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I love Todd Defren’s post discussing user review sites. I think it highlights the benefits that come from empowering users with a forum to provide feedback along with the areas that concern many internal communicators when considering incorporating such interactive features within their companies.

So where is the acceptable midpoint? I think there is some insight in his ten points that can help internal communicators incorporate and manage more direct feedback within their own firewalls. One theme he touches on is the concept of “self-policing” that pervades many sites. Often, executives express concern that employees will air grievances that are irrelevant or based on a very particular set of circumstances that doesn’t have relevance to other employees. As we have seen in the marketplace, other commenters often chime in and express these opinions and defend brands and products. In like manner and without prompting, the same thing happens in the comment section of Intranet blogs. The added incentive internally is that in many cases, employees have to be accountable for what they say because their name is attached to the post where on the internet, avatars create a self-constructed shroud of anonymity.

I think that what this also demonstrates is that with every week, month and year that passes, more and more employees are becoming comfortable with interacting in this format, to say the least. Some employees may be annoyed that they cannot interact with their colleagues and employer this way. So the question, in my mind, is not is this a viable solution. That question has already been answered: yes it is. The question is how do you deploy this technology internally in a way that fosters the exchange of ideas and viewpoints within you company that will drive engagement, business aptitude, collaboration and productivity.

Related post: Connecting Employees

Tags: employee communications, employee engagement, social media, Social networking

This entry was posted on Friday, February 27th, 2009 at 7:00 pm and is filed under Business and social trends, technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.