Interactive news channels, such as social walls, allow your users to post news, exchange opinions, and share pieces of their lives with their colleagues. You can create a social wall for users to post their most recent life updates or share team moments. Connect remote employees or different departments through prompts or competitions, creating a feeling of community.

Use Case: Strengthening New Employee Connection

Connecting new hires inside global organizations, especially those with non-desk workers, requires a purposeful strategy. Starting in a new company can be isolating, especially while working remotely or with reduced in-person contact. Social walls provide a practical solution to this issue. News channels where everyone can post allow new hires to introduce themselves and connect with employees across the company. This way, new employees can feel welcomed and integrated from day one. 

Empower Inclusive Participation

• Open the channel to all employees so everyone feels welcome to post and engage.
• Include information about the social wall in onboarding materials so new hires know where and how to connect.

Highlight New Hires Intentionally

• Have new team members introduce themselves with short bios, photos, or fun facts.
• Include the news channel on a page using the Plugin widget to increase visibility.
• Allow in-app notifications for the channel so welcome posts stand out and aren’t missed.

Encourage Connection

• Encourage colleagues to like, comment, or react to new hire introductions to spark conversation and connection.
• Use a mix of media, including photos and videos, to keep content engaging and varied.

Best Practices

Staffbase has a few recommendations to ensure the best experience for your users.

 

Decide on a Social Wall Theme

• Select a simple and engaging theme that’s easy for everyone to contribute to, regardless of role or location.
• Broad, inclusive themes invite creativity and maximize participation, such as Your Week in One Photo or Meet My Workspace.

 

Tailor to Specific Audiences

• Create multiple social walls with different themes to resonate with different user groups.
• Rotate themes or introduce new ones regularly to keep content dynamic and encourage ongoing participation.

 

Create Event-Specific Social Walls

• Launch the wall in advance to build anticipation and encourage pre-event introductions or content sharing.
• Encourage employees to use the wall during the event to capture live moments, reactions, and behind-the-scenes updates.

•  

How Social Walls Look for Users

Additional Helpful Information

• Overview of Interactive News Channels
• Creating an Interactive News Channel