BLISS Books Joins with the University of Manchester to Develop a New type of Free Knowledge Network for the Construction Community. The Knowledge Vine is a novel email based networking system that works in a new way. It is simple, very powerful, informal and free. It is a community of different professional networks. A group for professionals with interests in the sustainable building community is now being launched by BLISS Books, in conjunction with Manchester Knowledge Capital. The system allows people to tap into the knowledge, skills, experience and contacts of others in a new way.
The system has been described as an email equivalent to “word of mouth” and has been operating very successfully in other business sectors since October 2006. It has proven to be a very effective tool, very popular with users, and generates a strong supportive business community wherever it is applied. The system was developed by The University of Manchester Intellectual Property Ltd.
How it works
Users post their knowledge request in the form of a single sentence question to a central email address for the members of the group. The request email is then forwarded to group members. If someone on the network has the knowledge or information you are looking for they will reply directly back, just to the person that asked the question.
The novel rules for the group are:
- Only one sentence allowed – this forces the requester to communicate very clearly
- The sentence must be a question
- Only reply to the person making the request (no-one else cares!)
- No offers, promotions, or advertising
Sample questions that illustrate what the system could be used for:
· How can we be sure that our supply chain is secure?
· Our project has been cancelled due to the downturn, what recourse do we have?
· What’s the latest planning agreement guidance?
· What standard forms of contract are available for use on a chemical plant?
· Do I have to pay expensive lawyers to start an adjudication?
The rules that it uses make it distinctly different and much more effective than existing email and web based tools. Because of the simplicity of the postings, the only traffic users see is occasional single sentence emails in their in box. Because they are written in a very clear communication style they are easy and very quick to read.
The system generates no spam and the volume of traffic is never high, so it adds very little in box load. Surveys of the users have been done on two occasions. The overwhelming response was positive and that the relevance and quality of the replies and support is extremely high. Users also get great value out of seeing the traffic in general as it encourages connections when synergies are evident.
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