Communications efficiency.
Time spent.
20 phone calls: A day (including voice mail tag).
200 e-mails: 3-4 hours (relevant e-mails only, including inefficient repetitive replies due to a lack of viewable archiving).
50 weblogs with 10 posts a day (500 entries): 20 minutes to scan. 20 minutes to post responses.
Finding information.
Phone calls: Limited to voice mail inbox. No record of previous conversations. Limited to personal interactions.
E-mail: Limited to personal e-mail only. No public archive. Most e-mail tools have horribly slow search features.
Weblogs (K-Logs): Internet search (Google on the Web or Intranet) extremely fast. Leverages the contributions of the entire corporation.
Departing employees.
Phone calls: Lost.
E-mail: Lost.
Weblogs: Archived for posterity.
I think what we are developing here is an efficiency hierarchy of communication. For sharing knowledge with a large group of constantly shifting individuals; weblogs win hands down. For introductions (invitations to further interaction) and ongoing interactions with specific individuals, e-mail works great. For immediate resolution of a complicated situation, use the phone. [John Robb's Radio Weblog]
