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Features
According to Etienne Wenger, one of the leading thinkers in the space, “Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.” On many intranets, the employee directory or “people finder” is one of the most popular features. This popularity indicates the need that employees have to locate and communicate with others regarding particular topics or areas of practice. In fact, communication with others regarding a specific topic can be much more valuable than the actual content posted on an intranet.
We create websites to communicate with our key constituents: readers, customers, partners, employees, and colleagues. The experience that we deliver to our site visitors greatly depends on the quality of content that we place there. First and foremost, this content must be fresh, informative, accurate, and relevant. In many cases, it must also be engaging and entertaining. Unfortunately, producing high-quality content can be time-consuming and expensive.
Columns
Here’s something to think about: Do social networking tools such as blogs, wikis, and so forth equate with an employee-driven intranet? Wait. Don’t answer so fast. Consider these other questions first: How many people do you know who do not care in the least about what’s going in the blogosphere? How many people do you know who are very open and participative in work activities, but never participate in online forums? Yes, people have very different behaviors in relation to the internet, intranets, and social networking tools. The new tools are great, agile, and quite cost-efficient, but they are not for everyone—particularly in large, complex organizations.
I was at a meeting of intranet managers in London late in 2008, and the question was raised about what the impact of the economic recession was going to be on intranet budgets. Several of those present were very downbeat, reporting on intranet budgets being moved to other projects and an overall feeling that the half-empty glass was leaking water very quickly indeed. Others in the room were much more optimistic, reporting on initiatives to highlight the role that the intranet was already playing in their organizations and how it could step up to further support operations as the companies are forced to reduce head counts to maintain margins.
Read_Me_File
Reviewed this issue: Where in the World is My Team?, Nature.com, Global Intranet Trends Report for 2009.
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