It removes publishing barriers. On most intranets, average users don’t submit content—the process is confusing or time-consuming. But if users can publish their own content, they stop hoarding and start sharing, increasing the currency and relevance of your intranet.

It reduces cost. A wiki-type intranet is less expensive to implement and maintain than a restrictive, workflow-based content management system. It also reduces the need for dedicated intranet editors.

It removes distortion. Ideas are exchanged in one transfer step, eliminating distortion and filtering.

It increases engagement. Users that can add and edit content feel a sense of ownership over their intranet.

• Democratic, collaborative intranets
• Wikis make collaboration easier
• Do-it-yourself content

Intranet ROI will be pushed to the back burner... In the future, senior executives will be less concerned about the tangible ROI of an intranet. It will be an assumed cost of doing business, just as corporate e-mail has become.

Some employee blogs will last but unfortunately most won’t... Most organizations have cultures that subconsciously encourage information hoarding and group think. These organizations will find that their employees are reluctant to share their knowledge and personal insights unless they see tangible benefits in doing so. As a result most employee blogs will be superficial and boring unless, of course, they are anonymous.

This intranet review toolkit provides intranet managers and designers with an easy-to-use method of assessing the strengths and weaknesses of their intranet. It contains a substantial set of heuristics, allowing a detailed intranet review to be conducted that focuses on a wide range of functionality, design and strategy.

• Use high-contrast colors. Black on white is the best.
• Use 12-point type for optimal reading speed. For the small print, 10-point should be the minimum size.
• Align left. Justified text destroys word spacing; right-aligned slows the eye.
• On-screen, there is no difference in reading speed between serif and sans-serif. However, most users prefer sans-serif.

• More about fonts: Human Factors' UI Design Newsletter
• Jakob Nielsen: Let Users Control Font Size

Shel Holtz argues that wikis are not an appropriate platform for powering entire intranets:

The notion of wiki-as-intranet is based on ease of publishing. It’s the same motivation that leads the folks at some blog software companies to claim an intranet could be reconfigured 100% on blogging software. Both suggestions come from the “selling hammers” school of business solutions: If you’re selling hammers, every problem looks like a nail. But intranets are more complex beasts that cannot be supported by either platform alone. At least, not if they’re good intranets.