Examine the progression of online communities within associations, from message boards and chat rooms; to communities of practices; to the advent of knowledge communities. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) will share their experience in developing the latter in order to increase the value of knowledge resources and enable new connections among their constituents. Engage in discussion on the success factors for generating active participation, as well as mitigating potential risks.


Objective:

1. Understand how to leverage the enormous knowledge repository that exists within the personal experiences and professional practices of association members and potential members.
2. Learn how to enhance an association's official web content with contributions from members and others based on their tacit knowledge of particular subjects.
3. Apply the experience of one association that is using social media and knowledge management technologies to develop a robust eKnowledge community.