By Rob Gray, Product and Marketing Manager - Google Enterprise
November 16, 2010 - 12:32 AM
If you had to guess what my most viewed internal blog at Google is, I bet you think it's something like "latest innovations", "cool product launches", or "musings of Eric"... well I can tell you it's none of those...
You see, my most used internal blog is something that I use pretty much every day, I get delivered via RSS and email just in case I miss it, and I usually make a point of reading it before 11am. I even have a special label for the subscriptions in my gmail inbox. It's highly relevant to my location, and it actually gets printed out on a daily basis too. In fact I'd say this has the attention of most Googlers in London.
This multi-channel, engaging blog, is none other than our daily lunch and dinner menu from the London Cafe! Lighthearted as this may be, I'd actually point this out as a best practice for internal blogging:
- it's relevant to the audience
- the author (head of in-house food services) posts without fail twice a day (imagine my distress if they forgot to post it one day, I would fear death by starvation)
- the post itself is well designed, well laid out, and even colour coded (green for healthy, amber for middle-of-the-road healthiness, red for pack-on-the-pounds).
- the audience has an option for how they consume this information (RSS, email, or if you are a low tech dino, you can walk up and read it on a board in the cafe)
This last point is pretty important - when driving adoption of new technologies, especially those that are related to information consumption, bear in mind people's preferences for consuming info. Some like RSS, others prefer old-school email. For others it depends on the scenario. My main way of consuming info on the web is via RSS, but when it comes to the daily menu, I've chosen both options. Most often I read the email since it comes to me at the right time of day to liberate me from my inbox and focus on more important things ;-)
Just for fun, here is an extract from our Veteran's Day menu:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Today's Menu
SOUP
*Home Made Cream of Poppy Soup
Onion, Celery, Leek, Tomatoes, Garlic, Tomato Puree, Cream, Basil, Potato and Vegetable Stock
?**Home Made Camouflage Soup
Leek, Potato, Onion, Celery, Leeks, Thyme and Vegetable Stock
HEALTH STATION
?VE Day Guinea Fowl Served with a Mixed Berry Sauce
Guinea Fowl, Seasoning, Olive Oil, Blueberries, Blackberries, Strawberries, Raspberries, Red Wine and Veal Stock
?Armistice Quail
Quail, Pork and Venison Sausage Meat, Onion, Thyme, Wild Mushrooms, Cream, White Wine and Veal Stock
?British Legion Baked Trout
Trout, Shallots, Almonds, Parsley, Olive Oil and Seasoning
?Comrades Cod with a Paprika Crust
Cod, Paprika, Capers, Shallots, Butter, Seasoning and Lemon Juice
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