Knowledge Management using Forums/Discussion Groups 2

[Ussuri]

At my last employer the company operated a discussion group system internally across the intranet. This was very similar to Eng-tips in its usage and content.

Every few months the Knowledge Management Team would provide details of how well the sites were being used. One common point that was raised that the number of people who would post on the forum was about 10-20% of the total people who actually read them.

Eng-tips has 487,000 members with over 17,000 posts a month and that got me wondering. Why is it that lots of people read a forum but only a small percentage will contribute? Is this a confidence thing or does it require a specific type of person to want to try and help solve a strangers problem?

 

[epoisses]

Not everybody can answer every question, obviously. If an average person can answer 10% of the questions (which I guess is already overestimated), you will see 10 times as many readers as posters.
Re company discussion forums, yes my previous employer had one too. EngTips is populated with volunteers, i.e. by defition people who think it's fun to read and post things in a forum. A large portion of the company discussion forums populations consist of people who don't think it's fun, but go there from time to time if they need an answer to a specific question. This also means that a company discussion forum needs a certain critical mass, otherwise the occasional users never find what they need and the population of active users will always be limited to the people who think it's fun (and have nothing more urgent to do ). To boost participation in company discussion forums it is important that forum driven achievements are rewarded... but only REAL achievements otherwise it becomes a futile politically correct exercise.

 

[Cogs]

Ussuri
I guess it does take a special type of person to help a stranger with their problem, but imho engineers are a special type of people!.

In my own use of Eng-Tips I find that the questions are usualy answered well by some very active subscribers and the MVPs, it then seems that adding further comments (to the technical queries) is superfluous.

Some of the more open and discursive threads are just great for an ongoing dialogue for opinions and experiences to be shared, I love reading them, but it does seem as though the participants are known to each other and that with the banter it feels just a little like eavesdropping on a group of friends! so I'd say there is a confidence thing about it too.

Of course there are also many folks who just have deadlines to meet and don't have the time to do anything but search out a specific solution, I've gone a couple of months between visits on many occasions.

I also subscribe to some forums that I have little or no professional connection to, but find it fascinating to see what sort of problems and solutions others are faced with. These I would not readily respond to unless I had some expertise that would be of use.

How about you, what would you say your use or participation is like?

 

[Ussuri]

I visit the site daily. On most occasions more than once. I personally think I am nosy and like seeing what engineering problems people are coming across. I have also learnt quite a lot and I'm still staggered by the breadth of knowledge many engineers have. In that respect I think I have quite a way to go.

I think the point I was making/or was pointed out to me was that there are (probably) readers out there in forum-land who read the posts but dont contribute even if they know the answer. Myself, even if someone has answered a question I might still put in two pence worth.

This might be as a result of the fact that it was a company forum, and in that respect different to eng-tips. It would be interesting to know out of the 487,000 members how many were classed as 'active'.

 

[Ashereng]

In a company's discussion forum, there is another issue that is missing from Eng-Tips.

If you make a mistake in your company's forum, it could affect your career.

If you make a mistake in Eng-Tips, someone (or everyone) corrects you, you learn, and go on.

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[0707]

This is a good site to sharing experiences and help each other’s because there is no "concurrence" we are far from each others! And we don’t even know each other! So we win nothing but fun in being helpful.

If I know the answer of a particular posting of course I fill happy in replying! The same way when I post a question I like to be answered. This is a vast forum with a good criticism background, with people from different cultures, which in my point of view add value to the discussion. A company forum is another thing, is a little bit a “fair of vanities” without enough critical mass to give a sincere opinion.


Long life to Eng-Tips!

 

[0707]

Hi Ashereng


I take the opportunity to make public my apologies because of some misunderstanding from my site in being impolite to you on de discussion of the “future of mass transportation”

As you always end your replies with:

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

I supposed that with your statement you are warning me because of an improper posting or something like that. Excuse me my misunderstanding

Once again my apologies

Luis Marques

 

[Ashereng]

No apologies are required. I am not aware that I am offened.

If my postings have helped, I am glad.

If my postings have offended, or are incorrect, any notification to those effects are required/deserved.

Once again, no apologies are required.

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[corus]

Ashereng is quite correct in saying that within a company there is a reluctance to answer a question in case, however well intentioned, you get the answer wrong. It would be a blot on your copy book , as they say. A certain amount of anonyminity might be useful to overcome that problem, as is used on this site.

I would be interested to know how epoisses thinks forum driven achievements could be rewarded? And what is a forum driven achievement, or a REAL achievement? To me it sounds like management gobbedygook, but I claim the right to be the first to use the acronym FDA if it helps me up that greasy pole.

corus

 

[IRstuff]

I think that depends heavily on the enlightenment of the management. Some companies would use such responses to bash people about the head and shoulders. Other companies would see it as a means of getting their employees to expand their horizons as well as find out the hidden talents their employees. We've attempted to so something like that with an annual "skills assessment," wherein we've found a particular engineer with patents in an area that he hasn't been associated with while at the present company.

If run correctly, such a forum can be a way to get "out of the box" thinking and contributions.

TTFN

 

[epoisses]

Re rewarding forum driven ideas, we used to have quarterly (I believe) site meetings in which forum progress was discussed and any benefits obtained through projects or operational changes resulting from exchange of knowledge on the forum were highlighted. Highlighting in presence of management is already rewarding for most engineers (OK it may be counterproductive for certain other ones ), but you might as well consider a somewhat more interesting celebration (dinner with senior management) for the team that captured the highest benefits. If the forum is a multi site thing, this may allow teams from different sites to meet each other, which can be a lot of fun and may again lead to more exchange of ideas.
Of course, all this is done at the risk of the process turning against itself and becoming a reporting exercise rather than real engineering work.

 

[epoisses]

PS I know my multiple mentions of management presence are somewhat overwhelming, but management involvement is simply very important in order for this to work i.e. for people to make time available for serious knowledge exchange.

 

[epoisses]

IRstuff, this may be less relevant to Aerospace, but in Refining or Chemical there are huge potential benefits from knowledge exchange across different sites that have roughly the same configuration hence the same challenges. You'd be amazed how often you run into a problem that has already been cracked at an other affiliate.

 

[heieup]

From my point of view there are three reasons I often read and don't post.

Firstly sufficient answers are often provided by others before I've read the thread, so adding info later doesn't seem worth it.

Secondly, a lot are very US based and therefore UK info is often not relevant.

Finally, on a couple of occasions where I have given my considered opinion I have been shot down in flames by a number of other posters. Not because what I've said is incorrect but because they simply don't agree and can't take the time to consider that a different opinion might be worth consideration. Now I don't need this in my life ! Don't get me wrong, if I am wrong the correct me but don't shoot if you simply don't agree with my opinion, there is really no need.

 

[epoisses]

True, true, and thirdly, well if it's true for you it must be true, on the other hand I think most people on EngTips are awfully polite and friendly compared to certain other forums.

I don't post that often because I'm not that horribly experienced. There are certain people in Chemical and Refining with centuries of experience and centuries of time to edit a pages-long and extremely accurate and helpful post, I usually can't add much with my 2 cents...

 

[Cogs]

I'd agree with epoisses that most responses are polite and that the majority of people word their replies so that when a difference of opinion is offered it is done so without being offensive. But as heieup pointed out there are those minority who seem to be a lot less able to accomodate other peoples opinions, on these occasions I find it's embarasing to read these 'flamers' much less be on the recieving end! One wonders what those folk are like to have as work collegues!.

Out if interest, I wonder if there is a correlation between the the type of person according to their team character (from the social scientist - Belbin?) and their forum activity.

 

[Ashereng]

heieup,

If you feel that a response is inappropriate, and Eng-Tips does actively discourage flame wars, you can "Red Flag" the post and notify the administrators that a response is inappropriate. They will handle it.

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[IRstuff]

epoisses,

Actually, I'm not surprised at all, now.

I spent 6 months in 1984 on a "tiger team" trying to solve a problem that had been solved and published in the IBM Systems Journal in 1971.

TTFN

 

[swearingen]

I felt I had to jump in on the "polite postings" subject. Having started what seems to be one of the most argued threads I've seen on this forum (the Excel order of operations issue), I have to say that this is by far the most polite forum I've had anything to do with. I've seen many other forum posts elsewhere decline to grade-school level name-calling.

This is definitely the most professional and polite forum I've seen.

 

[corus]

heieup is correct in saying that here it seems to be mostly US based questions, but it is worthwhile getting a different perspective on a subject from a different country, even if it doesn't seem directly relevant.





corus