I keep on being interested in the concept of the knowledge entrepreneur. I’ve been introduced to it by Achim Rothe during a Knowledge Salon. In the event I’ve attended today, we talked about seeding: how to plant your knowledge while creating value.
These are some of the concepts I’ve captured.
Seed with a purpose
When sharing your knowledge, you are pursuing your goal while attracting other people to engage in what you have to share. You can contribute value if you reflect on your sharing context and keep in mind your knowledge sharing target.
The world runs on value exchange
A good principle to be a conscious citizen of the Internet is to give always more than we take.
The long-term view should always guide our participation: to establish long-lasting relationships and nurture interest groups without aiming for the sole immediate profit or personal interests.
Be specific and relevant
Look where you can provide specific value. Set the context. Clarify the offerings.
What’s the most appropriate way to share your knowledge?
Provide value by being conscious and tactful in posting your content. Provide added commentary and be on point.
Posting: curate your content, establish themes, guide people to the best of your thinking by illustrating novel ideas, learning materials, thoughtful reflections. One-liner links with no context are of no use. Explain why you are sharing your content and how it should be found useful
Commenting: don’t think about your content first. Contribute with fresh and spontaneous reactions to add value to a conversation. If it’s relevant and adds to the exchange, post some extracts or comment on specific pieces of content you find valuable.
Interacting: sometimes, your presence in live events is more valuable than linking or mentioning your content. We’re social animals, and we create the most value when we collaborate.
Go where people are
Look for the right places and the right moment where your knowledge, if shared, could make a difference. Sometimes it’s not in your digital avenues. You have to move and go where the action is happening or when somebody can need your expertise.
Selling vs. earning.
You sell when you promise value, and then you have to deliver up to the expectations.
You can offer your value by giving it up front, and then, appropriately, you can get rewarded with an earning. Choose accordingly.
Be modular and efficient
If you post something, make the content reusable. All the work will be lost if you don’t reuse it. Leverage your content production efforts by providing value to a community, first, and then reuse that content to create an evolved version of it or include it in a larger initiative.
Find the “farming ground” to “seed” your knowledge
Making an effort to establish the context and adding value to something already worth, and explaining why it is worth it is a responsible and appropriate way to seed your knowledge.
