Knowledge Capture

Capture of knowledge has to do with the discovery, acceptance and integration of knowledge into the physical, emotional, and social fabric of the society. Knowledge that is not captured in this way is eventually devalued and eventually ignored. Knowledge is more than statements, declarations and observations. It might be termed IntellectualCurrency. Money is valued when it is deposited or circulated. While money has a stated value, its real value is only demonstrated when it is offered and accepted in an exchange.

---

The idea here is that knowledge undergoes transformations as it is transferred between individuals. Say, for example, that I ask a question on a newsgroup and a guru answers it. That interaction provides a key indicator that makes that knowledge relevant, but there is no means of capturing that knowledge automatically for others. In one sense, the FAQ provides a rudimentary form of knowledge capture, but only for questions that have become annoying. What about the other pieces of knowledge that are exchanged and lost after the interaction? Is this maybe a natural filtering function - i.e., does a question have to be asked 100 times before it is deemed relevant enough to record? -- DonaldNoyes

---

Well, as far as newsgroups are concerned, most exchanges are'' captured. http://www.dejanews.com''

The exchanges are captured, but the knowledge isn't. DejaNews is a remarkable example of some of the potential of KnowledgeCapture, but it doesn't do any filtering or organization. There is an enormous amount of noise for some topics. -- AlexKilpatrick

Of course, knowledge capture is what wikis do, some of the time.

---

The problem is that in wikis, opinion sometimes substitutes for or eradicates knowledge. Openness and freedom to change the record by anyone in a wiki makes this not only possible, but likely, given that posts are often driven by strongly held positions or forceful Agendas.

-- DonaldNoyes 20061118

---

What KnowledgeCapture is not

• The recording of exchanges.
• The reading of another's expressions and statements.

-- DonaldNoyes 20060130

---

Issues concerning Technology

One of the big issues with KnowledgeCapture is that relevant Knowledge, of the kind used in most organizations, is not static. It changes as new processes get implemented and old tools or processes become obsolete.

In some organizations, the people who advance fastest are those that keep learning the new knowledge and keep forgetting the old knowledge.

---

KnowledgeCapture has become a discipline in and of itself. Cal-State University Northridge, for example, now offers a complete program in Knowledge Management... see: http://tsengcollege.csun.edu/km-courses.html

-- JeffChapman

---

CaptureConceptionConstruction? KnowledgeProliferation

---

CategoryKnowledge