Building on my best-selling book Designing intranets: creating sites that work, I've run full-day workshops around the globe. These are a lot of fun to run, and pack in a lot of practical techniques, real-world ...
Articles tagged: Intranets
Getting the right mix of talks at Intranets2012
Every conference is a big deal: for the organisers, and for participants who have to pay serious money to attend. The central element of a valuable conference is the right programme mix. Conferences shouldn't be just about sitting in a room filled with people who do just what you do everyday, ...
What do intranet teams need to know about the cloud?
"The cloud" is ever-present these days, backed by a huge marketing push from multiple vendors, including Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Apple. Backed by immense data centres located in (often) rural locations, "the cloud" will apparently transform our lives. While it's still early days for the ...
I’ll be running a masterclass in London on March 6th
Keynoting the Congres Intranet in Utrecht on March 13th will bring me back to Europe in a few months. Since it's a long way to come, I've organised a few other activities while I'm in the area. This includes a Designing intranets that work masterclass in London, on March ...
Why we’re writing a lot about SharePoint in 2012
You may've noticed a big increase in our blogging about SharePoint in 2012. There's a very good reason for this. It's an exciting but challenging time for intranets. While SharePoint is just one of many intranet solutions in the marketplace, it has gained real momentum, spreading throughout the globe. This has introduced ...
Spend 10-15% of SharePoint intranet projects on planning and design
The classic texts of project management outline the importance of initial planning and design activities. While they only consist of 10-30% of the project, they lay the groundwork for everything to come. This is no different in the world of SharePoint intranets. Quite the contrary: ...
How to create the right sites on your SharePoint intranet
When you want to create a new site in your SharePoint intranet, this is the page you're presented with. It's pretty daunting for an inexperienced site administrator or content owner: Should I create a team site or a document workplace?Would a social meeting workplace be ...
Don’t ask staff what features they want on a new SharePoint intranet
"If we gave you a team site, would it be useful to you?" We've said before that the breadth of SharePoint is both its strength and weakness. Intranet and project teams now have a powerful new tool to help the organisation ...
Intranets: global and local
Not all staff needs are the same. Staff in different parts of the organisation, located in different areas and doing different jobs will have quite distinct needs. In a globe-spanning manufacturing business, these differences are very obvious: individual countries sell different products; the sales division operates very differently from product ...
Fun on the intranet
Intranets vary greatly across organisations, with some focusing on communication, and others on task-related activities. Many are a mixture of both. In all intranets there is an opportunity to have an element of fun. Large or small, organisations are made of people who have interests and personalities beyond their work ...
Digital Workplace Trends 2012
Our good friend and fellow intranet expert Jane McConnell, of NetStrategy/JMC, has just published the Digital Workplace Trends 2012 report. This is a unique view of the current state of intranets globally, and their future direction. With a focus on the "digital workplace", the report has a usefully broad view ...
What intranets can do for … engineers
Organisations, like people, are often successful because of their strengths. These strengths may sometimes also have a shadow side. Understanding that within these shadows lie openings for the intranet team, provides win-win opportunities for all concerned. Consider the case of a medium-sized heavy industry organisation, where much of the workforce are ...
Intranet Innovations 2011: six key themes from this year’s awards
This year the Intranet Innovation Awards are five years old. The global competition, run by Step Two Designs, has uncovered another set of great examples of innovative work from intranet teams worldwide. Collectively they give us a compelling glimpse of where intranets are at this moment in time, as well ...
Award winning mobile intranets
As mobile devices continue to transform our daily lives, there is increasing pressure for organisations to provide staff with mobile access and functionality. To date, there have been few examples to follow, making it hard to know what to deliver, and how. The 2011 Intranet Innovation Awards ...
Step Two has just celebrated 15 years!
Last night we had a small party for our friends, colleagues and clients. While this is something we try to do yearly, this year had special significance: the 15th birthday of Step Two Designs. It honestly doesn't seem ...
Get a great start to the new year with a special offer on our in-house workshops
2012 is rapidly approaching and it looks to be a busy year for intranets, particularly on the SharePoint platform. To help kick off the new year, we're offering a great package price on our in-house workshops, which will build team knowledge and bring stakeholders together. This is how it works. Book ...
What is a social intranet?
The phrase 'social intranet', while appearing more commonly, still generates both interest and confusion. What makes an intranet 'social', and what are the differences between 'social intranets' and 'traditional intranets'? A philosophy and way of working Social intranets are not a technology, or a specific set of features or functionality. Instead, they represent ...
Tree testing for effective navigation
'I can't find what I am looking for' is one of the most common complains staff make about intranet content. Contributing to this issue is poor search, and poorly named or simply missing material. However, most often, the issue comes down to poor site structure and a lack of good ...
Intranets2012: call for papers
Intranets2011 was a huge success, with much of the credit going to the high calibre of speakers throughout the two days. For Intranets2012 (Sydney, 16-18 May 2012), we’ll be bringing together another great set of speakers from around the globe. An international call for papers is a key ...
Mobile intranets have come of age
[caption id="attachment_4846" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Screenshot courtesy of UK Parliament"][/caption] Mobile devices become ubiquitous in the consumer space, with “there’s an app for that” reshaping how people get access to information on the move. Up to now, however, the situation within organisations has lagged ...
Presentation: personalisation vs targeting
Last week in London I had the pleasure of presenting at the Interactions 2011 conference. This was the second of my presentations, a 20-minute exploration of the eternal question: user-driven personalisation or ...
Presentation: Making an essential intranet (London, October 2011 version)
Last week in London I had the pleasure of presenting at the Interactions 2011 conference. This was my opening keynote, outlining a vision for the role that intranets should play within organisations. Key ...
In-house workshop: writing for the intranet
Following on from Rebecca Rodger's article Helping intranet authors write quality content that was published yesterday, it's worth highlighting that Rebecca runs in-house "writing for the intranet" courses throughout Australia. Writing for the intranet Good quality intranet content is integral to the success of an intranet. These full day hands-on writing ...
Helping intranet authors write quality content
p>One of the keys to a successful intranet is high quality, well written content, making it both useful and usable. Writing for the online medium is different from writing for paper. Staff typically scan a web page to determine if the information is relevant to them, and content has to ...
Enable commenting on intranet news
Two major trends are affecting how intranets are used to communicate to, and connect with, staff. The first is the move by internal communications teams away from just top-down corporate communications to two-way communication and dialogue. The second is the rise of collaborative and social tools, which promise to transform how staff ...
Two-speed intranets
You'd think from the buzz about social media and collaboration tools that the world is changing rapidly. And you'd be right. These tools are transforming the typical corporate intranet. The intranet doesn't need to be a one-way communications channel and home for policies. With the availability of new tools-and new ...
Reverse innovation of intranets in global companies
Global companies, whether banks, pharmaceutical companies or non-profits, have a particularly strong need for great intranets. With tens or hundreds of thousands of staff across dozens of countries, intranets must be the glue that connects staff together. Yet delivering a great intranet in a global business isn't easy. Typically major intranet ...
Ok, so I might’ve said “blogs and wikis are dead”
It seemed that my keynote talk at KM Singapore helped to change some people's thinking about intranets. Challenging the notion that they are old, dull sites containing policies, I generated new enthusiasm for what intranets can (and should) do. But the most controversy came during the question-and-answer session, where ...
The future of intranets (and what it means for KM)
It was my great pleasure today to be the opening keynote at the KM Singapore conference organised by iKMS on 1 September 2011. My key points: Intranets need to move beyond being merely "useful" to becoming "essential". In the KM space, technology has had a ...
Intranet teams need technology savvy
Intranets are increasingly being owned and managed by communications teams or business areas. In general, this is a positive shift, leading to greater alignment with staff and organisational priorities. However, the move away from IT ownership, can leave intranet teams with a significant knowledge and skills gap relating to technology. In ...
Common intranet questions, unique solutions
Intranet professionals often ask questions of their peers in the hope that the experience of others can provide a starting point for planning and inspiration. Common questions For those new to intranets there is certainly immediate value in exploring the most valuable core intranet tools such as great people directories, easy to ...
Card sorting: online versus offline
Card sorting is a common technique within user-centred design (UCD) methodologies. It's also an activity that can polarise opinions; people either believe in it, or think it's a waste of time. There are many articles and blog posts out there that measure the value of this UCD technique. This article ...
What message does your intranet send to your staff?
You're a powerful and highly respected professional services firm, with offices high up in a tower building overlooking a spectacular view. You're a major consumer goods company that delivers products designed for the fashion elite, constantly at the leading edge. You're a global technology company, that attracts the brightest minds to deliver ...
Build upkeep into intranet redesign
Intranet redesigns can be seen as the cure-all for an intranet's ills, and many intranets will certainly benefit from a significant overhaul. But if the redesign has come about due to a lack of focus, general neglect and poor content management, then a redesign alone will not be sufficient to ...
Digital Workplace Trends survey at half-way point
Our close colleague, Jane McConnell, has asked us to remind everyone about the Digital Workplace Trends survey that is currently open for participation. This is the largest intranet survey with a global reach, and it provides invaluable insight for all intranet teams (and beyond). The key topics for this year's "Intranet-Digital ...
How new technologies can help KM
It was a great pleasure to present at KM Australia today in Sydney. My talk took a pragmatic look at how changing technologies can support knowledge management. Key points: There are two extremes in ...
Intranet and SharePoint workshops (Melbourne, Sydney)
On the back of a very successful Australian intranet conference, we're pleased to announce the first dates for our series of highly regarded workshops. I will be running my Designing intranets that work workshop in Melbourne in August (with just 10 places!). The really big news is that we've listened ...
Coaching for intranet success
Intranet successes are rarely delivered by individuals they are usually the result of team efforts. Driving performance outcomes through other team members involves being able to provide effective feedback, which is much more subtle than wielding a 'big stick'. Intranet teams: a leadership and coaching role explains why this ...
Educating authors using a drop in centre
The credibility of any intranet is dependent on content. Content that is created, published and maintained by many different people across the organisation. This frees up the intranet team to focus on the big picture, but they still have a key role in teaching staff on how to deliver effective ...
Communicating in a crisis
In early 2011, the sky opened in Queensland with heavy rainfall in Brisbane and across South East Queensland. With Wivenhoe dam at capacity, flash flooding in Toowoomba and kind tides looming, Brisbane was preparing for flooding not seen since 1974. As a precautionary measure the power was shut down to over 100,000 ...
Presentation: Delivering a mobile enterprise
Yesterday I was honoured to give a presentation at the monthly meeting of intranet managers organised by NetJMC. These were some of the world's largest organisations, across a range of industries. There ...
Make SharePoint intranets beautiful
SharePoint is many things, but out of the box, beautiful isn't one of them. The boxy design and shades of blue isn't ugly per-se, but do little to inspire adoption and enthusiasm. It used to be said that it was too hard to make SharePoint beautiful, but the following selection of ...
Presentation: Bringing intranets and collaboration together
Yesterday in Stockholm, I gave a presentation at a local IntraTeam community group meeting. A friendly bunch of people, with lots of good conversations (and great lunch!). These were the key ...
One CMS or two?
Selecting a new web content management system (CMS) is no small matter. As discussed in one of our earliest articles, How to evaluate a CMS, this decision must be driven by an evaluation against business requirements. One question that often arises early in the process is whether the same CMS ...
Case study: Providing comprehensive support for a public sector intranet
Managing and improving an intranet is no small task, but it is still only half the story. Even before new features go live, there needs to be extensive change management, communications and support. This support must encompass content owners and authors, who are confronted by a new site structure and the ...
Presentation: What makes an essential intranet?
Well, Intranets2011 is over! It went very well by all accounts, and the energy in the room was remarkable. Many thanks to all the speakers and participants. As the first of a few follow-up ...
Ticker tape on the home page
Ticker tapes were developed in the late 1880s for transmitting stock price information over telegraph lines. Nowadays we see electronic ticker tapes on the sides of large buildings or TV screens displaying current news headlines. On intranets, ticker tapes can be used for: emergency information when major disruptions occur such as storms ...
Planning your SharePoint intranet project
Starting a SharePoint intranet project, whether creating a new intranet or redeveloping an existing one, can be daunting. Alongside strategy and design questions are now a myriad of technology decisions, often exploring uncharted territory within the organisation. At a basic level, intranets based on SharePoint are just like every other intranet. ...
2011 Intranet Innovation Awards are now open for entries!
Now in their fifth year, the global Intranet Innovation Awards uncover great ideas for the benefit of the whole intranet community. Winners have come from countries around the world, from both small and large organisations. This year's Awards are now open for entries, with submissions closing on ...
Introducing the essential intranet
Essential -adjective 1. absolutely necessary, indispensable 2. of the utmost importance In the lead up to my closing keynote at Intranets2011, I'm going to be talking about essential intranets: what they are, and how to deliver them. Many organisations have intranets that are useful. They provide content that people need, and ...
These workshops are worth coming to Sydney for
It's unfortunately the case that some commercially-run conferences seem to see workshops as both a "necessary" part of the event, and a good way to get some extra revenue for little extra work. The result can often be a mix of workshops run by inexperienced presenters, who are doing their ...
Intranets for small-medium sized firms
In the last two days, I've given an intranet presentation to a hundred small-medium sized businesses in Sydney, and the same number again in Melbourne. These are all firms with 50-300 staff or thereabouts. What this immediately highlighted is how many intranets there really are. 80% of the audience put up ...
Bringing together intranets and collaboration
Just a quick note to say that I'll be presenting on "Bringing together intranets and collaboration" at the SharePoint user group meeting next week (April 19). The basic scenario that I'll be addressing is the rapid and unmanaged spread of collaboration tools alongside an existing intranet. Before you know ...
Where to start with a SharePoint intranet
A lot of organisations are currently deploying SharePoint for their corporate intranet. And rightly so, as it's a viable and potentially powerful solution for intranet needs. Like any technology, however, it has strengths and weaknesses. And while SharePoint-based intranets are still intranets in the classic sense, there are some particular considerations ...
Video interview with Deb Reilly from IMF
When I was in Washington DC late last year, I had a chance to do a video interview with Deb Reilly from IMF, on their Gold winning entry to the 2010 Intranet Innovation Awards. On the ...
Promoting the intranet as a service
We often hear of intranet teams being asked to 'deliver' the intranet as if it was a product that can be purchased and deployed in a straightforward manner. While there are aspects of the intranet that can be thought of in these terms, another approach is to view the intranet ...
How to find intranet screenshots
Designing website is easy. Want to see what the leading companies are doing with their sites? Open them up in your browser. Want to know current best practices? Browse a selection of sites, and look for patterns. In comparison, designing intranets is much harder. By definition they are hidden inside organisations, ...
Creating an intranet governance guide
Many intranets teams are tasked with 'creating intranet governance' without further guidance on what that means for the organisation or a clear understanding of what it should contain. Governance is about having a framework in place that enables the decision-making and planning processes for the intranet. It provides support for the ...
Book review: The Intranet Management Handbook
There are over a million intranets in the world according to Martin White, and I have no reason to doubt it. The field of intranet management is large and active, but surprisingly weak on professional resources. Considering that intranets have been ...
Full speaker list announced for Intranets2011
Building on our superb keynote speakers, we've just announced the full speakers list for Intranets2011 (11-13 May 2011). It's a great line-up, sure to excite every intranet team. Don't forget: early-bird registrations close in just one week, on March 15! The speaker list: Jane McConnell, Net/JMC: What are the global trends ...
Interview with Faith Wainwright of Arup
When I was in London late last year, I was pleased to have an opportunity to record a video interview with Faith Wainwright of Arup. Gold winners of the 2010 Intranet Innovation Awards, their skills ...
The appetite for enterprise mobile functionality
I've been in New Zealand this week doing client work, and one of the client sessions that I facilitated highlighted the very real appetite and demand for enterprise mobile functionality. The client in question has a pretty typical intranet: well-structured and content-rich. Future visions might be expected to include further upgrades ...
Intranets2011: now open for registrations!
We've just opened Intranets2011 for registrations, and as a bonus, the first 20 registrations will receive a free copy of Designing intranets: creating sites that work. Early-bird registrations are now available at just $1,350.00 (with an extra 25% off for current Intranet Leadership Forum members). You'll want to ...
First keynote speakers announced for Intranets2011
Everything is progressing well for Intranets2011, the intranet conference we're producing in Sydney on 11-13 May 2011. There are a few big announcements today: First two keynote speakers unveiled The conference will be opened by Jane McConnell, all the way from France. ...
Three examples of presenting customer insights on the intranet
Customer service is increasingly a point of contention for businesses that have barely differentiated products: banks, insurance firms, mobile and internet providers and many, many more. How well, or how poorly, an organisation acts on customer data and information can have a measurable effect on the business. The intranet can be ...
What six things do staff want on their mobile devices?
The adoption of internet- and web-enabled mobile devices is one of the 'mega trends' that will reshape many of our day-to-day tasks. Not just a consumer phenomenon, mobile devices will also have a big impact inside enterprises. As discussed in the article Elements of a mobile enterprise strategy, there are ...
Employee engagement and intranets
Employee engagement continues to be a hot topic, and little wonder. Conservative estimates suggest that small increments in employee engagement levels bring very tangible benefits through increased productivity and reduced turnover. A 5 per cent increase in engagement is estimated to bring increased revenue and reduced costs of about 10 ...
Call for papers is now open for Intranets2011 (Sydney, 11-13 May 2011)
We’re keen to get the best and broadest range of presenters and topics at Intranets2011. An international call for papers is a key part of this, giving practitioners working in every organisation a chance to submit their ideas. Call for papers open: 10 December 2010Call for papers close: 10 ...
I’ll be presenting at the next Intranets Live session
I'm very pleased to be invited back to present at an Intranets Live session organised by IBF. Hosted live from London by IBF CEO and Founder, Paul Miller, there's a lot of good stuff packed into the one session: Live tour of the Westminster Abbey intranet I'll be discussing my new ...
Video interview with Bennett Jones, Platinum Intranet Innovation Award winner
KMWorld in Washington DC last week gave us a wonderful opportunity to meet up with many of our Intranet Innovation Award winners for 2010. Their work was also of keen interest to the rest ...
Video of Intranet Innovation Award ceremony at KMWorld 2010
I've had a great time at the KMWorld 2010 conference in Washington DC this week. The highlight was handing over trophies to many of the Intranet Innovation Award winners for the 2010. It was great ...
The paradox of delivering to remote intranet staff (video)
Some while back, I wrote about the paradox of delivering to isolated staff. When in Stockholm recently, Kurt from IntraTeam recorded this quick video talking through the needs and challenges...
Jargon test your intranet
Jargon is generally language that applies to a particular trade, profession or group of people. Within organisations jargon can be like secret shorthand, with many variations, including abbreviations, made-up words and acronyms. Who has ever been on a Genesis project or had to go to a meeting in the CQ ...
Intranet Innovations 2010: key themes from this year’s awards
2010 is the fourth year of the Intranet Innovation Awards, the global competition run by Step Two Designs. The awards were created to help uncover the work and achievements of intranet teams worldwide, and every year they give unparallelled insight into the leading edge of the field. In 2010 there ...
Brilliant intranet video from Rijkswaterstaat
The best thing about the Intranet Innovation Awards is its ability to uncover great stuff done in hidden corners of the intranet community. This video from Rijkswaterstaat (Dtuch government waterways authority) is a perfect example. Like ...
Intranet Innovations 2010 annual report
In conjunction with the Intranet Innovation Awards, the Intranet Innovations 2010 annual report has just been released. A must-have for all intranet teams, it shares details on the 2010 winners of the global Intranet Innovation Awards, and gives insight into the leading edge of intranets. Use ...
Congratulations to this year’s Intranet Innovation Award winners!
The winners of the 2010 Intranet Innovation Awards were announced today. With over 50 entries this year, there was fierce competition for the coveted glass trophies. The awards are unique in that they focus on specific enhancements that add value, rather than intranets as a whole. This makes for a ...
Elements of a mobile enterprise strategy
The new generation of mobile devices are radically changing the way we access and use information. Location-aware, always-on and highly interactive, these devices are on track to replace the desktop as the default information source. While currently lagging somewhat behind the consumer world, enterprise solutions will not be exempt from these ...
Intranet access challenges
For many intranet teams it is all too easy to view the intranet through the eyes of their corporate colleagues. With dedicated computers inside the firewall and polished computer skills, access issues are limited. However, taking a broader audience view is critical to ensuring that the intranet gets the attention ...
Creating effective intranet “shop windows”
Intranets must be productive and easy to use if they are to be successful. As outlined in the earlier article Why staff visit the intranet, there are two things that bring staff to the intranet: to find a specific piece of information to complete a task In both cases, staff come to the ...
Designing intranets that work (Sydney & Brisbane, November 2010)
About a month ago, we released our brand-new book, Designing intranets: creating sites that work. This has proven to be a great hit, and copies are winging their way to countries around ...
Beware of simplistic rules and strategies
When it comes to intranets (and information management in general), there is always a temptation to put in place simplistic rules, or to pursue simplistic strategies. Facing a complex situation? "Just do this." The problem is, not only do these simplistic approaches not work, they often make the situation worse. A ...
Should intranet links open in a new window?
It is often the small things that are the most contentious in a community. As a vigorous debate on the LinkedIn 'Intranet Professionals' group showed, "should links open in a new window?" is one such topic. While these discussions echo the policies established for public-facing websites, intranets may require very different ...
Conducting an annual intranet review
Most teams will conduct an intranet review of some description. It could be an ongoing process throughout the year or an annual event. Either way an intranet review should be on your annual to-do-list. What should be included in the review, to help the team build a better intranet in the ...
Integrating applications into the intranet
The intranet provides many different sources of information and opportunities for staff to do their jobs better. Whether an intranet has a news, content or task and activity focus, it should provide a seamless user experience. Users should not have to know or care whether a given application is truly ...
Global launch of Designing intranets: creating sites that work
We've been working on this all year, so I'm pleased to be able to finally announce that Designing intranets: creating sites that work is now available for purchase globally. With four times the content of our last book, What every intranet team should know, this is ...
How intranet plans evolve
In our 6x2 methodology, intranet teams plan one release at a time, typically at six month intervals. Based on criteria ("why would we deliver this feature?") and constraints ("What stops us from delivering improvements?"), potential activities are ruthlessly evaluated. The result is a list of deliverables that are both ...
How HR can leverage the intranet
Because it is a department connected to every part of an organisation, Human Resources (HR) has a unique position that can be leveraged to help underpin the intranet's value to staff. HR remains a key stakeholder of, and publisher to, the corporate intranet. Reviewing the various content and tasks available can ...
Three elements of every intranet strategy
Intranet strategies vary from 100-page formal documents to informal plans that can be conveyed verbally in a lift. Some strategies cover the coming six months, while others stretch out to encompass five-year timescales. Regardless of the scope and duration of the plans, successful strategies all build on a common narrative structure ...
Putting people at the centre: social staff directories
The term 'social intranet' has become popular in recent times, and describes an intranet with social media tools -- blogs, wikis, microblogs, comment functionality and more -- embedded within the core intranet software platform. However, before a social intranet can be successful, work must be done to enrich and develop ...
Intranet vs enterprise 2.0 vs social software: an obvious case of terminological controversy
Denis Zenkin discusses the confusion between intranets and enterprise 2.0. To quote: Intranet is basically a practical tool that creates a unified workplace for an organization supplying a number of benefits. In my opinion, the list of must-have features include collaboration, communications and knowledge base. I agree with Denis on this ...
Discussing the length of the intranet homepage
Some while back I posted an article which asked the question: how long should the intranet homepage be? I then discused what attractive intranets look like, providing examples of modern designs, including some long homepages. This generated some discussion and debate. Most recently, it has led Toby Ward to ...
To technology strategists: how to blend enterprise + business + people?
Jane McConnell has written an insightful piece on balancing three perspectives of intranets. To quote: When I work with global organizations to help them define the business objectives of the intranet, we do it from these 3 angles. The problem is when we push each dimension to its logical conclusion, ...
The intranet: communication portal or employee toolkit?
Christopher Swan writes about intranets becoming more than just a communications portal. To quote: Over the last year or so, I’ve seen a quiet war waging between communicators and employees. Communicators passionately want to share breaking news, org changes, evergreen stories and the not so timely letter from the ...
Free-for-all intranets – how to discern the ‘correct’ info
Wedge asks how staff can discern the right information on intranets, when there's a free-for-all publishing approach. To quote: Information overload is a real risk if your strategy is to allow anyone / everyone to publish pages, documents, wikis and blogs on your intranet. And our modern, powerful search engines ...
Pre-order your copy of Designing intranets: creating sites that work
Followers of our blog posts and tweats would be aware that I've been working on our next book. Called Designing intranets: creating sites that work, this is the definitive textbook for teams tasked with designing a new intranet, or redesigning an existing site. In 275 pages, this book ...
