IBM Launches 'Pass It Along' Social Networking, Knowledge Sharing Tool
IBM has launched a new social networking tool aimed at facilitating collaborative knowledge sharing within organizations.
The idea of the new software, dubbed "Pass It Along," is to provide continuity to organizations as older workers leave and are replaced by less experienced or knowledgeable ones. It's also designed for developing knowledgebases related to niche topics and for enhancing learning experiences through "data clouds" that allow users to "create more powerful learning networks both within and outside of an organization."
To these ends, it integrates knowledge management, social networking, and various Web 2.0 tools to capture information, share it, categorize it, and "complete learning paths and create learning networks to help facilitate ongoing learning."
"Organizations looking to on-board new resources, conduct business process training, and complement formal education delivery with an informal tool that easily serves up essential information will find Pass It Along useful," said Tony O'Driscoll, a professor at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, in a statement released Wednesday. "Software developers in particular can use the technology within their existing IT infrastructure without the typical administration costs associated with traditional knowledge management applications."
A free trial version of Pass It Along is available now through IBM's developerWorks site here.
