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Which is easier to use: using a browser to access an intranet, or being able to map directly to it through Windows Explorer and have it operate in an indentical way, with folders and directories?

It might not depend on which is 'technically' easier to use but what kind of legacy systems people are using and how the transition would be perceived. Note that this is about navigation, not the format of the intranet. An intranet could be built in html but navigated through folders. I'm not convinced but feel free to try.

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What to include in intranet search results

This briefing is designed to provide a simple checklist that can be used to assess (and then redesign) intranet search results pages.

Step Two review five different intranets and get five different results

This case study presents the findings from five different intranet reviews, with the aim of exposing some of the issues being confronted across different organisations.

These reviews also show that even within seemingly-similar organisations, the intranet issues can be quite different.

This highlights that there is no 'one size fits all' intranet solution, and emphasises the value of conducting meaningful 'needs analysis' activities, such as those outlined in this article.

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It's an oldie but still a goodie, Gerry McGovern discusses who should own the intranet.

The natural home of the intranet is in communications. However, intranet management requires particular skills that many traditional communications departments don’t have.

According to McGovern, the intranet should be in Communications and it needs someone like this to coordinate it:

If the intranet is mission critical, then content is mission critical. But we need a new type of manager; an expert in content, who is comfortable with technology, and who has a gut instinct for what staff need.

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At the moment I am working on the design of several internally-focussed University sites. In doing so I am trying to develop a base intranet interface that can serve as a template for internal Uni sites. Specifically I am focussing on the difference between information delivery and interaction and how this affects page layout. So...I am interested in any ideas from anyone (and I mean anyone, you don't even have to part of Sydney Uni) especially on the following:

- Effective, usable page layouts for interactive functions
- Layouts that provide fast-access to much used content that are also usable
- Features that you would consider to be 'value-adding' for example, a forms repository

Use the comments or get in touch via email.

Some reading material:

- Sixteen steps to a renewed corporate intranet
- Intranet trends to watch for
- Improving your intranet task by task
- Ten best Government intranets
- Value-driven intranet design

Not directly related but interesting: Movable Type for policies and procedures

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Not much time so just a few links to interesting things found lately:

Via Column Two, an article on designing self-service applications for staff.

Someone has done an internet deprivation study. (Yes, that's right).

and...

Virgin Galactic - is this for real?

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