Why social media/network on the IntrAnet?

[jleblond]

We operate a good sized, and rather popular Intranet. The site is updated daily with articles or other info. Our employees use it extensively to locate a wide variety of information. We are not huge, but not "mom & pop" etither. About 700 people, all under one roof.

I have read that many large companies are creating a "myspace" like environment within their Intranet, a super-charged employee directory one article called it. Even here, in the Intranet Journal there is an article suggesting to implement one as a way to entice employees to use the site.

My boss & I both agree it would be something fun to do, but at the same time we both also wonder if that's all it would be - fun. If we already have a strong following, what's the justification?

[JPnyc]

This is the first I've heard of anything like this, but if you have a large co., with a lot of employees who don't all work in the same office, I can see where it would be popular and of value.

[ctobola]

Wow, that's a forward-thinking idea.

In my experience, the personal investment that people make (and are allowed to make) in their employment setting is directly related to their commitment, work ethic and engagement in the workplace culture.

What may look like "only fun" may also result in stronger interpersonal connections, respect and accountability -- and all of those things can increase productivity and decrease employee turnover.

Excelsior! -Cloy

[Cbx]

I work with many large companies, and only a few are seriously doing anything in this area - so I wouldn't be too influenced by the hype. Many still struggle to get accurate contact details in place.

That said, i think the idea has significant merit - particularly if your employees struggle with "who can I talk to about...." type questions. The tricky thing is striking the right balance between fun and business value. For years companies have had pretty simple address books that users were supposed to update themselves, but few did - where's the fun in that? A bit of social networking makes the proposition more appealing, but adding all the functionality of mySpace would probably be very expensive (it's the quizzes, video, microblogging etc that keeps it alive). Rather than myspace I'd look to something like LinkedIn as your model.

Good luck!