As the internet and technology continue developing, more and more information becomes easily accessible to us. Having the right information is absolutely necessary for achieving any goal, but managing information can be very difficult, especially if you have to deal with large amounts of data. If you want to be successful in managing information, you may want to get familiar with the concept of knowledge management and the ways it can be realized.
What is knowledge management?
Knowledge management (KM) is a process in which knowledge and information are created, shared, used and managed. Commonly, that knowledge and information belong to a certain organization. Knowledge management can be realized through KM systems and KM platforms.
What are KM systems and platforms?
A KM system refers to any kind of internet technology system that does the job of storing and retrieving information, improving collaboration, locating knowledge sources, mining repositories for hidden knowledge, capturing and using knowledge, and the list goes on. In simple words, a KM system can be explained as something that, as the name implies, stores knowledge and manages it in a more effective way, making it more accessible to us.
When talking about KM platforms, the same can be said as for KM systems, the only difference being the fact that a platform represents a group of technologies that are used as the base for developing and using other applications, processes or technologies.
What are KM systems and platforms used for?
KM systems are used to sort out enormous amounts of data in a specific programmed way. KM systems vary due to different programming. The better algorithms a KM system contains, the better it will perform.
The purpose of a KM system is to facilitate the process of finding, grouping, manipulating, and sharing information, although sharing information is more related to KM platforms. Think of it this way: it is far easier to find a book in a big library when the librarian tells you which sector to go to and which shelf to look at. But if you cannot ask the librarian for help, you will probably have a tough time finding the book that you need.
KM platforms as groups of people
KM platforms consist of groups of people who are connected to each other and allowed to use the information on the platform for their own needs. There may be some differences regarding who can and cannot add and edit the information on the platform, but that depends on the type of permission you are granted.
More experienced members of larger platforms will have more freedom to get information onto the platform and edit what they think isn’t correct. On the other hand, new and untrusted members won’t have any permission to add or edit data, but they will have all the rights to use any piece of information that is available on the platform since they cannot harm anyone or disturb anything by doing that. Once they prove to be trustworthy, they can get various types of permission that more experienced members have.
You can also create your own platform, which enables you to edit all the information and grant permission to the members. However, you will need to get KM software that will enable you to implement KM systems onto your platform.
