Internal Communications—It's Not Rocket Science - Government of ...

IntranetIntranet is a website available only to staff and generally available only in theoffice, because it is behind the firewall.Good For• staff who have access to a computerPros• Intranet provides consistent, up-to-date information in an appealing visualformat.• It provides information that serves a jumping-off point for further discussion.• It can be an information resource, where common notices, policies, etc., arekept, reducing the need for online storage because one copy serves many people.• It is an inexpensive medium.Cons• There is ongoing debate about ownership. Is the intranet site managed by IT,by communications, or at an operational level; if not communications, whochecks information to ensure that it is on message?• Staff must seek out the information; it is not delivered, as in an e-mail.• It misses staff who do not have easy access to a computer: highway crews, vehicleinspectors, etc.• It usually requires some technical ability to prepare content, although somesoftware is very user-friendly.DetailsIntranets use the same technology to communicate with staff that departments andagencies use on the Internet to communicate with their stakeholders around the world.42 I N T E R N A L C O M M U N I C A T I O N S : I T ’ S N O T R O C K E T S C I E N C E !