Stop them!! They can't retire, they hold all of our historical information!!!!

Public organizations would greatly benefit from wiki's or blog's, if for no other purpose than the fact that those tools would help them to retain historical information. All to often in public organizations individuals become the gatekeepers to vital organizational or program information that know one ever thinks will be lost, until the dreaded day that they announce their retirement or departure. Then you see a feverish rush by management to capture as much information as possible before they walk out for good. Like a fire-sale employee after employee pursue delectable morsels of information from the individual so as to prevent its inevitable loss for good.

History tells us that the worse thing that can ever happen is for one individual to be the bearer of all things near, dear and great to an organization and a society. For instance, Leonardo DaVinci is considered one of the greatest inventors of all time and less than a third of his catalog is still in existence. Hundreds if not thousands of inventions that will never be seen or whose existence will remain the stuff of wonderment.


In times where budgets are constrained and lives are placed in peril, individuals can not simply think that an individuals dedication will outlast their time with the organization.

These resources could have limitless possiblities providing those instances of spontaneous learning.


I found a product that allows employees to blog for the benefit of the organization. Check it out.

Yammer

Here's an article about wiki usage in corporations.

7 effective Wiki uses