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 in your organisation may also have these skills, but not all will. The aim is for the intranet to be as easy and quick to use for all.

In a nutshell the biggest mistake intranet managers can make is to use their personal web experience to drive intranet decisions.

Here are two common examples:

Intranet manager:
The home page is too boring, it needs a little freshening up.

Staff member:
Why do they keep moving things around? I could find it yesterday.

Intranet manager:
Our staff directory should be just like Facebook and let everyone create personal profiles and include a status on what they are working on.

Staff member:
I just want to find who to follow up in accounts.

[Read the full article by Catherine Grenfell]