and just finished evaluating all the options (including Wikis). The Wikis are good, but not enough for everything you'll need. I'm a few weeks into evaluating infocetera [infocetera.com] and think I'll wind up keeping it. It's got a Wiki, plus a host of default databases (contacts, calendar, etc.), plus the ability to build your own, plus messaging and attachments, plus ACLs...all with a GUI for admin. Payment is on the 'honor' system (I haven't paid yet, but expect to soon--really).

slashcode

[farnsworth]

I'm joining a small startup that needs a knowledge management solution...

you should use slashcode as soon as you figure out a way to patch it to reject idiotic 'Ask <small startup>'.

please share your patch.

: |

Choices

[McCarrum]

I havent seen any blogs really do that good a job at some like Content Management, but writing a plugin for such wouldn't be so hard.

A blog can be a good choice to start with though, as they'll handle the whole user authentification, security (if your blog of choice DOES security), templates, etc etc etc.

As a developer of Geeklog, we do have a security system, based on the typical *nix model of users and groups, along with the ability to use these through a quasi-friendly plugin api ... i say quasi friendly as I've yet to meet an api which IS friendly.

If it's a fairly open staffing/documentation setup over there, I'd recommend a wiki. PHPWiki is pretty good from experience, and now does handle user logins.

What, you want Everything?

[Karora]

I've looked at using Everything2 [everything2.com] for doing this in the past.

Not particularly difficult to implement.

PostNuke

[Thalinor]

try PostNuke [postnuke.com].

it does all phpnuke does plus

• is more secure (see bugtraq)
  
• allows posting from the desktop (Blogger API)
  
• has a wiki module
  
• has a clean architecture
  
• has a roadmap
  
• has dozens of able developers (phpnuke is a one man show)
  
• has live support over IRC
  

there is more, but i think you get the idea.

Re:PostNuke

[MadAhab]

Security alone is a good reason. Having a clean architecture probably helps that. PHP makes things "easy": query string variables can be used naively as they are "magically" initialized variables. That's good for novice programmers and bad for security because if you forget to initialize a variable, someone else can do it for you. PHPNuke has had, IIRC, a number of problems like that, including query string injection attacks.

Re:PostNuke

[JabberWokky]

PHP makes things "easy": query string variables can be used naively as they are "magically" initialized variables.

FWIW, the first thing I do is turn off that behaviour - PHP can quickly be tightened down at the master configuration level, and loosened for 3rd party scripts that were written with the less secure model in mind.

For any script longer than a few dozen lines, you should lock down PHP, an easy task, but one that really needs to be done *before* you start coding.

--
Evan

The trick is getting them to use it

[Kris_J]

I designed an event-logging database a few years back, ideal for core staff to keep track of phone calls, marketing or whatever in relation to each item in their portfolios. At the suggestion of one staff member I added a feature or two and created a "knowledge-base" journal-like thing where staff could post their current problems and/or solutions. The idea was to save time by each staff member not having to duplicate prior work. Thing was, the staff were only interesting in getting stuff out of it and not putting things into it. In no time at all it collapsed.

Ultimately the major barrier was typing speed. When it takes 10 times longer to type something in than to mention it at the next department lunch, they tend not to bother. I left that place before I ever implemented a solution. We tried providing a touch-typing tutorial CD, but few staff could be bothered running it.

The second most major barrier is that people value their knowledge and wish to keep it to themselves. These sorts of automated, souless information repositories don't help -- specifically, thinking that some big tech-oriented buzzword will allow turnover to stay at 50%pa without the company eventually being full only of people that don't know what they're doing does tend to re-enforce the belief that staff are not considered valuable as individuals.

If you find a solution, let me know.

Re:The trick is getting them to use it

[ObviousGuy]

An easier system of your first example is to simply have an email alias that is meant to be used for asking technical questions. Those who don't want to participate and hoard knowledge can refrain from the group while anyone who is interested in such a discussion can join.

Re:The trick is getting them to use it

[styrotech]

Maybe you could add moderation features - that way staff would be fighting each to get the best moderated comments (sound familiar?).

Peoples karma could then be brought up at their performance reviews.

Seriously now that I think about it, if people got some recogition for sharing useful knowledge (rather than just slashdot karma whoring) that could motivate people to share more. Leave out the Anonymous Coward though - I doubt your boss would appreciate 'first post' and 'hot grits' trolls on a work system.

And the moderation system could be configured so that highly rated bits of info hang round while the crap would just fade out over time.

Of course it would probably help if the system wasn't just a weblog (nobody would just view that), but part of a bigger system so the comments could get attached to a real world 'object' in the company - ie a project or a budget or a client etc.

You want Everything

[Wonko42]

You don't want a weblog, you want Everything [everydevel.com]. I think it would suit your purposes perfectly.

Re:You want Everything

[Hard_Code]

Hmm, I didn't know the Everything2 "engine" was open source. I've been hunting for a while now for something weblog-ish that I can use partly as a chronological diary, but also partly, as the poster says, as a "knowledge base". I come accross so much stuff on the net, it is way too inefficient to simply store links (which after all might go dead, and are non-searcheable). What would be ideal is a weblog in which there was a special "type" of post, which basically mirrored a page/site I visited that day...so if I *knew* I read something about a topic, I could search my weblog for some keywords, and find, sure enough, I ran into it a few months ago, and there is the copy of the page for me to read.

Re:You want Everything

[an_mo]

I think any wiki [c2.com] clone will be more appropriate. Try
phpwiki [sourceforge.net]
(in perl) usemod wiki [usemod.com].
There are dozens more clones [c2.com].

General KM functionality

[Twylite]

I've put a lot of time into investigating KM and how people can derive benefit from it. Here are some things you should look out for:

• Accept that people are knowledge, stuff on disks and screens is data (unfiltered) or information (filtered).
• The most important criteria for benefitting from KM is getting people to use it - both to retrieve AND to store information that they know. If you don't get buy-in, forget it.
• The value of KM is best realised when people know what sort of information they can find in the knowledgebase, and how to find it. This means structure and education/buy-in.
• Hierarchical contents (book-style ToC) and cross-references (Wiki style) are orthogonal, and BOTH are required for successful KM. Information should also be able to appear in multiple places in the ToC.
• Make templates, and use them. Template structure individual pieces of information and make it easier to determine if they are relevant, as well as to absorb them. The template can be a simple text document with headings and "(add your info here)" statements.
• Related to the last point, try to have a title, summary, and list of references / similar information for every piece of information. An author, date/time and keyword list are also good ideas.
• You MUST have the ability to do a free-text search, giving preference to matches in keywords, titles and summaries.

Take a look at KeyNote [pdi.net], its a free note manager, and unfortunately not networked, but has many of the requirements for a really good knowledge manager.

around here

[ealar dlanvuli]

We use dept email, works well enough.

Re:around here

[cpfeifer]

I agree. Email works too, but email isn't centrally archived and isn't searchable by everyone (except for the email admin, ideally).

The whole point of a KM solution is to act as a central repository for "stuff" (project status, project documents, FAQs, internal processes...) so that nothing gets lost, nothing goes floating off into space. I know it's not a silver bullet, but every little bit helps.

Re:around here

[tzanger]

I agree. Email works too, but email isn't centrally archived and isn't searchable by everyone (except for the email admin, ideally).

So set up a mailing list instead. It's still email, and it's archived, threaded and searchable.

Re:around here

[JabberWokky]

So set up a mailing list instead. It's still email, and it's archived, threaded and searchable.

Or a shared IMAP directory... something I need to do this week for managing tasks. :)

--
Evan

We tried phpNuke

[scottm]

At my last job, I set up PHP Nuke, mainly as a way to give myself a decent looking place to post downtime announcements and links/downloads. It was "informally" marketed as a repository for relevent project information, but almost noone used it. I suspect it could have worked all right (would have few enough "stories" that it's not like stuff would scroll off the page too quickly), but there would have had to have been a lot more grassroots support, people using it every day.

As it was I think I had one developer who regularly posted things, and most who either didn't check it, or only read it when I sent out an email announcing downtime and pointing at the page for more information.

Something like Everything2 would be nice, but (correct me if I'm wrong), you kind of rely on people building up the links to disparate nodes/topics. As a place to store notes/information/real details about particular topics it seems like it might be a bit lacking.

The only other solutions I'm personally familiar with are basically simple cgi scripts that append notes to a flat file and display it. I use something like that for sysadmin notes as it's better then a text file, but that's about the best endorsement I can give it....

I'd be interested to see what something like php nuke or slash could do if you had support in a small company to use it.

The real problem is forcing people to use it.

[cyberkreiger]

I installed Bugzilla [mozilla.org] at work, because i was tired of people putting post-its on my screen and mentioning bugs at coffee-break.

To get people to use it, i had to turn into a bitchy hard-ass.
Whenever someone had a bug they wanted fixed i went "Have you entered it in the Bugzilla? No? Then i don't know anything about it."
In short, i refused to fix any bug unless it was entered into the bugzilla.

Now, i was in a position where i was able to do this without the risk of getting fired. (Although i felt a little uncertain about this at times... especially when my boss claimed it was too much work for him to be bothered to use the bugzilla, when he could just talk directly to me. )

Of course, once people got used to Bugzilla, they started liking it.
After all, in the end it's about making it easier for everyone to obtain information and do useful work.
You just have to get over the acceptance threshold.
Unfortunately, a bit of forcing is required to change the ways people work, and not everyone is in the position to do this.

PostNuke

[reddog1]

In your search for content management systems check out www.postnuke.com [postnuke.com]. It is a fork of the PHP-Nuke project. It is run much better. It is more secure, as seen in buqtrac, and they have rewritten the entire core. It is truly much nicer then phpnuke. Not to mention the fact that phpnuke is a one man show and postnuke has dozens of developers. With a little enginuity you should be able to get your weblog written as a module but it will require some coding :-) Good Luck!

Weblogs and Wikis and KM, oh my

[Rademir]

PikiePikie [darktech.org] is another possibility, a GPL wiki simple enough to hack on yourself (Python), and it also can put a weblog on any page.

You might also find my Wiki Weblog PIM [ourpla.net] page of interest, it links to many relevant resources.