News from December, 2010

When I heard about the advent of a new browser a few weeks ago, I couldn't wait to sign up for my beta invite! So I clicked on a link at http://rockmelt.com and got myself a "browser buddy" via Facebook. (OK, maybe "browser buddy" is a little cheesy.)

What is so special about Rockmelt? Well, actually, I've found it able to do exactly what I was hoping it would: let me organize (somewhat) most of my social network views in one area. Now, to make it work as intended, one needs to fork over one's FB password. Those of you that are security minded won't like this aspect...and truthfully, I too, get a few willies. If you want to use RockMelt as purely a browser, you can do that without logging in - just hit cancel when you launch it. But, that does kind of defeat the purpose for which the browser was designed.

If you are like me and want to know everything, having your networks active can be a tad (OK. a LOT) distracting. On the other hand, if I am in my iGoogle and something pops up on my feedreader that I really want to share quickly, RockMelt lets me do that. In fact, I could probably get rid of many of my gadget feeds in iGoogle and just run them down the starboard side of my screen!

I have 6 RockMelt invites left if anyone is interested. The good news is I still have them. The (potential) bad news is ... YOU'LL HAVE TO FRIEND ME!

TTFN. --Chris C.

KMWorld Conference, November 2010, Washington, DC. | Wordle.net world map.

• Analyzing social and organizational networks to understand knowledge gaps.
• Ensuring communities of practice are aligned to the business goals and encouraging sustainability through people to people connections and participation.
• Capitalizing on the power of social networks to build effective and adaptive learning organizations.
• Growing expertise requires knowing your current proficiencies, setting goals, and crossing many boundaries to grow new ideas and expand your knowledge.

Organizational growth is closely correlated to individuals who are willing network and collaborate outside their normal sphere of influence. People able to span the organizational hierarchy and build internal and external networks cannot help but grow and adapt. Growing adaptive organizations, transformational leaders realize the importance of blurring organizational lines, supporting collaborative communities and breaking down silos to encourage transparency.