Can RSS newsfeeds change the face of communications?
RSS is a force to be reckoned with on the internet so how can we best use this popular technology on corporate intranets to improve direct communications with employees?
Really Simply Syndication (or RSS) has become hugely popular on the web, even more popular than podcasting, blogs or wikis.
RSS revolution
RSS is changing the method of content delivery across the internet.
It has become such a force to be reckoned with because it allows users to subscribe to a range of sites and then simultaneously read or monitor changing content. So, instead of having to check a site regularly to see if it has published new content, with RSS a user can subscribe to scores of sites and realistically read them all.
The benefit for publishers is that it allows content to be sent across infinite channels, reaching far more people than through a single website or blog.
Blogs for staff
Just about every blog or large website is publishing content using RSS these days. However, RSS feeds are being used less on corporate intranets, because changes to IT infrastructure is deployed far slower than that on external sites.
But how could RSS work effectively on a company intranet or as part of a staff portal?
The obvious solution is for departments within an organisation to publish content using RSS, allowing staff to subscribe to content which is relevant to them. This significantly increases the chance that content will actually be read, especially when it is new or has changed, because most employees don't want to keep checking each part of the intranet to see what is new.
News ticker for staff
Another option is to provide a 'news ticker' on an employee's PC desktop, flagging up breaking company news to them proactively.
Organisations that use RSS readers for internal content allow employees to create their own personal news or content update site to keep track of changing information that's relevant or interesting to them.
RSS is clearly perfect for employee communications and internal news, Human Resources communications, facilities management information, and employee benefit updates. It could be also hugely beneficial in organisations that have to respond quickly to crisis situations and need to update their staff quickly about operational changes.
General Motors
One example of this is the use of employee portals by the staff of General Motors in the US.
According to the Boston Journal, General Motors employees don't have to drive or walk anywhere or call anyone to change benefits or retirement options, review past salary payments or check accumulated holiday time. From CEO to assembly worker, GM's 190,000-strong U.S. work force can click into its own personalized portals from a home PC or office desktop, access information selected specifically for them and initiate requests and changes themselves.
"We did a survey and discovered that about 75 percent of our employees, including plant workers, had home computers with Internet access," said Len Marsico, GM's director of staff communications. "We realized this was a way to reach all employees with information they didn't have access to before. Now, when they sign on, they get information specifically pertaining to them and their jobs."
