Last month I was invited to give a masterclass about how to manage intranets more effectively.
In fact the title I was given was simply ‘Managing Intranets’.
I didn’t think this was particularly inspiring so I came up with, ‘How to make your intranet as popular as Facebook’.
Clearly, this is impossible but judging by the amount of people packed into the room, I think the title worked.
It provided a nice little opener about the power of headlines, even if there was a slight sense of disappointment.
Maybe you are feeling a tad let down too?
Stay with me…
Part of my research for the class was about the importance of participation and engagement when it comes to online communities.
I discovered that a significant number of my clients were using a corporate social media platform called Yammer.
Those that used it were part of an ‘underground’ movement whose commitment and enthusiasm was driving usage.
As one them commentated, “It’s ‘ours’. We set it up, we make it work and we listen to eachother”
More importantly, there were clear, recognisable benefits of using social media in a corporate context.
Named after one of those who helped with my research, I called it The Belhausen Verdict.
Corporate social media provides:
- Experience: Social Media in a professional context
- Instant & Direct: Peer sharing, reviewing, discussing of topics, ideas and problems
- Networking: Facilitation that triumphs across departments and international boundaries
- Informal Learning: On a day-to-day basis
- Change: The fact that you SHARE information leads to a change in mentality
- FAST: Traffic information and other life-enhancing stuff is more instantly available than from traditional intranet pages
- Freedom: You choose and find the relevant information
Clearly, social media in a corporate context has a lot going for it.
It also implies that parts of the traditional intranet are redundant.
After all, the information that users require is readily available to them via their social media platform.
If it isn’t they just post a request and invariably their ‘friends’ provide the answer or point them in the right direction.
As I’m discovering time and again, online participation and engagement is providing the answers.
Don’t worry about trying to make your intranet popular – instead focus on the sort of things The Belhausen Verdict points to.
Do you have similar experiences?
Clearly, the way we communicate is changing at an amazing rate. All the more reason to come along to my 1-day course on Writing for Digital Media on Friday 4 November.
It’s about how to apply the new rules that govern digital communication.
