Personalised experiences are key to making users feel like they belong and to help them take ownership of the spaces they're helping create.
Personalisation
- Allow profile creation and customisation – avatars are another possibility, and might add a bit of fun
- Profiles should include an option to create full searchable professional biographies
- Use customisable Web Parts or Page Flakes
- Allows users to set up alerts and RSS updates to their mail client or "My Sites"
- Utilise features that allows content pre-filtered by user profile settings
Peer to peer community
- Output Presence Information – i.e. Let users know who else is online
- Instant Messaging – allow users to communicate with others who choose to make themselves available
- Set up threaded discussion groups
- Set up Forums
- Create chat rooms for discussions and online seminars – maybe set up a weekly slot or lunch times where the chat room is open, and revolve the topic of discussion
- Encourage users to set up wikis, and aim to generate the majority of inputted content in wiki form so it can continue to be improved rather than duplicated
- Provide an option to “ask the experts” and create a workflow to divert these questions to users who volunteer as experts. Post responses so that everyone can see them.
- Use moderators to ensure that user searches and question requests drive site content and evolution
- Create contributor rankings / leader boards to incentivise users to participate and be recognised
Visual Differentiation
- Extend organisational branding to the space, but ideally not corporate design or visuals
- Use 'cool' and different graphics – the site is about people and community, not a corporate vehicle
- Ensure clear differentiation from other intranets or websites – will make the space more memorable
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