We need more active members

[Helge V. Keitel]

Hello, this is just the beginning. We need more active members to create a dynamic environment.

I've been following the rise of Porkkanamafia that is building a national organization.

Yesterday, I was looking at a television program about Google and noticed some important things about how to make social media work on a big scale.

1. Create an open environment where people feel free to express themself
2. Thrive for a community that is easy going and entertaining
3. The point is how to find what is important for individuals NOW
4. It has to be fun but also rewarding

Small communities work for a while. We need people power. But the trick is how to build the crowd.

- Any ideas about that?

[Juha Veikko Mentu]

I think that one way to catch more active people to ning is to deliver information about it towards professional societies like "Mikrobiologikilta" (Finnish society of micropbiologes, over 300 members). Direct contacts also work.

What is slightly frightening me is that many participants of net communities stay as outsiders, being afraid to join groups and discussions. How can we encourage them to present opinions of their own?

Another problem (if it is a problem at all?) is the participation of specialists, working for competing companies (like enterprises producing and selling biocides for paper industry).

- Regards, Juha

[Helge V. Keitel]

Juha, that´s a great idea. Would it be possible for you to start inviting? You could start a Mikrobiologikilta group here to make people feel at home. We already have quite a few microbiologists on board.

[Paul W. Swansen]

Is there a conflict of interests with professionals sharing thoughts and ideas on a neutral platform such as this? I think the best idea to get more activity is to spread the word in our own circle of influence and social networks we're a part of.

[Helge V. Keitel]

Paul, you make a good point. I've been thinking about the pros and cons for a long time. My solution is to think that this is a forum where we can socialize (like a cocktail party) and detailed project plans and business missions will take place among those who start open or closed swarms.

The members here are skilled knowledge workers and innovators and I think they are looking for people close to individual "areas of interest".

It's also important for each participant to protect IPRs (intellectual Property Rights). The challenge is how to walk the narrow line between open innovation and closed R&D.

We should talk about the good, bad, and ugly of Social Media applied to Open Innovation and Global Collaboration & Co-Creation.

The "dark side of the moon" is that many innovative companies need to find an audience for novel ideas. If we don't come out from our "garages" it is possible that nobody will know about our existence.

The challenge is to find the narrow line between open to all and closed communication.

Please, write your comments!

Br
Helge

[Juha Veikko Mentu]

Happy to notice that that we are receiving new people into KK-Net all the time (counter indicated 69 today)! There are also several (14) groups where we can meet and discuss.

For some reason, the number of group members still stays on a relatively low level (2 to 15 per group), however. No problem with the activities, but more participants would lead to diverse opinions, which could have beneficial effects on our "learning processes" (as you can see, I am studying adult education!).

I just wonder if a common forum for all participants - which were easy to find when opening kknetwork - would help people to express their daily ideas and responses? Something very simple and easy like "letters from readers" in newspapers? Or "Kansanradio", a popular Finnish radio program?

[J. Vahe]

Ajattelin parin päivän päästä mainostaa KL:ssä Junttiklubia, jos passaa.

[Helge V. Keitel]

J. Vahe, hyvä, hyvä, Junttiklubi on erinomainen aloituspaikka. Voisimme sisustaa sen suositun korttelikapakan tyyliin.

[Juha Veikko Mentu]

Hello, KK-Net!

 

After having some relatively short periods of employment and unemployment during last years I have got some ideas about tools to collect unemployed but still active researchers together. This kind of social media community may be called

 

"What shall we do with the unemployed researcher?"

 

It seems that employment agencies have very few contacts to the research world - at least in Finland. Projects very often arise in closed university environments and companies but a reserve of unemployed researchers is missing.

 

What shall we do with the unemployed researchers?

 

[Helge Keitel]

Juha, this is a good point to discuss in this network. We've close to 150 participants. My first idea when I did read about your situation was to approach a broader field with your life-long experience. Your knowledge and methodology could be useful in many other research functions - in addition to industrial microbiology.

• problem solving in industrial environments
• teaching microbiology to dummies in industries needing it (environmental, water, food, medical, buildings...)
• you've a methodology that can be used in many other areas
• your language skills can be applied to global problem solving missions

Let's work out a listo of industrial, educational and project segments where your knowledge could be used and build a talent presentation portfolio based on that. I suggest a playfull approach to get lots of ideas. We've to break some barriers to find the new areas.

 

We might also have to take a look at some of your previous clients / employers to see if it would be possible to make a new proposal from a new point of view.

 

Send a list of ideas expanding your operational scope.

[Juha Veikko Mentu]

Helge! The problem of unemployment has grown during last years. Both elder and novel researchers are suffering of it - both groups because the reduction of R&D resources today. Some of my experienced colleagues have forced to leave their jobs which is really a waste of Finnish education, sponsored mainly by our taxes. New positions for younger scientists and "recirculation" of elder experts were therefore beneficial from both human and economical points of view.

[Helge V. Keitel]

Juha, I understand the structural problem leading to a massive waste of talent. It's valuable to create a open discussion about this. Many researchers and knowledge workers have to deal with this suffering on a personal level. 

 

1. We need new enterprises and job creation
2. The idea of microworks (mikroduuni) is a concept to support people who don't want to start a company (this is however still a work in progress)
3. The politicians are speaking about the coming deficit of employees for industries and services. This talk is very paradoxical in a country with 250 000 unemployed and two or three times more people / micro companies with insufficient work- and cash flow
4. We need to change the dialog from macro economic "big numbers" to the micro economical challenges of individuals
5. It's a shame that we are not able to use the talent available: there is a huge potential

Paul W. Svansen, how about the situation overseas?