One thing we notice when we’re looking at large intranets is the sheer number of ‘external’ attachments that they often have. Rather than displaying content on HTML pages, many intranets make users download PDFs and Word DOCs.

These documents have their place online. They’re great for larger articles or graphic-heavy content. They’re also good for templates and policies – essentially, things that a user might want to print and read, or that don’t need to be changed. They’re also good when an intranet relies on users to upload content, as templates can be provided. Read on…

Out-of-the-box solutions offer the personal blogger or site news manager the kit they need to get a dynamic and active news site up and running in no time. There is currently a huge range of systems to choose from that provide a means to this end, and that are easy to rebrand and develop beyond the original installation. Read on…

The 5 worst things you can do to your intranet

Some companies see their intranets much as they do potted plants: mainly decorative, placed with the intention of cheering up the workplace. Like plants, intranets appear easy to maintain at first glance – but this is not the case. Intranets are fickle and easy to kill: too little attention and the site will wither and die; too much water – or information – and it will drown in a puddle of inaccessibility. Read on…

Sites like Amazon use a range of techniques to show you personalised pages, content and recommendations. It’s possible to personalise intranets too, presenting different people in your organisation with the content that suits them best. What better way to save your staff time, while keeping them updated with the information they need most?

Read on…

Whether you run a public website or a secure intranet, you’re likely to use headlines to get people moving around the site and clicking through to other sections or pages. There are several reasons why it’s worth spending a little thought on them. Read on…

Most people are aware of the buzz surrounding things like weblogs, “citizen journalism”, and even podcasting. They’re often used as examples of how the web is allowing greater participation from its users. But is there a place for any of this participation on a serious business intranet? Read on…