What is a social intranet?
Filed under: Collaboration and social, Digital workplace, Intranets
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 an emerging view of how organisations should work, and how staff can interact.
The underlying philosophy of social intranets includes:
- recognising that organisations are made up of people, with interests, activities and interactions
- delivering human-friendly solutions that match how people work in real life
- supporting two-way dialogue and interaction between staff
- facilitating cross-organisational communication and collaboration
- enabling staff to be active participants and owners on intranets, and not just passive consumers
- drawing on network effects within organisations, recognising that groups can do more than individuals
- enriching traditional business and internet activities with a social layer
[October article by James Robertson, read the full article]