Knowledge sharing in online communities and its relevance to knowledge management in the e-business era

Proliferation of network access in the age of the internet has enabled information and knowledge sharing to an extent that was beyond thought a few years ago. In this paper we discuss the impacts of two heavily intertwined trends that have emerged, especially during the past few years. On the one hand, an increasing number of business-to-customer relationships almost requires customers to be online savvy. On the other, the internet has enabled alternative information dissemination channels where information can be published bypassing traditional media control instances. Online communities have shown themselves to be social settings in which effective information and knowledge sharing can be observed. In this paper we illustrate some key aspects of the potential power of online communities and we argue that knowing about relevant online activities is becoming an increasingly important aspect of knowledge management in the e-business era.