What's the Difference Between Using Forums/Discussion Groups for Knowledge Sharing vs. Email/Phone?
- Carmit Shaked
- Feb 1, 2005
- 4 min read
"Why should I use a discussion group when I can simply send an email?"
"I'm connected to email all day anyway, as are my colleagues. What benefit do I get from posting a question or issue in the community forum?"
"It's much simpler to pick up the phone – I get an answer in seconds."
"What's in it for me to respond to someone in a discussion group? I don't have time anyway."
Sound familiar? Have you encountered similar comments when implementing forums/discussion groups within your organization's community, intranet, or portal? If your answer is yes, the following tip is for you:
There's no doubt that email or phone calls are more efficient than discussion groups or forums in cases requiring immediate and urgent responses.
However, discussion groups have many advantages that other methods like email or phone calls lack. As we all know, discussion groups are an effective tool for sharing knowledge within an organization, distributing it, capturing it, and preserving it for future retrieval. However, we often encounter resistance during the implementation phase, as mentioned above. These objections stem from various reasons: fear of changing habits, apprehension about new technology, reluctance to admit a lack of knowledge, etc.
So what should you do? Give in? Not recommended.
Before you let users convince you otherwise, try to persuade them by highlighting these advantages:
Increasing the Range of Responses by Reaching a Wider Audience
The most prominent advantage of using forums and discussion groups is presenting a problem/question to a wide audience in the organization and receiving responses from various users. This way, the inquirer might receive answers from people they wouldn't otherwise know who could contribute knowledge in that field and whom they wouldn't have approached directly. In contrast, emailing a specific person or distribution list might cause you to "miss out" on good answers. Persuasion phrase: Posting your question in a forum will get you more answers from more people than you thought possible.
Breaking Down Hesitation or Shyness Barriers
When a problem or question is presented in discussion groups, additional people who might be interested in the same issue are exposed to both the question and its answers. These people might hesitate to seek help and answers, but they can benefit from knowledge sharing through forums. When sending to a distribution list, not everyone responds with "reply all," so not all recipients get all the answers or see the complete picture. Persuasion phrase: Hesitant to ask? Check the forum – maybe someone has already done the work for you.
Turning Knowledge into an Organizational Asset Shared by All
Growing forums become an incredibly useful and diverse information repository. Sometimes, new knowledge is created during discussions that we might need in the future. When discussions occur in forums, questions and comprehensive answers containing all aspects of the discussion can be formatted into FAQs for future use. This transforms knowledge into an organizational asset, enabling knowledge flow and solution retrieval. With email/phone, even with distribution lists/conferences, tracking all given answers is not always possible (see previous section). Additionally, the content expert or person responsible for formulating the question isn't always exposed or aware of all discussions conducted via email. Persuasion phrase: When you ask or answer in the forum, you contribute to building the knowledge base and helping others.
Ability to Ask Without Fear and Identification
Using forums provides a solution when users face barriers to raising issues or asking questions. In email, they might be identified, whereas in forums, users can be defined as anonymous or use nicknames. This is less recommended but preferable if it helps overcome embarrassment. Persuasion phrase: Want to ask but feeling shy? You can hide behind a nickname in the forum and still get answers.
Tool for Bringing My Knowledge and Professionalism to Managers' Attention
Forum usage can benefit users by showcasing their knowledge and bringing it to their supervisors' attention. Modest, quiet people, or those who simply hide behind the scenes, can make their managers aware of their professional capabilities and level of knowledge by providing answers and sharing their knowledge in forums. Using email won't necessarily achieve the same result, as managers don't check others' emails and aren't exposed to answers to questions/problems sent by email. Persuasion phrase: Want recognition for your expertise without bragging to your managers? Answer questions in the forum, and credit will come your way...
Communication Channel with Senior Management
Forums can serve as a communication channel with organizational leaders. Someone with a question/problem would typically hesitate to bother a senior figure in the organization. However, when a question is posted in a forum, senior members will respond if needed, allowing users to benefit from the senior's knowledge contribution when they wouldn't have been exposed to it through other communication channels. Persuasion phrase: Want an answer from a senior figure but afraid to bother them? Try the forum. You might get lucky...
Supplement to Periodic Meetings
Discussions are often cut short due to time constraints. Reconvening everyone is complicated, and by the next discussion, momentum may be lost. Forums allow continuing the discussion through multi-participant sharing. With email, the situation is more complicated and not as efficient. Persuasion phrase: Discussion cut short but not exhausted? Continue it in the forum while the iron is still hot...
Convinced? Then go ahead and tell your colleagues...!!!
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