The "Publish On Behalf" feature on your intranet offers powerful capabilities to enhance communication by allowing content to be shared in the names of specific pages, communities, or users. This not only facilitates timely information sharing but also fosters a more dynamic and connected internal environment.

Establish an Official Voice: Publish as a Page or Community

Publishing content in the name of a page or community lends an official tone to your communication. This is ideal for:

• Company-wide Announcements: Official news, policy updates, and critical information can be published directly as a timeline post or multichannel post from the relevant department's page (e.g., "Human Resources" for HR policies, "IT Support" for system outages). This provides clarity and authority to the message.
• Departmental Updates: If each of your departments has a dedicated page, its page admins can publish updates directly as the page on its timeline. This helps employees quickly identify the source of information and its relevance.
• Cross-Communications: For messages representing a group, like a community update, posting under the group's name keeps the focus on the message, not who wrote it. This way, the communication feels like a group's announcement, not a personal statement.

Tips for Implementation

• Clear Permissions: Consider only providing the "Act in the name of a page, community or event (global)" permission to trusted individuals responsible for managing a page's wider communication. The "Act in the name of a page or event (local)" permission can be granted more liberally, enabling page and community admins to engage with their subscribers and members.
  • Not sure how to build your roles? Check out our suggested roles here.
• Designated Admins: Carefully consider whom you will grant admin status to for pages, especially for those that are auto-subscribed, since admins can publish in the name of these pages. For communities, admin roles can be more flexible, as community-wide messages typically carry less formal weight.
• Training: Train page admins on how to publish effectively in the name of their respective entities, including best practices for tone and content.
• Transparency (When Needed): Keep in mind that admins or users with moderator access can reveal the identity of the original content author if necessary. This allows for reviews of content that may have been published inappropriately under a page's name.

Empower Busy Colleagues: Publish as a User

Publishing content on behalf of another user can greatly improve flexibility and efficiency, especially for busy executives who may lack the time to create their own material. Unlike sharing as a page or community, when you publish as another user, it still feels personal and human. This is ideal for:

• C-Level Communications: C-level executives can delegate their assistants to publish content in their name. This allows executives to maintain a strong presence on the intranet, sharing insights, vision, or important announcements, without directly managing the publishing process. The assistant handles the creation, and the content appears as if from the executive.
• Subject Matter Expert (SME) Contributions: SMEs can delegate content creation to the internal communications teams. This ensures that valuable expertise is shared across the organization in a polished and timely manner, even if the SME is time-constrained.

Tips for Implementation

• Assess Permission Eligibility: Set clear guidelines on granting the "Add users who can publish on their behalf" permission. This will enable selected users to allow others to publish for them. It's important to keep this permission restricted to ensure that your intranet retains maximum openness and transparency.
• Define Roles and Responsibilities: Clearly outline the responsibilities of Content Publishers and Content Creators, including content topics and approval steps. Ensure that any content published on behalf of someone else is appropriate and accurately represents the Content Publisher's views. Misrepresenting a Content Publisher can cause confusion and damage trust.
• Access and Publishing Rights: Ensure both the Content Creator and Content Publisher have access to the publishing location, and the Content Creator has permissions to create content there.
• Content Creator Guidelines: Provide Content Creators with clear instructions on how to publish on behalf of another user for different content types they'll use.
• Tone of Voice: Encourage Content Creators to maintain the unique voice and communication style of the Content Publisher. The goal isn't to homogenize communication, but rather to extend the reach of diverse voices within the organization. This requires Content Creators to genuinely understand the Publisher's usual tone and messaging.

By following these best practices, your organization can make the most of the "Publish On Behalf" feature to create a more efficient and engaging intranet experience for all employees.