In a previous post I discussed the value of LinkedIn as a networking tool. I expressed my surprise that there is no real culture of networking in the UK. In the Netherlands it is one network event after the other, here it is all more formal, networking for networking sake seems to be out of order.
No matter whether I am right or wrong about this, I think it is my duty to write about networking the Dutch way so that I can educate the English. I know I am arrogant like that…No really, I have a different interest and that is that I think Web 2.0 features are going to push forward the concept of social networking in a large way throughout the World.
Read this blog on Yahoo to get an idea about what networking is when applied to face to face situations. Where Web 2.0 is actually helping us to understand this concept better and better, as well as helping us to get better at it, it is no substitute for ‘real’ networking events. In a sense the technology gags us, as shown by this excellent picture:
thanks to noblelglobel@Flickr
At the University of Groningen network events are commonplace, lets make this part of the Sheffield culture as well!
Part of my networking affliction stems from the fact that I have a broad knowledge rather than a specific knowledge, I am always painfully aware of shortcomings in, let’s say, my programming knowledge. Knowing the people I know however I can almost always find the answer to questions (once I decided how to best formulate them!).
This is the essence of good knowledge management, knowing what you know, and knowing who knows what you don’t. There is no codification effort that can replace that basic stance, there are however codifications (of knowledge) that help find the knowledge you need. It is this area of codification I am currently investigating in the OrganiK project, on which there will be more info in later blog posts.
