While the system does snag data from e-mail interactions, whether or not a document is made public is left to user discretion. An expert can edit and modify the information, or choose to publicize only certain portions. Even if an expert opts not to make his profile public, the system can still be helpful to the knowledge seeker. It reports back to the knowledge seeker that experts exist, then notifies the experts that a query has been made. If the expert chooses to move forward, Tacit runs a secure session between the two workers.
Autonomy can detect what users are interested in by noting what they read or write when they log on.
Autonomy favors a more integrated solution that views any digital exchange as potential for knowledge management, says David Applebaum, general manager of North American operations at Autonomy. For instance, if a user logs on and asks a question about Windows 2000, once an expert answers the query, both the question and answer are stored for future inquiries. Anyone with a question can type into Organik 3.1 via a browser, says Bob Nilsson, vice president of marketing at Orbtial. Based on patterns in users' interactions, the company's Organik software builds expert profiles that can be matched to future queries. Nilsson says the process is akin to a learning experience that lets users reuse knowledge.