This paper is intended to discuss the impact of Web 2.0 on knowledge management (KM) and the future orientation of KM. These days, the term KM is used rather less than hitherto. However, as Web 2.0 has made its debut and user participation-type culture has expanded, the new concept of “collective intelligence” has been attracting attention. Opinions are currently being advanced with regard to the concept and process of KM and the system architecture that can be used to implement it. This paper also deals with the issue of knowledge provision, a traditional issue of KM, and introduces a KM model in the context of the Web 2.0 age that can expand collective intelligence in a positive spiral by closely linking it to knowledge extraction from various communication tools and job systems.

In his paper “What is Web 2.0” 1), which was announced in September 2005 and is currently attracting wide attention, Tim O’Reilly proposed the concept of Web 2.0. This concept is also exerting an important impact on the field of knowledge management (KM). The concept of KM became popular in early 1990’s, and many experts in business management made a large number of proposals in the domain of corporate education and knowledge creation and many managers and employees who were in sympathy with the concept conducted attempts in the field. Subsequently, the term KM became rather less popular as the 21st century began but the expansion of a user- participation type culture stimulated by Web 2.0 has brought the new concept of “Collective intelligence” to the forefront of public attention. Currently, evaluation of the concept and process of KM and the system architecture for its implementation is advancing from the viewpoint of Collective intelligence. This paper discusses the impact of Web 2.0 from the viewpoint of KM and the likely future orientation of KM into seven components calling them Web 2.0. One of these factors is “Harnessing collective intelligence,” which implies that, when a large number of users participate, the collection of their judgments and knowledge can significantly increase the overall value of knowledge (collective intelligence).

In a more recent paper 2), Musser and O’Reilly pointed out that Web 2.0 has caused innovative changes in software development and service operation techniques and that this has made it important to establish a growth strategy involving customers. McAfee 3) of MIT, who proposed the concept of Enterprise 2.0 and the introduction of Web 2.0 technologies for enterprises, emphasized that the form of communications which has previously been inclined to E-mail should be diversified by using new communication tools in order to improve the quality of the knowledge thus distributed and accumulated. As seen in the above, the installation of various communication tools and the assurance of job system extendibility are important factors in the introduction of Web 2.0 to corporate information systems. Moreover, from the viewpoint of KM, it should also be recognized that the technologies and case histories discussed in the “Harnessing of collective intelligence” suggest that a new orientation is beginning to affect KM.

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