Why would you want to make your intranet become a hub of enterprise social activity? One reason, argues Ann Hall on IT Business Edge, is to make your department - and you - look good. Commenting on a webinar that covered revitalizing intranets with more social communications tools, All observes that software providers like Socialtext are creating new tools to make intranets a place where employees want to be. At the same time, Forrester says a third of enterprises are increasing their social technology investments. Why bother? To capture and share knowledge, to improve corporate communications, and to foster collaboration in divisions and groups, breaking down some of those departmental boundaries that can be drains on productivity. One proponent All quotes points out that intranets offer a great way for IT organizations to enhance their visibility.

The IT department posts all of its projects, including business case and strategy alignment with corporate goals, team members, status updates, and milestones and timelines.

Since making your work and contribution more visible can only enhance your position, the theory makes sense. -- Don Willmott