Is a social intranet right for your organization?

Intranets have shifted from information-centric to user-centric. Learn about the rise of the social intranet and how you can take it to the next level.

Over the last two decades, organizations have scrambled to find workplace technologies that can keep up with the increasing pace of business. You need tools that streamline processes, help you make data-based decisions, and improve productivity and engagement.

Your company intranet plays a key role in these goals. That’s why so many organizations have focused their attention inward to ensure their platform is doing what they need it to do.

In this article, we’ll cover why a social intranet is likely a good fit for your company, and which features you should be on the lookout for.

What makes an intranet social?

If we compare today’s company intranet against its predecessors from the 90s, there are obvious differences. Most relate to the technological capabilities, like features and user experience.

Perhaps one of the most notable transformations, however, relates to the intranet’s focus. It’s moved from information-centric, which zeroes in on storing and organizing files, to user-centric, which prioritizes on helping employees work more effectively.

In this day and age, an info-centric intranet is nothing more than a repository or link farm. It isn’t enough to just post company information and hope employees find it. In fact, that’s why intranet engagement often suffers. People can’t find what they’re looking for, so they give up, find a workaround, and never look back.

To ensure employees have quick access to the info they need, the intranet had to evolve. It had to become more about the people, what they needed, and how they could contribute. And it led to the rise of the social intranet.

4 characteristics of a social intranet

A “social” intranet is one that’s driven by employees. It focuses on driving culture and engagement. And it’s interactive, offering popular social features like chat, blogs, commenting, rating, and likes.

A social intranet revolves around connections, and employs a bottom-up approach where employees play a key role in its success. 

Here are four key characteristics of a social intranet:

1. A social intranet adds context to information

With a social intranet, information can’t exist without context. Whether it’s the name of the employee who posted it or the comments that accompany it, context helps the reader understand what they’re looking at and what to do with it. Because all the info they need is right there, this reduces follow-up emails and conversations.

2. A social intranet measure engagement

With an old-school info-centric internet, success meant that it was online and files were uploaded. A social intranet offers more meaningful metrics. You can measure the business value of a social intranet by the number of views, comments, and likes. These are clear signs of engagement. Any uptick in these areas over time proves the success of the intranet initiative.

3. A social intranet is interactive

By giving employees the ability to share content and ask questions in real time, a social intranet prevents information from sitting stagnant. It turns static information into pliable knowledge that can be strengthened over time. And employees get the opportunity to share their perspective, which gives them a sense of purpose and belonging.

4. A social intranet belongs to everyone

With the emergence of the social intranet, employees became more than just consumers of information. They became authors, contributors, and even admins. While IT is still very much involved in implementation and security, the social intranet loosens the reins and gives employees the power to create their own content. This effectively unlocks the collective knowledge that resides within the organization and ensures that it’s available for future use.

7 features and capabilities of a social intranet

If you’re wondering whether your intranet qualifies as “social,” do a quick scan for these must-have features.

• Newsfeed: An intranet wouldn’t be social without a chat or newsfeed where employees can share quick updates throughout the day. Like a virtual water cooler, a social newsfeed invites everyone to chime in on office small talk, with the ability to like and comment on posts in real time.
• Instant messaging: Employees are accustomed to using social channels to interact with people outside of work. Instant messaging gives them that ability inside office walls, so they can quickly connect with each other to get the answers they need.
• Forums: These are safe spaces for employees to ask questions, start discussions, and contribute ideas. They’re interactive and informative and, most times, they moderate themselves, without heavy involvement from IT or leadership.
• File sharing: Files are a staple in modern work life. A social intranet adds the context that’s been missing. Employees can collaborate on files right within the intranet , where there’s a running record of previous versions and past conversations. It leads to fewer emails and attachments to manage.
• Profiles: A social intranet ties employees to the posts they author and the content they upload. Colleagues can identify subject matter experts and visit their profiles to see job responsibilities and contact details.
• @Mentioning: Employees can tag others to direct their attention to a piece of content. Mentioning sends a notification to the recipient who can review the information and take action.
• Mobile access: Info-centric intranets lent themselves to a computer-only experience, requiring employees to sort through lists of links and folders. A social intranet, however, is optimized for working on the go. It has customized feeds and a mobile-friendly design.

Your ultimate goal: A unified workplace destination

A social intranet represents huge strides for an organization that has relied on static tools. However, it’s only halfway to the goal of a truly transformed digital workplace.

A social intranet alone can’t address all the business challenges you face. As your workplace strategy evolves, you’ll need to look for a digital destination that truly unites your entire organization. You need a platform that changes the way work happens by improving communication, collaboration, engagement, and knowledge sharing across the business. 

A social intranet is a major step in the workplace transformation process. But to truly succeed, you’ll need to go even further by uniting your physical and digital workplaces into one seamless experience.

Learn more about Appspace’s all-in-one workplace experience platform.