As some of you may have noticed the Intranet Focus and Enterprise Search Book websites look rather different. The catalyst for change was a beer with Sam Marshall in Leverkusen last year shortly after he had upgraded his web site. The beer has wiped my memory about the discussion. I started out on 2017 determined to upgrade not only my web sites but also my reports, which were basically Word documents with a strange cover. I started looking for a web designer in Horsham, where I live, on the basis it should make communication easier. It was my great fortune to dip into the Google cookie barrel and come up with Simon Flegg of Hub Graphics, just a mile up the road from my office. I have long since learned that the best way to work with a designer is to talk about what you want to achieve in terms of business impact on your market and then let them use their skills on the design and installation. The response I have had has been very positive, especially on the mobile version of the sites. If you are using WordPress and need a design makeover then I would have no hesitation in recommending Simon to you.

In parallel I have been working with Simon on a new report design, which is just about to be released. The aim was to present a more professional image of Intranet Focus, one that for a start justified my day rate. Good reports are not just a question of design and I’m working with Val Skelton at BlytheSpark. Val is acting as my publisher to ensure that the reports tell a story and are not just a set of disconnected paragraphs. Val and I have worked together for well over a decade so we can work in a shorthand that makes for a very good working relationship.

The new web site also comes with a new content contributor interface and it has taken a while for me to master the intricacies of it. I keep reminding intranet clients that intranets have two sets of users, namely employees and content contributors. Without quality content no intranet will survive. I hope that you will find future blogs posts do present high quality content as well as being more readable.

Martin White