IKNOW: A tool to assist and study the creation, maintenance, and dissolution of knowledge networks

The introduction of new communication and information technologies in work communities has primarily been used to create new channels of communication and/or reduce the cost of communication among members in the workplace. Ironically, the pervasiveness of electronic communication media in virtual work communities make it increasingly difficult for individuals to discern social structures. Fortunately, information technologies that are responsible for triggering this problem can also be used to overcome these obstacles. Because information transacted over electronic media such as the Web can be stored in digital form, a new generation of software called “collaborative filters ” or “communityware ” (Contractor, O’Keefe, & Jones, 1997; Kautz, Selman, & Shah, 1997) can be used to make visible the work communities ’ virtual social structure. One such tool, IKNOW (Inquiring Knowledge Networks On the Web