A new round of government agency mergers is sweeping through NSW and Queensland, creating a range of new "super agencies". In most cases, the existing departments have intranets, and the obvious question to ask is: what to do with these multiple intranets? When agencies merge, there is considerable pressure to move quickly, ...
Monthly Archives: July 2009
July 31, 2009
Intranets when organisations merge (Sydney & Brisbane)
Categorised under: Conferences & presentations
July 31, 2009
“Best bets” functionality for search systems
Karen Loasby has written about search engine best bets, highlighting some of the debate that surrounds this functionality. To quote: Best Bets are essentially editorial picks that appear at the top of the search results. They are a manual intervention for use when the search engine isn’t developing the best ...
Categorised under: Search tools, Usability & user-centered design
July 30, 2009
Knowledge leverage and information creation in the enterprise
Patrick Walsh has written about intranets and knowledge. To quote: It is my belief that intranet and internal communications workers should be contributing to the knowledge debate, especially when it comes to knowledge in the workplace, if only to ensure that a simple, practical approach is arrived at that can ...
Categorised under: Intranets, Knowledge management
Tags: Intranets, Knowledge management
July 30, 2009
Feedback on the first “Succeeding at collaboration” workshop
We had a ball at the "Succeeding at collaboration" workshop in Canberra this week. This is some of the feedback from participants: "Great - directly applicable to me & particularly valuable for sparking ideas." "Very relevant, well pitched, excellent!" "Good, interactive, plain English, sensible stuff!" "Good common sense practical advice, but packaged in a ...
Categorised under: Conferences & presentations
Tags: Collaboration, workshops
July 30, 2009
Who’s playing in the intranet online space?
Jane McConnell has published an excellent list of intranet bloggers. To quote: It's a tie! At last, there are as many blogs by intranet managers as by intranet consultants. Bravo! I just redid my lists of intranet bloggers and online groups and divided them into 3 categories: Intranet managers, Intranet ...
Categorised under: Intranets
Tags: Intranets
July 29, 2009
Yesterday’s collaboration workshop in Canberra
Talk about collaborating on collaboration! I ran the first of our "Succeeding at collaboration" workshops yesterday in Canberra, and discussions were vigorous and insightful from the outset. At some points I could barely get a word in edgeways, which is exactly what you want when so much great experience is ...
Categorised under: Collaboration, Conferences & presentations
Tags: Collaboration, workshops
July 29, 2009
Collaboration workshop comes to Melbourne (10 September 2009)
We're steadily working our way through Australia, and have just announced a Melbourne date for our Succeeding at collaboration workshop (10 September 2009). As usual, there are only 10 places, so these will ...
Categorised under: Conferences & presentations
Tags: blogs, Collaboration, team sites, wikis, workshop
July 29, 2009
The boondoggle that is software maintenance fees
Tony Byrne writes about software maintenance fees for CMS and other similar solutions. To quote: Our research reports also instruct technology buyers how to negotiate down annual maintenance rates. In the field, we sometimes receive slack-jawed responses from both the customer ("you mean we can do that?") and the vendor ...
Categorised under: Content management
July 27, 2009
The CMS decorator pattern
Seth Gottlieb has posted a blog entry on republishing data via a CMS. To quote: A common pattern when you want to present highly structured, relational data on a website alongside managed content is to manage those data outside the CMS and then use the CMS to organize and augment ...
Categorised under: Content management
July 27, 2009
Relaunch of usability.gov
I heard on the grapevine recently that usability.gov has been refreshed and relaunched. This is a superb resource that every web and intranet designer should know about. To quote: Usability.gov is a one-stop source for government web designers to learn how to make websites more usable, useful, and accessible. The ...
Categorised under: Usability & user-centered design
Tags: guidelines, heuristics, usability testing
July 24, 2009
Our government and council work
Step Two Designs has been in business since 1996, we've generated a substantial client list over that time. We are proud of the work we have done, and have shared much of the insights we have learnt via our many articles, reports and workshops. Our client list page has, however, become ...
Categorised under: Content management, Intranets, Usability & user-centered design
July 24, 2009
How to write a corporate Twitter strategy (…and here’s one I made earlier)
Neil Williams has published a complete corporate Twitter strategy, developed for the Cabinet Office in the UK. To quote: You might think a 20-page strategy a bit over the top for a tool like Twitter. After all, microblogging is a low-barrier to entry, low-risk and low-resource channel relative to other corporate ...
Categorised under: Conferences & presentations, Enterprise 2.0
Tags: governance, policy, social media, twitter
July 24, 2009
Launch of social media strategy framework
Ross Dawson has launched another one of his superb diagrams, this one providing a social media strategy framework. To quote: Today we launch our Social Media Strategy Framework. This provides guidance and a frame on how organizations can approach engaging with social media, following in the tradition of our highly ...
Categorised under: Collaboration
Tags: social media
July 23, 2009
Brand new workshop: intranet design + redesign (Sydney, 21 October 2009)
We've been working with intranet teams for years now, as well as writing articles and running workshops around the globe. Something that's been on our to-do list for ages now has been to create ...
Categorised under: Conferences & presentations
Tags: design, Information architecture, Intranets, redesign, usability, workshop
July 23, 2009
All intranet content is not the same
Mark Morrell has written about the different content types at BT. To quote: Content on the BT Intranet is divided into four different types, to enable information to be managed appropriately and allow users to separate fact from comment. A fifth category covers services, which are online processes where ...
Categorised under: Intranets
July 22, 2009
Cutting through the hype of social media
When discussing intranets and related enterprise-level software, it’s easy to get caught up in the technology. There are many features and components, so much whizz-bang functionality. It can be difficult to stay on target and focus on a piece of technology that will simply do a job that needs doing, ...
Categorised under: Collaboration, Enterprise 2.0, Intranets
Tags: Collaboration, Enterprise 2.0, social media
July 22, 2009
What is the biggest mistake an intranet manager can make?
Most intranet managers have previous experience in a related discipline such as communications, information technology, marketing or sales. Generally, intranet managers are also savvy about using web pages, searching through reams of information and making things work. Intranet managers also have a level of tolerance with complexity and frustration. Some staff ...
Categorised under: Intranets
Tags: intranet managers, Intranets
July 22, 2009
Planning to demonstrate success
Intranet teams are often expected to justify the work that they do, whether to protect current intranet resources, or to gain support for new projects and improvements. This leads to the requirement for an intranet business case, ideally with clear measures that quantify the value of the intranet and the benefits ...
Categorised under: Intranets, James' articles, Metrics & ROI
Tags: business cases, Intranets, measures, metrics, strategy
July 22, 2009
5 tips to create a successful intranet, part two: search
Peter Richards has written a post on positioning intranet search, as part of his series of five tips. To quote: You should make your People Search & Information Search accessible ALL THE TIME. This means having the search fields visible on every page of your Intranet and preferably in the ...
Categorised under: Intranets
Tags: Intranets, search, staff directory
July 22, 2009
Intranet checklist for the flu pandemic
Jane McConnell outlines an intranet checklist for the flu pandemic. To quote: With enterprises preparing their plans in case of a flu pandemic this fall, now is the time to get your intranet ready. If you haven't started yet, you'll barely have time to make it before the flu hits ...
Categorised under: Intranets
Tags: Intranets
July 21, 2009
Canberra collaboration workshop sold out, now a Sydney date (August 25)
Our first Succeeding at collaboration workshop, scheduled for Canberra has been a big hit. We've now organised a date for Sydney (25 August 2009). We expect this to fill, so you'll want ...
Categorised under: Conferences & presentations
Tags: Collaboration, workshops
July 21, 2009
Canberra Intranet Leadership Forum annual 2-day intensive (August)
If you are in Canberra and have been meaning to join the Intranet Leadership Forum, now is the time! The annual 2-day intensive is being held at the Hyatt on 4th and 5th August. Some of the topics include: The Great Twitter Debate - Is Twitter useful within our organisations? Sneak peak ...
Categorised under: Intranet Leadership Forum
July 21, 2009
12 rules for bringing ‘social’ to your business
Dion Hinchcliffe has written a post outlining 12 rules for bringing 'social' to your business. To quote: But for most of us to really get strategic value from social business, we'll need to understand the ground rules. In other words, let's ask and answer the tough questions in making this ...
Categorised under: Collaboration, Enterprise 2.0
Tags: enterprise, social networking
July 21, 2009
Will intranets become scientific?
Jane McConnell asks: will intranets become scientific? To quote: Studies done by different organizations, in different parts of the world, with different populations and very different survey strategies are finding similar results. I wrote about how JMC and Nielsen Norman found the same figure when looking at intranet resources: Size ...
Categorised under: Intranets
July 20, 2009
Large web site migration checklist
David Hobbs has written a post on content migration for large websites. To quote: How do you even get started in your planning for a large Web Site migration? Of course, you want to have strong Web Strategy, Web Governance, and Web Team in place. Probably another useful step ...
Categorised under: Content management
July 20, 2009
Testable stories
Janus Boye has written a post on testable stories (what we call scenarios), and how these can be used during CMS selection. To quote: Testable stories is something we at J. Boye have developed and refined together with several community of practice members and consulting customers since early 2008 whenever ...
Categorised under: Content management
Tags: content management systems, evaluation, scenarios, selection
July 16, 2009
Partnership delivers first online education on enterprise intranets
We have spent the last decade examining the practices of intranet teams, with the goal of uncovering and sharing what works (and what doesn’t). For the first time, there is a now a full online training course that gives you access to this latest thinking on intranet strategy and management. CMS ...
Categorised under: Book & product reviews, Intranets
Tags: course, Intranets, management, strategy, training
July 14, 2009
Intranet Information Architecture Best Practice Analysis
eGovernment Resource Centre have released a Intranet Information Architecture Best Practice Analysis report. To quote: This document records findings from the intranet best practice analysis activity conducted by the IA Strategy project team in the Web Domain Group, Department of Human Services (DHS). The best practices outlined in this document ...
Categorised under: Intranets
Tags: bests practices, government, Intranets
July 14, 2009
Best new way to make an internal sale
Seth Godin talks about using video to make a business case. To quote: How do you get your boss to approve something, the customer service people to understand the pain a system is causing or the folks in engineering to see things your way? Powerpoint was invented for this precise function, ...
Categorised under: Intranets
Tags: business case
July 13, 2009
Closing the feedback loop
Dorje McKinnon has written about closing the feedbackloop on intranets. To quote: Many of the requests that come across my desk have great planning, lofty goals and real organisational benefits but no feedback mechanism. No way to ensure, that if the solution isn't quite right, that the users of the ...
Categorised under: Intranets
Tags: Intranets
July 13, 2009
Four stages of intranet maturity
Janus Boye explores the stages of intranet maturity, building on Jane McConnell's work. To quote: European intranet expert Jane McConnell has defined 3 stages of intranet maturity. So what’s next for the organisations that have reached stage 3? Lately, I’ve been discussing this with several of our intranet community of ...
Categorised under: Intranets
July 10, 2009
Understanding the product when conducting user research
Daniel Szuc talks about how to incorporate an understanding of the product into user research. To quote: As my company planned for a recent study, we noticed we were asking more questions about the product to help us determine how our research could drive key business results. For example, we ...
Categorised under: Usability & user-centered design
Tags: user research
July 10, 2009
The elevator interview – ultra quick intranet user research
Patrick c Walsh has written about using elevator interviews to uncover intranet needs and issues. To quote: Want to get some fast feedback on your intranet but both time and resources are very limited? Try the user research version of the elevator pitch – the elevator interview.
Categorised under: Intranets
Tags: interviews, Intranets, needs analysis, user research
July 10, 2009
More reviews of “What every intranet team should know”
My latest book, What every intranet team should know, has generated a great buzz, perhaps due to the stripy cover! It seems that the contents are also proving valuable, and we've had a few new reviews in the last week or two: What every intranet team should know is the ...
Categorised under: Book & product reviews, Intranets
Tags: Intranets
July 9, 2009
FOI and implications for collaborative, crowd sourced environments
Matt Hodgson explores FOI implications for collaborative tools within government agencies. To quote: I heard a story recently about a boss who was afraid to use a wiki, even inside the walls, because it didn’t fall under the strict editorial control processes normally required for their conventional paper documents or ...
Categorised under: Collaboration, Enterprise 2.0
Tags: Collaboration, Enterprise 2.0, foi
July 8, 2009
Creating solid intranet branding
Peter Richards has written a post on creating a solid intranet brand. To quote: There always seems to be a debate on whether to give the Intranet a name or not. From my experience I think it is essential that the Intranet has a name and an individual design that ...
Categorised under: Intranets
July 8, 2009
Laddering: a research interview technique for uncovering core values
Michael Hawley discusses a user-research technique called laddering. To quote: A number of my previous Research That Works columns on UXmatters have focused on semi-structured user research techniques. My interest in these techniques stems from my desire to get the most out of my time with research participants and to ...
Categorised under: Usability & user-centered design
Tags: user research
July 6, 2009
The Shut Up, Move On (SUMO) Guide to Succeeding in Challenging and Changing Times (Sydney, August 5)
This is a little off-topic, but I've heard so many people rave about this I couldn't say no to a request to spread the word: Paul McGee, better known as The SUMO Guy (Shut Up, Move On), is giving a one-off rare public seminar in Sydney on Wednesday 5 August 2009. ...
Categorised under: Conferences & presentations
July 6, 2009
Is there a best CMS tool for your industry?
Tony Byrne debunks the myth of industry-specific CMS solutions. To quote: For web content management I don't believe your industry matters very much. If it did, there would not be 30+ individual Web CMS vendors and open source projects with installations in the U.S. federal government space, and nearly that ...
Categorised under: Content management
July 3, 2009
Web strategy: don’t focus on web problems
Dorthe Raakjær Jespersen recommends not focusing on web problems when creating a web strategy. To quote: Secondly, you need to make problems tangible, so they can be understood by executives who generally have little understanding of the web. Top management is often where the strategy has to be signed off, ...
Categorised under: Web development
July 3, 2009
Collaboration in Australia
Matthew Moore and Keith De La Rue have launched a survey to understand usage of collaboration tools within Australia. To quote: We are researching the use of collaboration tools in Australia. “Collaboration” is a buzz term at the moment, and we want to get behind the hype to discover how ...
Categorised under: Collaboration
Tags: Collaboration, surveys
July 2, 2009
Will social media kill off the intranet in years to come?
James Bennett has written an extensive article on the impact of social tools on intranet-based communication. To quote: The intranet currently forms an integral part of the internal communication strategy in most organizations as an information provider and collaboration tool. But social media also allows collaboration, dialogue, documentation and much ...
Categorised under: Enterprise 2.0, Intranets
Tags: Collaboration, Enterprise 2.0, Intranets
July 1, 2009
Insights from the e20 challenges at J&J
Abigail Lewis-Bowen has written about her experiences of enterprise 2.0 at Johnson & Johnson. To quote: Coach Leaders ahead of time about the essence of communicating with these tools: praise the good, ignore the bad, be prepared to accept criticism, and never come across as critical or negative. Doing so ...
Categorised under: Collaboration, Enterprise 2.0
Tags: Collaboration, Enterprise 2.0
July 1, 2009
Introducing the Enterprise Wiki Software Guide
Stewart Mader has published a new Enterprise Wiki Software Guide, providing a brief summary on key enterprise wiki tools (both free and commercial). To quote: Choosing the right wiki for your team, project, or organization is essential. The right tool will help catalyze adoption, encourage continued use, and help people ...
Categorised under: Collaboration
Tags: Collaboration, wikis
