Content Cornerstones

'Content is King" is an undeniable truth of any Intranet. It has to be the content that the audience is looking for. If it doesn't meet a Reader’s needs or expectations then their trust may be lost and their future use of the Intranet in jeopardy.

The four Cornerstones of Content are that it must be;

Up-to-date
Correct
Relevant
Timely

You can create good foundations for these cornerstones through the initial training and on-going guidance of those responsible for delivering the content; the Content Editors.

Content Editors should be familiar with the basics of writing for web publication before they are let loose. It is just as important that they understand the expectations and responsibilities of their role. As they start out it would be a good idea to introduce them to the 4 cornerstones and to then encourage them to have these in mind when adding content.

Further encouragement to respect the cornerstones would be provided if there was the means to show who was responsible for the reliability and accuracy of content. An author should have no fear of having their name linked to content. They should take pride in what they have contributed. Authors would be assisted if there was a way of easily controlling publication dates and for automatically flagging up review dates. This would have the benefit of reducing out-of-date content, as well as ensuring that long-lived content is subject to regular reviews. A reader might like to know how popular a document is - are they reading a popular document with lots of hits, or have they blown the dust off a long forgotten document?

The accuracy of content could be assured if there was the ability for readers to comment on content, as well as the ability to easily report possible inaccuracies or errors in it. Such interaction and direct communication between author and reader will benefit both parties and drive collaboration. If a reader reports out-of-date content and then sees their action having a positive outcome it is likely to tie them in to the intranet, rather than have them spinning away hailing the perceived inadequacies of the intranet.

Content should always be written with the users in mind. A reader’s interest and the understanding they reach can be achieved through consistency and simplicity. Long words and rambling statements do not make for good content. The vocabulary and terms used in content should reflect those used by the readers. An attractive feature for a reader would be the ability for them to ‘score’ a document based on its relevance and interest. This could also inspire friendly competition amongst Content Editors to see who can achieve the highest ratings.

Information also needs to be presented on time, in fact, frequently, before time. i.e. Content that is being presented to support a product launch, or policy change should be ready to go for when the launch or change is announced. It should be there at the forefront rather than following on hours, or even days behind. Content also needs to be titled and tagged so that it easy to find, with the minimum of fuss or user-effort. Efficiencies can be gained through finding information quickly. Research from the IDC found that 40% of employees report that they cannot find the information they need to do their job.

So, Content is King, and it has 4 cornerstones, can you be sure those who add content to your intranet are ensuring that they are delivering information that is; Up-to-date, Correct, Timely and Relevant?

"In two clicks"

There's a phrase "..in two ticks" which means it wont take long for something to happen, this phrase should be adjusted and applied to an Intranet "...in two clicks."

The majority of users will look to an Intranet as they have a need for information, or they have a problem to solve. They will be expecting to find what they want quickly and accurately. An effective Intranet will have a search engine that delivers quality content and satisfies a need or curiosity. Of course the quality of content relies on the skills of the author, the speed of search will rely on both the capability of the software as well as being dependant on the labelling of the content.

In a list of "Must-haves" for an intranet a search facility should be very high up on the list. The search should be able to analyse and report based on headline, summary and content of information. It should also offer the facility to add keywords to content, and although this might be on the list of options, the use of keywords and the benefits of using them should be made clear to all authors.

Consider a maternity/paternity policy; a staple of many intranets. This may be littered with references to giving birth, child, etc and will be written in a style and language suited to the content. However there is a strong possibility that content is labelled in a different way to how a user may search for it. What about the user who is searching for what happens when their 'baby' is born? They are left perplexed as there appears to be no information for them. 'Baby' didn't appear in the body of the document, nor in the summary, or headline, so their search brings about zero results. Applying 'baby' as a keyword will fill this black-hole in their search and present them with what they were looking for.

The search facility is a key feature and it's capabilities shouldn't be overlooked, nor should it be assumed that all searches work in the same way and do the same things. Think about your own use of the Internet. When you are looking for information, what is your first step? There is a very good chance that, like me, you'd use a search engine. I did. I found out that when looking for information appproximately 80% of people use search engines to search for information. Further research by NPD revealed that 45% of searchers used multiple keywords, (I used three.) 28% used one word and 18% searched using a pre-defined option. So, you need a search facility and you need to utilise keywords, otherwise content might not get found. Those statistics show that few users will navigate around an intranet, leafing through top-menu items and navigational systems, most of us head straight for the search.

An effective search, coupled with quality content, will deliver what a user is looking for. One click to enter the search phrase, and another to confirm the content to be displayed from the search results.

Job done. Information delivered or problem solved in two clicks.

Say "No" to dull and boring intranets

Experience suggests that when it comes to look and feel of intranets that broadly speaking there are two schools of thought when it comes to design;

Option 1: Adopting the corporate look and feel.

or,

Option 2: Going for something completely different.

When talking to someone about their thoughts on the style of their intranet their comment was, "They [colleagues] know who they work for, so why does it need to look like everything else?" Whilst some clients are required to adopt corporate standards and 'branding' others have more of a free rein. The question to ask is, "Does it need to replicate any corporate branding, or is there scope for a fresh, unique style for the Intranet."

There is no right answer to this question, it really does depend on what suits you (your company) best. Amongst Odyssey's clients the split between Option 1 and Option 2 is roughly 50/50. With as many clients going down the corporate route as those who design their intranet to look different and 'avoid' corporate branding. Those that go for a bespoke style then sub-divide into intranets that take some design cues from corporate colours and styles and those intranets that are designed using a completely different palette.

An example of those who 'borrow' from the corporate style is a major retailer whose external customers are presented a website of that has primarily white text on a black background. However on the intranet internal customers see a 'negative image' - the same general style that switches to a white background with black text. This slight twist marking the differentiation between Internet and intranet site.

An example of an intranet that goes down the unique route was a recent install where the client's corporate blue was replaced with an 'intranet' green. Some customers that have named their intranet (see last week's blog) also adopt a character for their intranet. For instance the intranet called ERNIE is characterised by a cartoon mole, a chameleon is the identity of COLIN.

Best use CSS

Ideally you want to be able to manage the style via CSS style sheets, as CSS offers the following benefits;

• HTML code becomes much simpler and more manageable


• using relative measurements in your style sheet means that you can style your documents to look good on any monitor at any resolution.


• you have control over presentation


• you can define the look of the intranet in one place, and if required change the look of the whole site by changing just the one file


• people with older browsers can still see your pages


• people with disabilities have better access to your pages

further details on CSS can be found here http://www.w3.org/Style/

Style tips;

1) The style: i.e.the main colour; any images (logos/brands) featured within a top-banner etc., could be changed on a seasonal basis. Changing styles can also be very effective to support company initiatives or product launches.

2) When designing the Intranet make sure that you view it as a user would, i.e. view the Intranet through the screens and resolutions that the majority of user will use.

3) Avoid colour clashes or intranets that look like an explosion in a paint factory. The presentation shouldn't detract from the content.

Don't forget though that style is no substitute for substance. It's no good having an attractive looking intranet if the content doesn't match the high standards set by the design!

The Intranet?

What's in a name? When launching your new intranet, have you thought what it will be called? Will the simplicity of "The Intranet" be OK, or is a bespoke alter-ego for the Intranet a possibility?

Naming the Intranet can be a way to involve users, particularly if they can suggest ideas and then vote on the suggestions, to name 'their' intranet. This approach works equally well for an update - as the new name will support the idea of new content.

In my experience many clients are happy with the name Intranet, and if it works, and users understand then why change? After all there is nothing wrong with the name Intranet and if users are using it and finding what they want then a name isn't going to make any real difference. However for every 'Intranet' there is probably a client that has gone down the alternate route of being creative and naming their Intranet something else. These names tend to have some relationship to the company and fall into two broad categories; those that are acronyms, and those that are straight names.

So there are Intranets out there called C.O.L.I.N and T.R.E.V.O.R and E.R.N.I.E as well as Hub, Grapevine, and Reptile. Imagine asking a question of your colleague to hear the answer "Look on Ernie" or "Have you checked the Grapevine" - it does have a more 'personalised' touch to what otherwise some users might think is a bland and boring concept. Many end users as well as intranet managers and content editors are very proud of their unique creations.

You can see that some of these names have clear links the purpose of an intranet. "Grapevine" - suggests that this is where users will be bought up-to-date with all the latest company communications. In this case a reader will read it on the grapevine, rather than hear it; but the implication is of modernity and freshness. "Hub" - an apt name for a information database that lies at the heart of a company's information system.

Some clients make a clear link between the company name and the intranet name, the O-zone being the name of the intranet whose company name itself starts with O. Two of the three acronyms above include the company's name in the intranet name. C.O.L.I.N. is derived from Chevin OnLine Information Network. E.R.N.I.E. from Eden Resource Network and Information Exchange. T.R.E.V.O.R represents the intranet that is The Reliable Empowering Valuable Online Resource. All of these are great names as they brilliantly summarise what their intranet does.

So I would recommend that when thinking about the content and structure of your intranet-to-be that you also consider what 'it' is to be called. Issue the creative challenge to all potential users, include 'Intranet' on the list of options but don't close your mind to other possibilities. I'd be very interested in finding out what other intranets are called, please add your nominations via the comments.

In my next blog I will give some thought to the alternatives you have when it comes to branding your Intranet.