On Monday 12 June 2006 22:11, Walter Welle wrote: Go read the KCS stuff again. The tool is *not* the solution. The method is the solution. Doing it is the solution. Making the knowledge accessible is the solution. Management's attitude is solution. The tool is just a tool. If you write down solutions on paper and store them in binders which everyone can use and you have everyone's support, you are better off than a hot software product that no on buys into. Not only does management have to buy into it, but so do the people using it. We have several tools in our department that the manager bought because he though were cool. Unfortunately, they are not easy to use, other products he have already did the same things and they cost a lot of money. Spending tens of thousands of dollars for a tool is a waste of money without the support of everyone involved. Define "best"? McDonalds is best because it has the Big Mac. No, Burger King is best because it has the Wopper. Get the point? What happens if there are 10 things that make the "best set of features", but you absolutely have to have 5 features that are not included in the "best set"? Your best set is not my best set. If KCS is a buzz word that managers are tossing around because they heard it at a conferences or read it in a magazine, you may have big trouble because they won't know how to support you. What is "knowledge management"? I'll bet none of your managers can define it. If they can't, how can they find a tool with the "best set of features". In my experience, most of the references I know says it is the process through which companies or other organizations generate value from their knowledge assets. (paraphrased) The key word is "process" not "tool". If you decide that a wiki is the solution for your business, then I would bet money you would be hard pressed to find something with as many feaures. However, do you need these features. Does another wiki offer features you need. On the other hand, we need one important feature that MediaWiki does not have. However, we can take advantage of existing features to build the solution ourselves. If you get an off-the-shelf product, you can typically forget things like that. You need to come up with a list of features and compare them with MediaWiki and any thing else you are looking at. Regards, jimmo -- --------------------------------------- "Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are." -- John Wooden --------------------------------------- Be sure to visit the Linux Tutorial: http://www.linux-tutorial.info