Corporate Social Networking

You bet, interactive communities are penetrating the corporate office and replacing (at least being included) in company intranets. No longer are the just big technology companies adapting and adopting this new communication tool. Restaurant chains are to. Even independent restaurants are starting to see the value of creating and managing a private group for internal communications and dialog. There are many ways to create a new, more engaged workforce reaping all the attendant benefits.

First, understanding how social media technologies work including legal considerations, IT support, policy and guidelines. It's best to realize that in most cases, company communication policies and common sense would apply. But don't smother, enable. The hardest thing for marketing folks and lawyers to do is let go. Social web mandates that we trust. It's a learning process, so community management is a key success factor.

Second, IT generally hates anything that passes through a firewall. So, allow access outside the firewall. IT, lighten up a bit.

Third, be patient and try not to grow your community too fast. It will take time because you really want the employee to discover the value and share. Word-of-mouth works internally too. The champions will surface

Fourth, make sure the your regional managers and general managers are on board and know how to use the community at the unit level. More, mush more on that as we go along here.