Chapter 7: Controlling Content


Overview

Author: Inigo Surguy

  • Methods of controlling content

  • Typical problems

The primary focus for this chapter is answering the question of who controls the intranet's content. Should there be centralized control? If so, there is the risk of the intranet becoming static and divorced from its users. Alternatively, should control of the intranet be distributed among its users? If so, the intranet can become chaotic with relevant content very hard to find.

"In an ideal world an intranet should empower employees by giving them convenient access to exactly the information they need."

The main area that we will tackle is how to keep a balance between these extremes of control, and how to use the strengths (and overcome the weaknesses) of each option. We will examine three common pitfalls that intranets may fall into:

  • The "static" intranet

  • The "junk drawer" intranet

  • The "ghost town" intranet

The "static" intranet is one in which too much centralized control makes it hard for users to contribute to the intranet. The "junk drawer" intranet is caused by insufficient control - it contains a large amount of information, but is very disorganized. The "ghost town" intranet is an intranet that is poorly maintained and contains much out-of-date content. We will describe each of these intranet types in detail in this chapter, and present possible solutions to the problems they present.

In an ideal world an intranet should empower employees by giving them convenient access to exactly the information they need. It should connect diverse workers within the organization, allowing them to collaborate to do their jobs more effectively. Business processes should be streamlined by the intranet to be fast and cheap. The information on the intranet should always be up-to-date and accurate, and it should be easy to find relevant information without being overwhelmed with unrelated data. Any worker should be able to update the information on the intranet for the topics in which they have expert knowledge, subject to suitable checks and controls. Despite this freedom to change content, the intranet should be easy to use and consistent, and the quality of intranet content should be high.

In this chapter, we will look at some of the steps you can take to make your intranet more like the intranet described above, avoiding the common failings of the three intranet types.




Practical Intranet Development
Practical Intranet Development
ISBN: 190415123X
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 124

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