Intranet Leadership Forum ... Is It Worth NZ$3,400/Year?
I am absolutely all for communities of practice and one based around Intranet's is indeed close to my heart.
But is the Intranet Leadership Forum worth NZ$3,400 per year ... that's for an individual membership.
I dunno, with all that shared resource out there all it would take is to go to one well attended conference and you'll make enough connections for a year to keep ya going. Heck, in Wellington you could probably get all the Intranet "leaders" into one pub.
Then again, maybe there is more to the Forum than I know ... trouble is it doesn't engage in the on-line world; no blog, wiki, tweet, Flickr ... nothing.
So how am I to know?
But is the Intranet Leadership Forum worth NZ$3,400 per year ... that's for an individual membership.
I dunno, with all that shared resource out there all it would take is to go to one well attended conference and you'll make enough connections for a year to keep ya going. Heck, in Wellington you could probably get all the Intranet "leaders" into one pub.
Then again, maybe there is more to the Forum than I know ... trouble is it doesn't engage in the on-line world; no blog, wiki, tweet, Flickr ... nothing.
So how am I to know?
How are you to know ?
ReplyDeleteUse Google of course!
The front page of the ILF site has the names of three testimonials, a short Google away are contact details for all three people, who do engage in the on-line world.
On a more serious note I can report, having been invited to attend a recent ILF meeting in Wellington (I'm not a member), that the testimonials ring true.
From what I've seen of the Wellington chapter, and what I know about the ILF, it fills the space between pub chats and conferences.
Something akin to a 'guild hall' for intranet professionals if you like.
The two benefits of groups like the ILF that I see are: Privacy and Facilitation
By being a private space, unlike an online group such as Kiwi Intranets , ILF provides an opportunity for greater disclosure amongst peers without the googly eyes of the world looking in. Attractive particularly to those from corporate backgrounds.
The facilitation I experienced in Wellington meant members had set the agenda to focus on themes which were immediate issues for them, and allowed the group to resolve specific issues attendees raised. Additionally reference material, introductions and group analysis added to the value.
On the down side I totally agree with your comment about the lack of blog, wiki, tweet etc.
For instance another organisation like the ILF, the Intranet Benchmarking Forum (NZ$40,000 / year) does have a blog.
What the ILF does have over an organisation like the IBF is its association with StepTwo. Step Two makes a point of giving, in a very 2.0 way, the knowledge that it gains to the intranet community in the form of reports, articles, blog posts, etc
It may be that the ILF site just doesn't provide enough contextual information, pointing back to Step Two.
DorjeM
I agree with Dorje. By attending the ILF you have the opportunity to actually see inside Intranets from other organisations. Much better than screen shots.
ReplyDeleteAt the latest meeting of the Wellington ILF chapter I had the opportunity to speak openly about Intranet frustrations with a small group of other Intranet managers and also had the benefit of getting direct advice from the attending StepTwo consultant.