Why You Need a Social Intranet

Is your current intranet underperforming? If so, you're not alone. Many companies face similar challenges with their intranet systems. 

The Problem with Traditional Intranets

Traditional intranets often fall short, serving mainly as static content repositories. Typical features include:

1. Navigation to Static Content: Numerous links to all of your company's corporate content as well as Intranet sites for your business lines. The information is almost always static and some portion of it is out of date keeping employees guessing if they should rely on it. However, it is the best the company has to offer.
2. Corporate Directory: A basic employee search for contact information. The profile includes name, rank, and employee number, but not much more than that.
3. Corporate News: Five to seven top stories that are updated each week. They are read occasionally.
4. Stock Price Updates: Easy access to see how the company is doing in the stock market.

Nine times out of ten your users are just passing through your intranet to get to the website or resource they really want to access. The only silver lining is that you are not falling behind most of your competitors, at least not yet. Most companies would say something very similar regarding their intranet. Corporate nation, we can do better!

Improve Employee Collaboration with a Social Intranet

What if you had an Intranet that was engaging and not static? What if it was a mix of top down communication content (corporate news) and the content people read and engage with daily? What if it was a launching point for real work and not just reference information a user needs from time to time? Would that add business value to your users?

Switching to the social portion of the equation, let's talk about your ”social features” (executive blogs, wikis, file shares). Are they off to the side, where only the socially savvy make the effort to check them out? What if we placed them into the user's day-to-day workflow? Even users who are only launching a browser to go elsewhere would catch a glimpse of that executive blog or new document post and possibly spend a minute to take a look.

The Power of Social Intranet Solutions

This is where social intranet solutions come in. Think about a platform that pulsates with dynamic, user-generated content (UGC), seamlessly integrating into your daily workflows. This is the essence of a company social intranet - a hub for real-time collaboration and information sharing that revolutionizes how organizations communicate internally.

Social Intranet Definition: What Is It?

At its core, a social intranet is an advanced digital workspace that marries the traditional features of an intranet with the engaging capabilities of social networking. It's designed to facilitate enhanced communication, collaboration, and engagement among employees by incorporating tools such as blogs, wikis, discussion forums, and social media-like features.

This hybrid approach ensures a two-way flow of information:

1. Top-down communication from management remains clear and accessible.
2. Bottom-up feedback and interaction from employees are encouraged and integrated.

The result? A dynamic ecosystem where information flows freely, ideas are shared effortlessly, and collaboration becomes second nature. By seamlessly blending into daily workflows, a social intranet transforms from a mere tool into an indispensable part of your organization's communication strategy.

What Is An Example of a Social Intranet?

To better understand how a social intranet works in practice, let's consider a hypothetical example of "TechCorp," a mid-sized software company with 500 employees across multiple locations.

TechCorp's social intranet, which they call "TechConnect," includes the following features:

1. Personalized Dashboard: When employees log in, they see a customized homepage with:
   • Recent company news and announcements
   • Their team's current projects and deadlines
   • A feed of recent posts from colleagues and departments they follow
   • Quick links to frequently used tools and resources
2. Employee Profiles: Each staff member has a profile page showcasing:
   • Their role, skills, and current projects
   • A brief bio and professional interests
   • Recent activity and contributions to the intranet
3. Department and Project Spaces: Dedicated areas for different teams and projects, featuring:
   • Shared document libraries with version control
   • Discussion forums for team collaboration
   • Task lists and project timelines
4. Company-wide Social Feed: A central feed where employees can:
   • Share updates about their work or interesting industry news
   • Like, comment on, and share posts from colleagues
   • Tag relevant people or departments in their posts
5. Knowledge Base: A searchable wiki-style repository where:
   • Employees document processes, best practices, and FAQs
   • Teams can collaboratively edit and update information
   • New hires can easily find onboarding materials and company policies
6. Executive Corner: A space for leadership communication, including:
   • Regular blog posts from the CEO and other executives
   • Town hall meeting recordings and summaries
   • An "Ask the Executive" feature for employee questions
7. Idea Exchange: A platform for innovation where:
   • Employees can submit ideas for new products or process improvements
   • Colleagues can vote on and discuss submitted ideas
   • Management can track and implement the best suggestions
8. Integration with Work Tools: Seamless connections to:
   • The company's project management software
   • Video conferencing tools for easy meeting scheduling
   • Cloud storage for file sharing and collaboration

In practice, a TechCorp employee named Sarah might start her day by checking TechConnect. She sees a company announcement about a new product launch, quickly comments on a colleague's project update, and then navigates to her team's space to collaborate on a current project. Later, she might use the knowledge base to find a solution to a coding problem, and end her day by submitting an idea for a new feature in the Idea Exchange.

This example illustrates how a social intranet can serve as a central hub for communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing, integrating various aspects of work into a single, user-friendly platform.

Advantages of Social Intranets

Corporations that replace their Intranet home page with a social intranet software solution are seeing better engagement by their staff, increased productivity and better communication. 

We’re seeing ten times (10x) the activity by employees who have a social Intranet versus stand-alone implementations at the clients we interact with each day. This makes sense when you think about users who are too busy to do "yet another thing." If it is part of the workflow and IS your Intranet, it suddenly becomes part of the pre-morning or post-lunch ritual where a user will spend a minute or two to catch up on what is going around in the company. 

As users leverage the platform for their "day job" you have an integrated solution that will add incredible business value.

5 Reasons Why Social Intranets Outperform Traditional Ones

1. Enhanced Engagement: Social intranets foster a sense of community, encouraging employees to interact, share ideas, and collaborate in real-time. This leads to a more engaged workforce that's invested in the company's success.
2. Improved Knowledge Sharing: With features like wikis, blogs, and discussion forums, social intranets make it easier for employees to share their expertise. This leads to better problem-solving and innovation across the organization.
3. Dynamic Content: Unlike static traditional intranets, social intranets pulsate with user-generated content, keeping information fresh and relevant.
4. Seamless Integration: Social intranets integrate into daily workflows, making them a natural part of an employee's routine rather than "yet another thing" to check.
5. Two-Way Communication: Social intranets break down communication silos, allowing for both top-down and bottom-up communication. This ensures that important information reaches everyone quickly and that employee voices are heard.

Best Social Intranet Platforms

When considering a social intranet for your organization, it's important to choose a platform that aligns with your specific needs and goals. Here are some of the top social intranet platforms available:

1. Microsoft SharePoint with Yammer

• Ideal for: Organizations already using Microsoft 365
• Key features: Document management, team sites, enterprise social networking
• Pros: Deep integration with Microsoft products, highly customizable
• Cons: Can be complex to set up and manage

2. Workplace from Meta

• Ideal for: Companies seeking a familiar, Facebook-like interface
• Key features: News feed, groups, chat, video calls
• Pros: User-friendly, mobile-first approach
• Cons: May not integrate as well with other enterprise tools

3. Jive

• Ideal for: Large enterprises with complex collaboration needs
• Key features: Customizable homepage, robust search, gamification
• Pros: Highly scalable, extensive third-party integrations
• Cons: Can be overwhelming for smaller organizations

4. Atlassian Confluence

• Ideal for: Tech-savvy teams, especially those using other Atlassian products
• Key features: Collaborative document editing, project spaces, powerful search
• Pros: Excellent for knowledge management, integrates well with development tools
• Cons: Learning curve can be steep for non-technical users

5. Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) with Google Sites

• Ideal for: Small to medium-sized businesses, organizations preferring cloud-based solutions
• Key features: Easy website creation, integration with Google Docs, Sheets, and Drive
• Pros: User-friendly, seamless integration with Google tools
• Cons: May lack some advanced features of dedicated intranet platforms

6. Igloo Software

• Ideal for: Mid-sized companies looking for a balance of features and ease of use
• Key features: Blogs, forums, team spaces, task management
• Pros: Highly customizable, good balance of social and traditional intranet features
• Cons: Some users report performance issues with larger implementations

How to Choose the Right Social Intranet Platform

When selecting a platform, consider factors such as:

• Your organization's size and industry
• Existing tech stack and potential integrations
• Specific collaboration and communication needs
• Budget and resources for implementation and maintenance
• User experience and adoption potential

Remember, the best platform for your organization will depend on your unique requirements and constraints. It's often helpful to trial a few options before making a final decision. At Social Edge, we offer customized social intranet platform demos to help you find the perfect fit for your company.

Ready to Embrace the Future of Corporate Communication?‍

Effective internal communication and collaboration are now more important than ever. Modern social intranet software offers a powerful solution to the limitations of traditional intranets, providing a dynamic, engaging platform that aligns with how we now work and employee expectations.

By integrating social features into your intranet, you're not just updating a tool – you're transforming your corporate culture into one that values open communication, collaboration, and employee engagement. The result is a more productive, innovative, and connected organization.

Let's have a frank discussion about your current Intranet. Are you ready to take the leap into the world of social intranets and unlock the full potential of your workforce?

We at Social Edge get a little excited talking about intranets. We can't help it. We do it all day, every day. Contact us today if you would like to have an introductory chat about building the best social intranet for your company and revolutionizing your internal communication strategy. 

Learn more about our professional intranet consultancy services.