Tmi – Are You Suffering From “too Much Information”?

By Author: Amelia Walker
Total Articles: 1
Comment this article

Let’s face it, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to keep up with the massive amount of information coming to us each and every day. Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google states, “Every two days now we create as much information as we did from the dawn of civilization until 2003” [1]. Day after day, year after year information is accumulating at exponential rates.

Now granted we can and should discard much of the information we are presented with on a daily basis, but sorting through and retaining the important information we need to keep can be an overwhelming challenge. So what can you do to be able to store and retrieve important information so it is available when you need it?

Having the right tools is essential in effectively keeping track of information (knowledge). Instead of remembering large quantities of information, one need only remember where to go to retrieve the information to access it.

Knowledge base software, also referred to as knowledge management software, is an excellent tool to store and retain important knowledge into “articles” for easy retrieval. Today’s knowledge ...
... base software solutions allow contributors to not only sort information by categories, but also allow users to search by keyword to quickly locate desired and related subject matter. Other optimal knowledge base software features include the ability for senior staff to review articles when changes are made and set expiration dates when the information becomes outdated. This automation keeps the information up to date, without having to manually keep track of changes.

A web-based knowledge base is an ideal solution for mobile users. Contributors can add information from any location, and users can do the same. All that is needed is a web browser to access the portal.

Other helpful features include customizable user and security roles so that different departments can view and manage their own information. The ability to include attachments is also very helpful, so that related documents can be included with the main article content.

Knowledge base software is also a very affordable solution. Since most applications are priced based on the number of contributors and content volume, even small organizations can take advantage of enterprise class software.

So let this be the year you ditch the notepads, toss your binders and empty your file cabinets and jump into a solution that will help you stay ahead of the information overload.

Anne Sych is the author of this article on knowledge base software.
Find more information, about knowledge management software here