Semantic Web for Knowledge Sharing

In general, knowledge sharing tools combine the functions of searching for and distributing information. Underpinning knowledge sharing tools is the premise that someone in the user's wider community has already created or accessed relevant information (explicit knowledge transfer) or someone is able to provide help or advice (tacit knowledge transfer). Whatever the modes of communication used, the primary goal of the software is to create group memory and team awareness. This chapter describes a knowledge sharing tool, Squidz, to facilitate users in a community of practice or community of interest to share Web pages, as well as gain an awareness of others' interests and expertise. The approach taken by Squidz is to associate a formal topic ontology together with an informal folksonomy, through the ability to annotate Web pages. Furthermore, knowledge sharing occurs as a result of normal user activity (browsing).