Intranet Content: Should Everyone Contribute?

It’s well established that content is the key to intranet success (amongst other things of course, but let’s put those aside for now!) Carefully crafted and curated content is a huge driver for engaging users and encouraging them to use the company intranet. But if content is consistently dry and static, people will pick up on this quickly and will most likely not be visiting again without some sort of bribe (biscuits, please).

So you know that intranet content is important; but do you know how to get to a place where you have regular streams of fantastic content ready to be published?

There are typically two approaches that companies will take when planning intranet content generation: they will have a dedicated team whose job it is to produce content; or everyone from the business can contribute. Centralising content generation to a select group of staff, with backgrounds in copywriting, marketing, or internal comms, is generally going to produce content which is top notch. But what about the other approach; should everyone in the company be able to publish content to their intranet?

This is a question that regularly sparks debate, but it’s worth considering all the options before making a decision.

Everyone publishes intranet content

The argument goes that an intranet is an open space for collaboration and communication, so it naturally follows that all members of staff should be able to contribute content; sounds pretty sensible, huh?

An intranet is very often deployed to improve communication, so why restrict certain areas to certain groups? A company’s intranet should have character, and reflect the company’s culture. By encouraging all team members to contribute, it allows the intranet to become a living and breathing extension of the company, that is dynamic and (that word again) engaging.

If content is only pushed down by internal comms, then the intranet can start to feel like it’s owned rather than shared, which can ultimately lead to a decrease in (you got it) engagement. Whilst it’s true that certain teams will oversee the management of an intranet more than others, that’s not to say that the whole company cannot get involved in making their mark. An intranet is, after all, for everyone.

Opening up the intranet to all employees also ensures that it will never get stagnant. If the responsibility for intranet content is held by one person or a small team, what happens when those appointed are away, or too busy with other tasks to create anything new? Content will quickly become out of date, leading to frustrated employees and a declining intranet.

Ultimately, unlocking the company intranet to all employees, wherever possible, will open up opportunities for learning about different employee perspectives, generating genuine content, and delivering a consistently engaging intranet!

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