Allow room for whimsy and serendipitous learning. It takes time, and stimulation, to come up with something new. One never knows where that kernel of an idea will come from. Members of our online community, for example, have posted pictures of their pets. In Enron's online center for innovation and creativity, they've added some idea generation tools that employees can't find anywhere else.
Online communities wither and die without attention from project champions.
Relying exclusively on technology to build relationships. It takes a combination of face to face and remote communications to get a group working together and sharing ideas openly. Pick up the phone if you can't walk to the other party's office. Posting ideas or sources for new thinking without providing context, particularly if the new approach conflicts with the organization's current practice. As we enter a new era of electronic communication and collaboration, we'd like to collect your stories and ideas of how well, or poorly, these new tools are working for you in your organization.