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The purpose of this paper is to provide a perspective on the emergence of social media and their adoption as a critical element in knowledge management strategy. Social media are defined as the collection of software tools and web‐based applications that are personalized, that is, that communications identify individuals by name and enable the development of human relationships. Specific tools and software applications include blogging, wikis, microblogging, social networking services, tagging, subscribing, and so on.

The paper uses 1999 as a pivotal year, describing how research in social network theory preceded and then co‐evolved with the development of applications during the dot. com boom and coincided with the emergence of a third phase in knowledge management, a phase in which the emphasis has been on enabling social networks as a primary focus for KM work.

The paper presents a model for understanding how social media have augmented communication and collaboration methods and have introduced new dimensions in work practices, namely, peripheral awareness, crowd sourcing, and network maintenance.

The paper puts forward a potential guide in helping practitioners to make sense of the plethora of social tools, social networking sites, and web applications, and to make better decisions about which tools to apply depending on specific circumstances and learning and knowledge management goals.

The paper reflects the personal experience and practice of the author, who has worked in the field of knowledge management, collaboration, and networks, for over 20 years.

The purpose of this article is to describe the emerging business discipline of organizational network analysis and its potential as a tool to guide efforts in creating awareness of where knowledge exists in an organization and how this expertise can be best tapped by an organization's workforce. Specific initiatives and activities that companies are using to promote the changes necessary to ensure that knowledge flows are discussed.

The article gives a case example of building a networked organization at MWH Consulting, Broomfield, Colorado, USA.

When organizational network analysis is accompanied by management practices that encourage, support, and require connectivity, employees more naturally leverage the expertise of peers and counterparts, wherever they live.

The article provides an insight into organizational network analysis and shows the barriers to and signifies the importance of knowledge management.