Are you reading the hype? Blogs are hot on the Internet, and
inside on the intranet.
While there’s a lot of good reading out there, there’s also a lot
of.... ummm, what’s a word to describe the opposite of good?
While the good stuff is being read, the opposite is inspiring t-shirts
like the following produced by T-ShirtHumor.com:
"She wanted to stop reading it - but
she had nothing better to do!
Produced by average people who seem to think their lives are
interesting.
Filmed in thrilling HTML-O-Scope with exciting new fonts!"
At least it's 100% cotton....
While booming on the Internet, blogging on the corporate intranet is
only in its infancy. But corporations are taking note.
Companies like InfoWorld and Disney are doing it and there are software
companies that are selling blogging software specifically for the
intranet including Technorati and Six Apart.
“Blogs ultimately will become a standard feature of many intranets,”
says Shel Holtz, principal of Holtz Communication + Technology, who
writes his own blog -
A Shel of My Former
Self. “If you undertake blogs on your intranet, rest assured you’re
not the first. You can pat yourself on the back for being an early
adopter, but others have blazed this trail before you.”
In fact, the trend has caught the attention of the International
Association of Business Communicators (IABC) – the largest trade
association in the world for corporate communicators representing
nearly 15,000 members worldwide. This year’s International Conference
in Washington, DC (June 26 – 29, 2005) will not only feature keynote
addresses by political dynamic duo James Carville and Mary Matalin but
also feature a special session on corporate blogging. A triumvirate of
pro bloggers will discuss “best practice applications for blogs
featuring Debbie Weil as moderator and bloggers from...
Corporate intranet blogs represent one of the hottest
communications opportunities in employee communications since the
advent of the intranet itself.
“An increasing number of organizations are exploring the use of blogs
to communicate project updates,” says James Robertson, managing
director of Australia-based Step Two Designs, one of the continent’s
leading intranet consultants. “The idea being to setup a blog right at
the outset of a new project, and then have all the team members
contribute as they work. This meets two needs: a simple repository for
internal team reference, and an effective (and honest) communications
channel to those in the organization who are most interested.”
Using a blog as an internal collaboration tool is a key part of Step
Two’s own internal operations, with each of its small staff authoring
their own blog to discuss clients, project updates, brainstorm and
“general industry gossip.”
A company blog from the President or CEO could go along way to better
connecting employees with the executive floor.
“The idea is to communicate "awareness" rather than information, so
that team members know what's happening, and who to go to for in-depth
details,” adds Robertson who also authors is own public-facing blog
called Column Two. “This works tremendously well, and is easy to do. It
means, for example, that if a consultant is traveling for a few days,
they can easily catch up on what's been happening in their
absence.”
While it goes without saying that blogging is not for everyone, and
certainly not every employee, it is working for others. Particularly
for a hands-on CEO who is seeking to improve the state of employee
communications and job satisfaction.
A company blog from the President or CEO could go along way to better
connect employees with the executive floor. The correlation between
employee satisfaction and the health of an organization’s employee
communications is undeniable: each depends on the health of the other.
This of course is nothing new to company CEOs at Sears, Cisco, Raytheon
and many others who have written an intranet column on a regular basis
for years.
To ensure, however, that your blog is read instead of inspiring
facetious, cheeky t-shirts, here are a couple of pointers:
-
Keep it conversational and light
-
Know your audience and write to them
-
Blogs are highly time-sensitive so currency is critical
-
Anecdotes are encouraged and expected
-
Use links to refer to relevant information
-
Be succinct and break-up the text - which encourages
‘scanning’
Sure, a blog does require a commitment of time, and those of you
managing your corporate intranet (or some component thereof) can be
tapped for time... but it just might be that extra ammunition you seek
in your communications arsenal.
Check out Toby Ward's
IntranetBlog for
more information.
Toby Ward, a former journalist and a regular e-business
columnist and speaker, is the President and Founder of Prescient Digital Media. For
more information on Prescient’s CMS Blueprint service, or for a free
copy of the white paper “Finding ROI”,
please contact us.