Enabling Knowledge Exchanges for E-Business Communities

R ealization that online communities result in "stickier" E-business relationships is spurring new developments in related collaborative technology platforms. Recent developments in WWW-based collaborative technologies are being heralded as the enablers of the knowledge based E-business enterprises. Research and practice on collaborative technologies for enabling these E-business models can benefit from insights gained from online communities that are sustaining significant active collaborative relationships despite geographical diversity of membership. This is important given that such communities of practice (COP) often evolve knowledge sharing cultures of their own that are more relevant to their collaborative relationships and member "stickiness" than regional or technological differences. Such COPs are primarily based on members' shared interests and concerns that bind them to the local community and shared culture despite diverse locations across time zones. For knowledge sharing to be effective, shared contextual space for emerging relationships, shared values, and skills are needed regardless of geographical differences in terms