Noshir Contractor spoke Monday afternoon at MeshForum, and I wanted to record my thoughts for posterity. He spoke on Cognitive Knowledge Networks, specifically discussing how people are motivated to seek knowledge amongst their network. In speaking about results of some recent research, he echoed a topic that Anna Nagurney mentioned: Social connections lubricate perceptions and actions. He found that social communication alone doesn't motivate people, but in combination with other factors, it enhances the likelihood of knowledge retrieval. Similarly, the perception that someone is knowledgeable isn't enough to motivate. It is the combination that creates the motivation.
Another aspect that Contractor mentioned was the "KM falsity" that if I make information available, people will bother me less because they can just read what I've contributed. It turns out that if I contribute information, it indicates that I am willing to share. It builds the perception that I am willing to share what I know, so people are more likely to contact me. It also builds the perception that I might know more people who are experts. Put another way, if someone shared yesterday, the perception is that they will be willing to share today.