Summary


In this chapter we've looked at the problem of controlling the intranet and its content. We've covered the "static" intranet caused by strict central control, the drawbacks this approach brings and when such control can be appropriate. We've looked at how to move away from too much central control, by making it easier for the authors to contribute, and how to motivate authors to encourage them to do so.

We went on to consider the "junk drawer" intranet, which has lots of content but is highly chaotic. We talked about how to keep the chaotic intranet under control, and about how to convince the intranet authors of the importance of a consistent interface. We thought about the problems caused by duplicate content on the intranet and how to overcome them. We also mentioned the problem of establishing trust in the intranet when the reader doesn't know the source of all the information that they're reading, and explained ways of creating trust.

Finally, we looked at the "ghost town" intranet which has unmaintained content and no sense of ownership by the users or authors. We talked about the importance of establishing ownership and how to keep intranet content maintained effectively. We've also discussed making microsites that are owned by a community of practice rather than an individual. We then discussed the advantages of putting intranet readers into contact with the intranet authors, the best ways of doing this, and why the author should allow this. Finally, we discussed the reasons why readers may not contact the author, and how to encourage them to do so.

At the very beginning of the chapter, we described what a good intranet can be. In order to achieve this ideal, you need to find a balance between the static intranet and the junk drawer intranet, while avoiding the ghost town intranet. This requires encouraging authors, and making sure there are just enough restrictions on posting to the intranet to ensure high-quality content, without having so many that contributors find them too burdensome. The techniques discussed in this chapter should help you achieve this.




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

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