About This Blog

Why a Blog about Knowledge?

 This is a blog about knowledge. So what do I mean when I say that I will be discussing knowledge? The best way I know how to describe what this blog is about is to explain the title of this blog- “Smelling the Smell”.  For me smelling the smell means:

• Having an experience and really “taking the experience in”
• Observing what we are sensing completely before coming to a conclusion and identifying what it is that we are sensing
• Using the information we have, even if it is incomplete, to analyze a situation and come to a new understanding or perspective
• Finally and most importantly, using the knowledge we have gained through our observations to take action

The University of Melbourne has a definition of knowledge that I really like and I think most effectively demonstrates how I will frame the discussions on this blog: “Knowledge is part of the hierarchy made up of data, information and knowledge. Data are raw facts. Information is data with context and perspective. Knowledge is information with guidance for action based upon insight and experience.”

OK, I know that all sounds very abstract, so let me tell a story about how the term “smelling the smell” came to be a part of my life.  One relaxed Saturday morning my partner and I entered the kitchen to make coffee and tea.  Our relaxed and happy attitudes were quickly washed away by an overwhelming and extremely unpleasant odor.  We both stood there with our nostrils flaring, trying to identify what and where the origin of this smell really was.  Using the only piece of information we had, the smell, we searched and searched until we identified that the smell was coming from underneath the stove.  We then had a conversation about how awful it was, and what it could possibly be…until I snapped in frustration, “Well, are we going to do something about it or just stand around and smell the smell all day?!”  Of course we couldn’t identify what the smell was with only the use of our noses, but we had enough information to take some concrete action until we could learn more.  Had we not taken the time to smell the smell or simply left the area to get away from the smell, we would have been left with no actionable information to solve the problem.  On the other hand, had we only smelled the smell, and then not taken any action out of fear of discovering what the smell might be, that smell would still be there today (although probably much stronger!).  So, that is what this blog is all about – the process of gathering information and the balance between and art of gaining knowledge and using knowledge. 

So, Why bother writing a blog about knowledge?

In today’s world, knowledge is a tricky thing to manage.  For those with access to the internet, information availability seems infinite.  Actually using that information is largely dependent on the motivation and skills of the individual to sift, frame and dig deeper. For example, when I am sick and don’t want to go to the doctor, I climb on the internet to gain knowledge about my ailment.  If the information isn’t quite what I wanted to hear, I will keep searching until I will find a diagnosis that suits me (Of course, my public health training tells me that this may not be the healthiest course of action!). The truth is that much of the way that we share information and come to conclusions has little to do with developing a solid base of knowledge.  The information we share on Facebook often lacks critical context, online news stories only provide the most summarized and digestible information available, and the results of our online searches are largely defined by the words we enter and the prioritization of the search engine.  Now, I am not saying that we aren’t gaining useful, enjoyable, and important information through our internet activities.  I am only saying that in the fast-paced world of information-overload it is not always easy to sift through and process all of the information available in the best way possible.  I LOVE conducting random internet searches, and really don’t know how anyone survived without this marvel of technology – I am writing a blog on the internet after all.

Amidst all this information-overload, I have found that it is often difficult for organizations and partners working towards the same goals to find ways of efficiently sharing information and knowledge with each other.  Thus, as someone who is passionate about the need for accurate and useful information that can help make our world a better place, I feel that it is important to really think about the information we have and how we are using it to create knowledge that helps us to move forward in a positive direction. 

That said, this is not intended to be a blog about epistemology, the philosophical understanding of knowledge, but rather, a more grounded discussion about how knowledge can and is used to influence four interrelated areas of interest for me:

       1.      Organizational Learning

       2.       Public Policy: Education and Health

       3.       International Development 

       4.       Monitoring and Evaluation

Of course these are four very broadly defined areas, which means that this blog will be somewhat flexible in the subject matter that I will discuss.