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i was thinking today about SMEs (subject matter experts), and how we use them to some extent in the business and the consulting firm i work for and how this might be applied to work and benefit those on mac-forums.
the general idea would be this.
anyone who has really deep knowledge in a particular area of knowledge could be listed as an SME (or list multiple subjects). this would most likely be lsited in a users profile, and if they wanted, they could add it to thier signatire. it may be helpful for new people, or even those who've been around a while to find help on a given subject if a thread doesn't appear to be answering a given question. maybe a system where a pm invite could be sent to an SME to join or weigh in on a topic.
now i understand just letting people call themselves SMEs on any given subject may lead to chaos. i would suggest using a few measures to properly administrate this function.
of course you'd want to make sure an area of knowledge was narrow enough to be useful. an example of the possible areas of knowledge i had in mind when coming up with this:
mac operating systems general knowledge
general third party applications
networking and wireless
ipod knowledge
pda knowledge
"office" application knowledge (not ms, but any/all word processing/spreadsheets/workflow/etc)
graphic arts software
audio software
blog/internet networking knowledge
scripting/applescript
etc
you could conceivably break these down further, though i'm not sure how many distinct groups you'd want. even within the list above for example, you could break down graphic arts software into:
photoshop knowledge
illustrator knowledge
gimp knowledge
etc.
obviously since i'm not familiar with exactly how the forum software works, i'm not sure how technically viable this is, or if you all think it would be a good idea to spend any time developing.
i was considering the fact that if the macworld exposure pans out, there many be lots more users here who may need even more specialized assistance. this tool could be a feather in the cap for the mac-forums, making us even more successful as a virtual help-desk for those in need of help. easily eclipsing pretty much every other mac related forum in existence.
thoughts? ideas?
the general idea would be this.
anyone who has really deep knowledge in a particular area of knowledge could be listed as an SME (or list multiple subjects). this would most likely be lsited in a users profile, and if they wanted, they could add it to thier signatire. it may be helpful for new people, or even those who've been around a while to find help on a given subject if a thread doesn't appear to be answering a given question. maybe a system where a pm invite could be sent to an SME to join or weigh in on a topic.
now i understand just letting people call themselves SMEs on any given subject may lead to chaos. i would suggest using a few measures to properly administrate this function.
- allow only those with X pips to be an SME (not sure how many you'd be comfortable with, but i'd say at least 2, but no more than 5).
- use groups. i know the function exists unused now. not sure exactly how it does work, but if groups were set up for each SME type, you could allow certain people into a given group once they've exhibited the proper knowledge of a subject.
- mail in resume. create a 'contact admins for SME review' button that would bring up a window where a potential candidate would be prompted to send a note containing at least 5 or 10 threads where their help was thorough, correct, and hopefully timely.
of course you'd want to make sure an area of knowledge was narrow enough to be useful. an example of the possible areas of knowledge i had in mind when coming up with this:
mac operating systems general knowledge
general third party applications
networking and wireless
ipod knowledge
pda knowledge
"office" application knowledge (not ms, but any/all word processing/spreadsheets/workflow/etc)
graphic arts software
audio software
blog/internet networking knowledge
scripting/applescript
etc
you could conceivably break these down further, though i'm not sure how many distinct groups you'd want. even within the list above for example, you could break down graphic arts software into:
photoshop knowledge
illustrator knowledge
gimp knowledge
etc.
obviously since i'm not familiar with exactly how the forum software works, i'm not sure how technically viable this is, or if you all think it would be a good idea to spend any time developing.
i was considering the fact that if the macworld exposure pans out, there many be lots more users here who may need even more specialized assistance. this tool could be a feather in the cap for the mac-forums, making us even more successful as a virtual help-desk for those in need of help. easily eclipsing pretty much every other mac related forum in existence.
thoughts? ideas?