Improving the effectiveness of internal communications is often one of the key goals underpinning corporate intranets. In practice, this is often reflected in ‘latest news’ section on the home page of most intranets. While news on the home page is certainly widespread, the question needs to be asked: how effective is it?

This article explores the role of the intranet as a news channel, revisiting some of the assumptions about how best to deliver online news within an organisation.

News on the home page

News is often the central element of intranet home pages, filling up the central area of the page and providing the most frequently updated content. This ‘latest news’ section is used to communicate a range of news items, including:

• CEO messages
• major corporate updates
• updated policies
• changes to the intranet itself

Updated regularly, this news section represents the intranet’s role as a news channel, one that reaches staff throughout the organisation. The fundamental principle is to provide a single location that staff can visit to find out the latest happenings and updates.

Intranet news is also intended to be a ‘pull factor’ that will draw staff to the site every day, as well as giving the intranet ever-changing content that shows that the site is both useful and up-to-date.

[July KM Column, read the full article]