In determining your community's communication needs, it is important to understand the range of options available from a basic Community Website to an advanced Community Intranet.

On the low end, a community website consists of a few pages available to anyone on the internet and contain information regarding a particular community. New information is added to the website by a webmaster (a hosting company employee responsible for maintaining a web site) with residents simply reading information from the site. These sites tend to be static in nature and are infrequently updated leading to loss of interest and eventual non-use.

The middle tier of Community websites offer slightly more advanced functionality. These systems provide the ability for an administrator(s) to update the site instead of a webmaster. The administrator is usually a community resident who has the time and experience to perform these tasks. These websites claim to be interactive and they are for the administrator. However, for the standard resident the site is essentially static with the same inherent drawbacks.

Community Intranets are a different breed altogether. These systems are advanced, database-driven applications whereby all residents have the ability to add content. Instead of waiting for a webmaster or an administrator to add content, residents can post the information themselves through an easy-to-use interface. In addition, community intranets support a broad range of interactive functionality, productivity and collaboration tools not found in a website.

The key to deploying a successful community intranet is content. By keeping content new and fresh you have a higher probability that the site will retain the interest of its members and fulfill its mission of being a valuable communications tool for the entire community. Old, static content is a recipe for disaster. Residents will not return to look at a site that is updated infrequently and the site will simply not be used.

While many companies offer these community websites and many of these are free, you have to remind yourself of the reason for wanting an intranet in the first place-better communication and participation within the community. You need a tool that makes it easy to communicate by providing tools to keep the site interesting and active. Only eUnifyCentral offers communities the rich functionality and interactivity of our Community Intranet.