Comments on 3 Geeks and a Law Blog: Capturing Knowledge: If You've Highlighted Everyth...

Thanks for this post

2011-08-11T13:46:28.160-05:00

Thanks for this post

well written

2009-08-10T15:19:59.347-05:00

well written

I go with Greg on this one Mary, I think we've...

2009-07-30T01:29:09.325-05:00

I go with Greg on this one Mary, I think we've been given the easy "magic box" way out by the software vendors, and we've jumped at it, abandoning our responsibility to be more prudent with how we create and store information. Knowledge workers need to become more IM and RM literate, alongside the enablement of technology. Only people make machines smart, at the moment, neither people nor machines are particularly smart when it comes to organisational memory (cleverness doesn't count as smart).

Thanks Laura and Mary! As for the "filter on...

2009-07-29T09:25:28.055-05:00

Thanks Laura and Mary!

As for the "filter on the way in" approach, I think that is the way to go. Toby and I have discussions about the "value" of information that flows into a firm and we've both decided that capturing information tends to be more of a liability than an asset in the long run.

Despite the fact that Tera bytes of information "can" be stored, archived and later retrieved pretty easily, and at a relatively inexpensive cost, doesn't mean you "should". When you take the approach of "filtering on the way out", you're setting yourself up for eventual problems ranging from legal trouble to retrieval trouble.

Those working in the firm need to become more comfortable with the 'delete' button and not take the "save everything because we might need something later" approach.

Terrific post, Greg. There's a school of thou...

2009-07-29T08:51:25.876-05:00

Terrific post, Greg. There's a school of thought that suggests we should save without filtering and trust that when we need particular information, we'll have the requisite tools/technology to find it. According to this line of thinking, "everything is miscellaneous" and it can be hard to know at the moment of storage exactly what you're going to need later. It sounds like you're advocating the opposite approach -- filter on the way in rather than on the way out. While your approach certainly appeals to my Puritan work ethic and sense of good order, should it be supported given the declining costs of search technology and data storage?

- Mary

"When we try to capture everything, we end up...

2009-07-29T08:31:09.076-05:00

"When we try to capture everything, we end up capturing nothing." Wish I'd said it. Bravo! CYA = love it.