{"id":40,"date":"2015-10-23T18:18:46","date_gmt":"2015-10-23T17:18:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lisariemers.com\/?p=40"},"modified":"2024-05-28T11:34:15","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T10:34:15","slug":"101-things-i-heard-at-intranetnow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lisariemers.com\/index.php\/2015\/10\/23\/101-things-i-heard-at-intranetnow\/","title":{"rendered":"43-101 things I heard at #IntranetNow"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the week or so that’s followed the wonder that was the 2015 Intranet Now Conference<\/a> I have been mulling over my notes.<\/p>\n

I have enjoyed going back through the presentations<\/a>, trying not to forget the many things I heard, digesting things to become things I’ve learned and connecting with attendees over on the Twitter<\/a> and on LinkedIn <\/a><\/p>\n

I already wrote about 42ish things I heard<\/a> there – with a morning full of lightning-quick talks and some longer debates, there are obviously MANY more than that – here’s a few more!<\/p>\n

43-47ish We, like He-Man, have the POWER<\/strong><\/p>\n

While at times it may feel like our business systems are terrible<\/del> aren’t up to the standard that we would like them to be, we as digital communicators, intranet managers, enablers of change, webmasters and\/or portal wizards play a vital role in the success (or failure) of the projects we are part of.<\/p>\n

\"My<\/a>
James Robertson<\/a> on being the conduit for sharing good stuff, well.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

48-52 Design adds value<\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s not about making things look “pretty”, but great design can be the difference between users loving, or grudgingly tolerating your site. Worry less about the technology and more about what you’re trying to achieve, make sure it works, and remember: good design saves lives*<\/p>\n

*accidentally revealing sensitive user data<\/sub><\/em><\/p>\n

\"James<\/a>
I have to be honest, this “Show Pay” CSS button, showing how payroll data can be linked, but then hidden\/revealed, was one of my favourite take-aways from the day, and is specifically what prompted me this afternoon to go back through my notes and get the rest of this post written.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

53-58 Work together with other stakeholders to make a trustworthy intranet<\/strong><\/p>\n

For me, a common theme of the day was making sure you get the right stakeholders involved at the right time – I think it can be easy to retreat behind a PID\/backlog\/*insert other projecty term here* without getting out and building your gang.<\/p>\n

\"aine\"<\/a><\/p>\n

59 – 64 – Do not build unless they bang on<\/strong><\/p>\n

Possibly the most beautiful story of agile I’ve ever heard, Shaula’s award-winning intranet<\/a> shows what happens when you prioritise only what is wanted, and delight people by keeping their expectations low but delivering wonders!<\/p>\n

\"My<\/a>
@Shaulinaz<\/a> on making an intranet to delight, on a shoestring budget<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

65-70 The further from base, the less they comply<\/strong><\/p>\n

A great talk on the challenges of dealing with hard to reach workers. As well as discussing the ways of building a perfect business case, which hits the needs of employees at all levels of your organisation, Sara discussed an interesting study about compliance. The further away an office is from HQ, the less likely they are to comply with your rules. So make the time to get out there and see the outliers!<\/p>\n

\"@OnlineRedin\"<\/a>
Sara Redin’s<\/a> talk on building the perfect biz case, and compliance<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Reasons to be cheerful – Seventy One, Two, Three<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tailor your use-cases for the types of adopter to build your advocates network and drive adoption at all levels throughout your organisation.<\/p>\n

\"Kevin<\/a>
Kevin Cody<\/a> on not falling down the adoption chasm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

74-78 Be more like Taylor Swift*<\/strong><\/p>\n

There will always be doubters, so getting your advocates on side is vital. There will be a point where you become curators, rather than curators of the majority of content on your site.<\/p>\n

\"Jen<\/a>
Jen Hayward<\/a> on doubters and reaching the tipping point * Jen did NOT mention Taylor Swift at ANY POINT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

79-84 – Fortune favours the bold – turn off legacy sites<\/strong><\/p>\n

Assumptions, like cooked frozen peas, rise to the surface pretty quickly – make sure you identify the real pain points. Tom did a great presentation on the many tools available<\/a> to help make your intranet a success…. be bold, and turn off old tools to get users on your site!<\/p>\n

\"Tom<\/a>
Tom Gillaman<\/a> on the tools you need to make you BOLD<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

85-89 – Get thee behind me, satan<\/del> team<\/strong><\/p>\n

It can feel like a pretty lonely job, where you’re constantly writing your own job description, trying to deliver change in the face of adversity. Susan Quain gave some excellent advice about making the project yours, and demonstrating its value and importance to the organisation you are in.<\/p>\n

\"susanquain\"<\/a>
Susan Quain<\/a> on OWNING your project<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

90 – Enter the UNconference – it’s ok to ask your peers how they cope
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

I found Susan’s speech so inspiring that I ventured up on stage to ask an audience comprised of friends, peers and complete strangers about THEIR coping mechanisms, for the unconference break-out sessions.<\/p>\n

\"close\"<\/a>
Check out this and all of the other wonderful photographs on the day on Flickr<\/a> – don’t forget to ask Wedge<\/a> if you want to use them.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"closer\"<\/a>
Seriously though<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Woman<\/a>
Look. At. The. Fear. Captured beautifully by Antonio Salgado, Capturise, via the Intranet Now Conference.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

91-98ish Governance, training, workflows, find your family, wine<\/strong><\/p>\n

There were so many things we covered in the afternoon sessions, though my top takeaways:<\/p>\n