ABSTRACT
While knowledge management as a formal strategy has gained popular recognition in organizational context, it is seldom applied in social context. However, this does not imply that the activity of managing social knowledge for social benefit is an undone phenomenon. Historically, social functioning has been achieved as a result of informal knowledge collaboration, where social knowledge has been managed for social benefit. This chapter traces attempts undertaken to manage social knowledge and information for social benefit, although the attempts cannot be formally categorized or recognized as knowledge management practices. The chapter bears reference to historic attempts undertaken to manage social knowledge and information and how the efforts evolved with time and with the emergence of digital technologies. The chapter concludes with the inherent shortcomings of the discussed measures, which paves the path for Chapter 10, which justifies the credibility and necessity of our social knowledge management framework in the context of holistic social empowerment.
