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Snap – Internal Communications Solutions.
Hot Tips for Internal Communicators
Use an iterative approach
An Intranet is not a ‘product’ but a ‘process’ that is evolutionary and without
end
Susan Wiener at Cognitive Communications (NY)
If your Intranet has started to stagnate, you may be tempted to go for a big fix. It may be better,
however, to identify the key areas that need improvement, and plan for small but effective fixes. A series
of successful, small wins will be much more effective than waiting for the one big, and sometimes
elusive, win.
Don’t let your Intranet grow haphazardly. Try starting with a small project that has a really visible and
beneficial result. Make sure it is one you can deliver on. A quick and effective win early on in the project
gives you credibility and creates an ‘upward spiral of improvement.’
Measure and report on the progress of each ‘mini project’, tweak your plans if necessary, or even re-
evaluate your whole approach if circumstances warrant this.
Try these Snap tools
Communicating incremental changes can sometimes be even more of a challenge than the actual project,
because you don’t want to overload users and send out boring updates every time a new feature is
added. However, users need to be kept up-to-date, interested and believing in the iterative Intranet
improvement process.
The Snap tools can promote your intranet gently through multiple channels, and monitor readership to
make sure you’re hitting the mark.
Snap Mag is an innovative e-mag that is pushed to employees’ computer screens. It can quickly and
easily consolidate information into a visual, template format that’s dynamic and doesn’t require an
html editor.
Snap Mag offers a unique way of profiling your project without cluttering up either the Intranet or
your readers’ email inboxes. Short ‘news’ articles in Snap Mag can inform readers of new information
and the availability of new tools, as well as allowing readers to click directly through to the specific
Intranet pages.
For project ‘wins’ that you want to profile with more impact, try Snap Shots screensavers. The Snap
Shots tool is designed to raise awareness of key news and updates by turning employee screensavers
into dynamic interactive bill boards. An image is worth a thousand words. For example, an image of
a deck chair on the beach with relevant text and a click through link is a powerful and engaging way
to notify staff that leave forms are now available on the Intranet.
Snap Ticker is a targeted scrolling news feed that appears on employees’ computer screens,
providing a short headline and the facility for staff to click through to the specific pages of the
Intranet. Unlike traditional RSS (Really Simple Syndication), Snap Ticker does not require users to
‘opt in’ to specific feeds or for the Intranet itself to be RSS enabled.
All of the Snap tools, including Snap Blog and Snap Forum are quick and cost effective to implement,
making it easy to take an iterative approach to Intranet development. You can try concepts out, test
uptake and evolve the approach without the need for ‘big project’ budget, resource or timeframes.