Another Election

So i didn't really learn my lesson about the frustrations with working for elections Canada. I was dragged back for yet another election next week, in a higher ranking position. Funny enough i'm actually the assistant to the main person in charge of the election room. So this time, i have the power to go around and explain things to those that don't understand. Thankfully i've been on the otherside of the table and know what it feels like to be lost and not know what to do, due to poor instruction and communication. Now that i have the ability to transfer what i've learned to others, i'll be sure to make their experiences much less stressful than my own. Hopefully December 8th will be a much smoother day than October 14, I plan on actually helping those who don't understand their jobs unlike my predecessors.

Follow up on Wiki

So the project is done, and i have to say communicating through and using a wiki was really an eye opening experience. The wiki saved us so much time and made life so much easier throughout the course of doing the project. Thanks to the wiki, we actually were able to complete the majority of the research and work online, rather than meeting up all the time. The ability to post your work and see others all online instead of a face to face meeting, really makes group work so much easier. I'd recommend anyone writing a long group paper to use a wiki, instead of having ten meetings when hardly anything gets accomplished. I had so many group projects this semester, with so many meetings and had i known using a wiki would have relieved so much stress on my part.
If anyone wants to see our wiki I'd be glad to share it with you.

Videoconferencing

I just wanted to follow up on my groups presentation on videoconferencing. Even while doing research into this topic and learning more about how useful these systems are, it still amazes me to see so many resistant parties. Many companies are hesitant to use this technology, in fear that it's essentially just a stop gap till another more advanced technology comes along. Right now no technology is better suited for transferring knowledge and information of the highest importance than videoconferencing. Granted the costs are high, with full implementation costing around $ 300, 000, however systems like these bring so many added benefits over email and using the phone. For one, it has a high level of collaborative capabilities and ability to transfer knowledge. Furthermore, it allows for real time communication and allows for the richest form of communication, thanks to the ability to display non-verbal communication like body language. Granted the system is pricey, and it may seem a bit complex to some, although i assure you it's not, I'm still puzzled as to why more people haven't implemented videoconferencing?

Barriers

I just wanted to try and get some feedback about the barriers to implementing a knowledge management system at the workplace. We've talked so much about how important trust is for the upkeep and integrity of a wiki system, we've also discussed how employees resistance to change may affect the implementation of such systems. I wanted to know aside from these two, what other barriers may exist?

Some videos

I found these videos on youtube. They talk about some new advancements in collaborative software's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7uFs8SbJww
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssjvh6BhZL8

Using a Wiki

Before taking this class, i didn't know much about wiki's. Aside from Wikipedia, which i truly appreciated for it's easy access to any form of information being searched i never really gave any thought to the use of a wiki. However, after reading many articles and completing case write up's detailing the benefits of using a wiki at the workplace, i grew fond of them. It seemed as though whenever they were implemented they seemed to simplify and allow for easier communication among coworkers. In light of all this, my teammates in group 4 team4tech and i decided that we'd utilize a wiki to communicate and share information about our project. I'll follow up on this post at the end of the semester to let you all know how that worked out.

KM in the workplace

Hello,

Today had to be one of the longest days I've ever endured. I worked for elections Canada at a polling station in my area of the city as i collected voters ballots and tallied the votes. I arrived at 8:30 am to set up, and finished working at around 11:00 pm, it was a very long day for me. Throughout the day i noticed that their was a complete lack of structure internally when communicating among peers. I found that the poll station organizers never properly explained procedures and guidelines for the day, and the volunteers and workers were left with a lot of on the job training. Only problem is, that this job only lasts one day and it's to determine the leadership of our country; an issue many people consider of the utmost importance. Transferring knowledge and information from polling supervisor to poll clerk and dro never really occurred. Although i was well prepared for my job, i found my co-worker to be extremely lost and unaware of the procedures she needed to take, to successfully complete her job. The most knowledgeable people on the job couldn't really help my colleague. I really believe the voting tallying process needs to become more digitalized, as i find the whole process puzzled many of the employees at the polling stations. The effective sharing and transfer of knowledge is vital for effective business procedures and i just really felt that the election process really suffered from a lack of effective knowledge transfer. I really think the organizers should really focus on better educating employees in the future and making sure they fully understand their tasks for future elections.

Blogging

Hello everyone,

Today I'd like to discuss the popularity and importance of blogs in today's world. Almost everyone now a days has his or her own blog. Even I now have my own blog as a requirement for INSY 444. To be honest though, i am not a big fan of blogging nor do i go out of my way to read celebrity blogs. Almost all celebrities operate a blog as well as many friends of mine, however the question i always ask is; does anyone really read them? I mean i don't really think 100 people are gonna come read mine, nor do i believe others expect 100 people to read theirs. Reading celebrity blogs is not a hobby of mine, but i know that some star craving fans would read just about anything their famous friends would post. I just don't see the appeal, if i'm not intrigued by what multi-millionaires post on blogs, i'd be hard pressed to read and comment on other classmates blogs. I've really never been a fan of blogs, but i'd like to hear some comments about why others truly enjoy blogging? Let me know.

Microsoft Cont'd

Here is a interesting article about the war between Microsoft and Google. Enjoy!

http://www.forbes.com/2008/02/07/sosnoff-microsoft-google-biz_cx_mts_0208sosnoff.html

Microsoft

We recently had to read a case about Google in class, and Microsoft was mentioned numerous times throughout the case. Although the case focused mainly on Google and it's rise to prominence, i couldn't help but think Microsoft again stole some thunder from the hot shots at Google. Whenever a company rises to prominence and begins dominating a market or industry with it's products, Microsoft always does it's best to try and steal some of that market share away from the market leaders. Although Apple plays second fiddle to Microsoft in both computer and laptop popularity, it's a different story when it comes to the music industry, and portable music players. Apple has the Ipod, a very dominant invention which has been at the top of the food chain since it's arrival. Microsoft seeing that nothing was contesting the Ipod's reign at the top, decided to release their own portable music player. They called the product Zune. Although it was a valiant effort by Microsoft, the product has failed to gain much fanfare and without a doubt Microsoft has lost a nice amount of money funding this product. Another example of Microsofts constant will to beat everyone can be seen in their constant support of their video gaming console the Xbox and Xbox 360. This product was made with the sole purpose of dethroning Sony and stealing some market share. The company has lost millions of dollars over the years funding this project and continue to lose money. Finally the latest battle Microsoft has initiated is the war with Google. Microsoft attempted to purchase Yahoo in order to gain ground on Google in the search engine war, however the purchase was unsuccesful. Although they have failed in the past, i truly believe Microsoft will eventually be successful in purchasing Yahoo and give Google a run for their money as the top search engine. Till next time...

Greetings!

Hey INSY 444,

My name is Dov Aronovitch, i am a third year BComm student at McGill university and I'm majoring in marketing with a concentration in entrepreneurship. Although i am not majoring in information systems like the majority of the class, i decided to take this class because i felt i still had much to learn about this growing industry. Information systems as a program is growing year by year and it's only a matter of time before the programs popularity reaches that of accounting and finance. INSY 444 main focus is knowledge managemnt, and i find it to be an extremely important issue facing every company today. The transfer and sharing of knowledge can single handedly determine the effectiveness and success of an organization. I hope to learn more about the topic as the semester goes on but for now that is all i got.