Beginning tonight at midnight Wikipedia will be closing down its US site for twenty four hours to protest the federal anti-privacy legislation known as SOPA, warning it is a threat to free speech.
Whether you agree with or oppose the proposed legislation this action raises a lot of issues. Free speech governance concerns aside, an intended consequence is that many who rely on wikipedia for information are going to be disappointed when they cannot get to what they are looking for. Instead visitors will be directed to contact their congressmen to oppose the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) legislation.
Knowledge blackout management and ownership is a serious issue that must be addressed. But this kind of action also raises the question “What would happen if you could not get to needed company information”? It brings to light our vulnerability to how we access important ‘knowledge’.
Many times companies and organizations do not think about the value of company knowledge unless it is compromised. A fire or physical disaster can destroy paper documentation or even local PC’s and servers, not to mention undocumented knowledge that is dependent on a person.
A web-based knowledge base is an essential tool for storing valuable knowledge. With the proper credentials it can be retrieved anywhere, anytime. This can make your everyday operations smoother and even save your company in a crisis.
We will have to see what happens with SOPA and PIPA. By all means if you have an opinion please tell your legislators. In the meantime YOU have control over your data. Guard it well!
For information on preventing a Knowledge Blackout or for a free trial see: https://novosolutions.com/knowledge-base-software/
