Mobile K-Logging
Rapid mobility is the sign of the times. In many organizations employees spend as much or more time on airplanes, in distant hotel rooms, and at client locations as they do at the office. So, how can they contribute to a corporate K-Log when they are on the road and/or disconnected? Here is my thinking on this.
There are three modes of remote K-Logging. They are:
1) Remote access to a K-Log through a browser on a random PC. K-Log tools that are located on a server or desktop PC (through remote access settings) can be accessed while on the road as long as the systems are located outside of the corporate firewall. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to be the case with many companies. Those companies that do offer access through a firewall do so via a VPN (virtual private network) or other types of secure access technology. These systems require that the employee use a preconfigured laptop. Additionally, these connections are usually established via a roaming dial-up account. As a result, K-Logging is a slow and cumbersome process as full page data is exchanged at slow dial-up speeds burdened with security overhead.
2) Mobile laptop with a local K-Log tool. With a laptop K-Logging tool, employees can K-Log while on a plane, in a hotel room, and in a client meeting -- all while disconnected. When they reconnect, the publishing process is fast and efficient as K-Log updates on the desktop are published to the host. Additionally, news headlines are downstreamed to the laptop. This is very similar in concept to the efficient e-mail replication found in Lotus Notes (and what made it successful). This is also what I do personally.
3) Remote K-Logging via e-mail. E-mail works great as a way to post updates to a K-Log tool on the desktop or server while on the road without a laptop. Many employees now use e-mail enabled devices like Blackberries and wireless Palms. These tools don't support high quality browsing, but they do a fairly good job with e-mail. For those employees that want to make an immediate post to their K-Log via a Blackberry while stuck in traffic, the e-mail to K-Log feature is the best way to go.
E-mail is also a great way to build a group or team K-Log using a desktop PC. In many respects, this is very much like a private Yahoo Group, but done with a K-Log tool on a desktop PC inside the corporate firewall. All participating employees are given an e-mail address to send updates to. All e-mails from these employees are aggregated by the K-Log tool and posted to the Intranet. It would require a minor modification to the K-Log tool to send e-mails back to the participating employees on a per post or daily summary basis. [ John Robb's Radio Weblog]
3:09:22 PM 
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