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What can you do to ensure that an internal weblog implementation is successful in your organization?

• Start small. No matter how enthusiastic you may be to implement weblogs across your entire organization, anything new takes some time to get used to - and this includes new ways of expressing oneself to peers. Rather than implement all types of weblogs at once, pick a specific type of implementation (for example, a project blog), and launch it for the kick-off of a new cross-departmental project.
• Get people from different departments involved from the beginning. If your first blog includes people from several workgroups, the weblog virus will spread more quickly through the organization than if its implementation is limited to a single group working together. A cross-departmental implementation will also prevent any workgroup-specific, or cliquish, associations from being attached to the weblog concept.
• Focus, but do not control, the content. A focused weblog is easier to post to than one that is unfocused. Without some structure, people may be stymied by its open-ended nature and not know what to write. Give people a reason to contribute to the blog (they're project members, they're part of the workgroup, and/or it's personal and they can write about themselves), but do not control what they can say about the topic. A brainstorming meeting is most effective when censorship or valuation of ideas is prohibited. When people are free to say whatever they want, creativity sparks many different ideas. Think of the weblog in a similar manner. Allow people to write what they want.
• Establish acceptability guidelines. Make sure that guidelines are in place for what type of content will not be tolerated. There will be people in the organization who are going to be very uncomfortable with information being so freely expressed-you can count on it. If someone wants to shut it down, or restrict what's being written, you can produce a set of guidelines for the weblog. A set of rules can satisfy Human Resources and legal advisors. It also facilitates the removal of inappropriate content. If there is a violation of the policy (perhaps the policy prohibits unfounded criticism of the company's competitors), it is easier to remove the offending post by referencing the policy or site guidelines and setting an example. Removal of content without guidelines can be interpreted as censorship, and you'll find people aren't much interested in contributing if they feel their content may be censored.

Great TIP: Chances are your weblog will have two roles for its contributors: posters and administrators. Administrators have the ability to change the template and edit or remove content. Posters are only able to post and edit their own content. Make sure that both posters and administrators are aware of the guidelines and understand how these guidelines will be enforced.

• Set the tone, set the example. Because you're the one reading this piece, it's likely that you'll be the one either directing or implementing weblogs within your company. While you may think it's a great idea to roll out various types of blogs, others may not agree, or they simply may not get it. As soon as the site gets launched, it's important that content starts to flow. Find a few early adopters within the team who'll join you in posting regularly to the new blog. Set an example for others within your organization so that as soon as the site's launched, skeptics and supporters alike will see the value in the endeavor. Nothing can kill your company weblog quicker than a bunch of talk and no action - a weblog with few updates isn't much of an improvement over that old static intranet page.
• Choose the blog's location carefully. With weblogs, like real estate, it's all about location. The location of your blog within your organization's intranet is critical to its success. If it's not someplace people will easily find it, or at a URL people will easily remember, its potential may never be realized. Worse, it may die a slow, painful death. Ideally, your weblog should be the home page of your intranet site; that is, if your workgroup or department has an intranet site, your blog should be its home page. If you've got various project blogs for your workgroup, they should be linked from the workgroup blog. With any type of blog, the easier it is to find, the more traffic and participation it will have.

Great TIP: In the case of a project blog, team members should make it the home page of their workstation browser. That way, every time they launch their web browser, they will be reminded of the project blog.

• Don't make it seem like work. This is, of course, the most important factor in making your blog successful. Don't make it a chore for people to participate in your new blog. Make it a fun place to visit so that people will return to read it often. It is not uncommon for people to check a weblog multiple times a day. Make it a fun place for people to contribute. Let the tone be natural and conversational. Don't create or force the blog to sound like another corporate brochure, or something that's been edited ten times over. The goal is for people to want to participate in these sites. If participating isn't fun, it will just feel like more work piled on top of existing requirements. No one wants that.
• Leveraging technologies that can make it easier to post the blog, and ensure that it actually is less work to participate in the conversation. Mobile [Desktop|Laptop] tools like the Content Management System offered by IT-Expert on Call that enable team members to easily add content from anyware to the business weblog.

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