Inspiring intranets are go!

What does your intranet look like? Are you proud of it or frustrated by the content? Where can you get some fresh ideas and insight and be rewarded for your efforts?Today I’m delighted to welcome Steve Bynghall @bynghall, who has written a guest article for my blog on all things intranet related.

He’s a freelance intranet and knowledge management consultant and writer who works extensively for both the Digital Workplace Group and Step Two Designs and we’ve been in touch recently about Digital Workplace 24. I’ll hand you over to Steve and he’ll let you know what’s happening…

Get inspiration from leading-edge intranets: Digital Workplace 24 and the Intranet Innovation Awards
Every few months a commentator or blogger says that intranets are dead or are well past their sell-by date. Of course this blatantly isn’t true. Intranets are curiously resistant and continue to survive as a standard digital channel within most organisations.  They may be changing for the better – integrating with employee social networks and blurring into wider digital workplaces – but intranets are still around, and look as if they will still be here in one form or another for the next few years.

Another sign that intranets are in good health are the case studies of leading-edge intranets which emerge each year.  Although some intranets are effectively hidden behind the firewall there are many opportunities to learn from what has worked well in organisations, and to get a little bit of inspiration to help design or implement your own intranet.

Conferences, networking groups, blogs and webinars all regularly feature case studies and opportunities to see some really excellent intranets.

There are also two don’t-miss events happening this month. Both Digital Workplace 24 and the Intranet Innovation Awards provide a great opportunity to share details about the world’s best and most innovative intranets.

In my line of work I’m lucky enough to be involved with both these events. This means I get to see a lot of intranets. And true, it’s perhaps not everybody’s cup of tea, but I think intranets give a fascinating look “under the hood” of an organisation.

Digital Workplace 24

The Digital Workplace Group, the people behind the Intranet Benchmarking Forum, are about to put on Digital Workplace 24, a free 24-hour long online global broadcast which features over 20 live tours of intranets and digital workplaces, as well as interviews with thought leaders in the intranet and digital workplace space, including one Rachel Miller. (I am indeed – my session is 4-5pm GMT on Tuesday – Rachel).

Digital Workplace 24 is taking place next week on Tuesday 14 May from 11am BST (10am GMT) through 24 hours  to 15 May.  There are great live tours from the likes of Virgin Media, IBM, Coca-Cola Enterprises, IKEA, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, AMP and Barclays, plus loads more.

The one I’m really looking forward to is Russian start-up Enter, who’ve done some pretty out-there things with gamification, including a facility to pick a random lunch partner via the intranet. We’re in the process of adding to the schedule . You can register free here for the event.

The Intranet Innovation Awards

Step Two Designs, run by James Robertson, is a thought leader in the intranet space based in Sydney. Each year I help to run Step Two’ s Intranet Innovation Awards, a global awards dedicated to new ideas and approaches in the intranet space.  Now in their seventh year, the Awards are unique in that they celebrate individual improvements. This is different from the Nielsen Norman Awards, which tend to relate to an intranet as a whole.

This means that past winners have won for very different reasons – for example an innovative internal communications campaign, a brilliantly executed business application, or an excellent mobile intranet. This year we have new categories for enterprise mobility and intranet rework (which can include major intranet redesigns).

The judges, which include Martin White and Jane McConnell, also mark specifically for evidence of impact on employees and organisations as a whole. The details of the winners are shared in a detailed final report as well as in blogs and articles which appears around October.

Last year we got over 80 entries and we’re hoping to top that this year. So if you have a new intranet implementation that has made a real difference in your organisation and has an original twist please consider entering.

The Awards are currently open accepting submissions until 31 May. Full details and an entry form can be found at: http://www.steptwo.com.au/iia/enter

Post author: Steve Bynghall

Thank you for letting us know what’s happening Steve. If you’d like to take part in Digital Workplace24 next week, reserve your free pass.

What is a digital workplace? What’s meant by the term? Check out this video below:

First published 8 May 2013.