How Knowledge Sharing Communities Build a Stronger Knowledge Base

In this article, we’ll share practical tips for building a knowledge base through active, collaborative knowledge sharing communities—and how they support smarter work. Let’s explore how to leverage knowledge-sharing communities and modern intranet solutions to drive success. 

If you want to learn more about structured knowledge sharing within you modern intranet, please check out this webinar: Leveraging Knowledge Sharing for Compatitive Edge. You can also download this document for more hands-on advice: Elevate Knowledge Management with a Modern Intranet.

To kick off knowledge sharing, you need the right environment. Setting up topic-based communities on a modern intranet platform creates spaces for employees to connect, learn, and grow together. Our advice is to choose relevant topics that span various roles and functions—like Sales, Innovation, Competitor Intelligence, or Social Marketing—to ensure a diverse and dynamic community where everyone’s unique perspectives shine.

These knowledge sharing communities foster a rich learning environment and form the foundation for building a structured knowledge base. Encourage members to share informative articles, research papers, and industry reports to keep the knowledge pool diverse and current. The real magic happens when community members actively engage, exchange ideas, and share their expertise. Empowering employees to take ownership of areas of interest by initiating and leading communities will help boost motivation and job satisfaction. 

Community collaboration is the secret sauce that brings out the best in everyone, creating an environment where knowledge sharing can flourish.

At the heart of these communities lies a shared knowledge base. Every member plays a vital role in building the knowledge base—by participating in discussions, creating articles, and sharing useful documents. Features like comments, shares, likes, ratings, and feedback help drive engagement, turning the knowledge base into a dynamic repository that grows with each contribution.

Before launching community creation, ensure each community has dedicated moderators and a clear plan for recruiting and activating members. Implement a tagging system to categorize content, making it easier for users to find the information they need. Thoughtful approval processes can also enhance community creation success, ensuring the right conditions are in place before launch.

An accessible knowledge base benefits both the organization and its employees. Use your modern intranet platform to support knowledge sharing communities and create a portal for easy access to knowledge articles, documents, and a growing knowledge base.

Implement search and filter options, subscriptions, notifications, activity feeds, and intuitive navigation. These tools ensure knowledge flows effortlessly throughout the organization, empowering individuals to find the information they need when they need it.

Image 1: Search results in a knowledge sharing community showing article ratings, likes, and comments for better knowledge base usability.

Widespread adoption is key to successful knowledge sharing communities. Encourage active contributions to sustain your knowledge base over time. Recognize and reward top contributors with badges, leaderboards, and gamification elements to foster a sense of achievement and encourage engagement. Make communities easily accessible, even on mobile devices and collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams.

By celebrating contributions and nurturing a supportive environment, you inspire a culture of knowledge sharing and collaboration.

Image 2: Recognizing top contributors in a knowledge sharing community with badges and engagement metrics to boost participation.

Regular evaluation is essential for the ongoing success of your knowledge-sharing communities. Gather feedback through surveys, polls, and analytics. Actively listen to member suggestions and make continuous improvements.

By refining your knowledge sharing communities based on feedback, you strengthen both user engagement and the relevance of your knowledge base.

Image 3: Knowledge sharing community using quick polls to gather feedback on future knowledge base content.

Building a knowledge base and harnessing collective intelligence is achievable when you invest in structured knowledge sharing communities on your intranet. By creating engaging communities, fostering collaboration, and providing easy access to knowledge through your intranet platform, you empower your workforce to thrive, learn, and contribute their expertise. Embrace the power of knowledge sharing and watch your organization soar to new heights.

Omnia is a fully featured intranet solution that empowers organizations to build strong knowledge sharing communities and an evolving knowledge base through structured collaboration. If you’d like to learn more or schedule a demo, please let us know! 

Want to see how it works? Explore how Omnia helps leading organizations elevate knowledge management in Microsoft 365.

✔ Request a personalized demo to see how we can support your strategy.

✔ Download the free guide Designing Your Intranet to Optimize Knowledge Management to see solutions and learn about knowledge management best practices.

✔ Join our webinar Smart Knowledge Management on Your Intranet to discover strategies and see live knowledge management intranet solutions.

✔ Check out this Case Study for real-world examples: RSA Enhances Internal Knowledge Sharing and Communications.