Maximize the potential of Confluence blogs

Introduction

Blogs in Confluence are a popular feature that allows users to create and share articles, thoughts, and insights within their organization's Confluence instance. While Confluence offers various documentation and project management features, blogs provide a more informal and dynamic way for individuals to communicate and share information.

 

There are several reasons why people use blogs in Confluence:

  1. Knowledge Sharing → Blogs provide a platform for individuals to share their expertise, experiences, and ideas with others in the organization. They can disseminate information, best practices, and lessons learned, fostering a culture of knowledge sharing within the company.

  2. Communication → Blogs serve as a means of communication within teams or the entire organization. They can be used to announce updates, share news, or discuss important topics.

  3. Thought leadership → Employees can showcase their expertise and contribute to the organization's intellectual capital by regularly publishing insightful articles and opinions.

  4. Documentation and retention → Blogs can be valuable for documenting processes, guidelines, and important discussions. Unlike traditional documents, blogs provide a chronological view of the evolution of ideas and discussions, making it easier to track the context and history of a particular topic.

 

Despite their benefits, some challenges and issues can be associated with blogs in Confluence.

  1. Lack of engagement → Although blogs allow comments and discussions, the level of engagement can vary. Blogs are typically confined to specific spaces, making it difficult for users to find relevant and interesting content. As a result, click-through rates (CTR) suffer, and engagement dwindles. A lack of participation or reader feedback may discourage authors from regularly posting or contributing.

  2. Quality control → As the number of blogs grows, maintaining the quality and accuracy of shared information can be a concern. Since blogs are more informal in nature, without proper feedback and visibility for the whole company, there is a risk of misleading or outdated information being circulated.

 


Enhance user engagement with Content Viz and Cosmos

Centralized blog directory → To overcome the visibility challenge, consider using a centralized blog directory. This dedicated page can serve as a hub for all blogs in Confluence, providing users with a one-stop location to discover and explore the latest articles and insights. Categorize blogs by labels/tags, making it effortless for users to find content that aligns with their interests.

Rather than building dedicated news pages with Content Viz, leverage existing tools like Cosmos, a free intranet app that offers a pre-built dedicated page for News. Cosmos seamlessly integrates with Confluence, allowing you to create a dynamic and visually appealing blog directory (Newsroom) within your intranet. By utilizing Cosmos, you can centralize all Confluence blogs in one place, enhancing their discoverability and making it easier for users to find valuable content.

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News on Confluence page → Highlighting and featuring select blogs can increase their visibility and attract more readers. Create a section on the Confluence dashboard or landing page that showcases hand-picked or dynamic blogs. This curated selection will pique users' interest and encourage them to click through to read the full articles.

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Engaging Visuals → Enhance the visual appeal of blogs to captivate readers' attention. Encourage authors to include eye-catching images, cards, or any other visuals within their articles. Visual elements break up the text and make the content more shareable and engaging, increasing the likelihood of users clicking through to read the full blog post. Try out MacroSuite - Content Formatting app for Confluence.

Watch Video

 


Conclusion

Revolutionizing Confluence blogs requires a proactive approach to address the visibility and engagement challenges. Organizations can enhance the discoverability and engagement of their Confluence blogs by implementing strategies such as creating a centralized blog directory, featuring select blogs on a Confluence page, promoting collaboration, and incorporating engaging visuals with MacroSuite. Empowering users to find and interact with valuable content will boost CTR rates and foster a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing within the organization. So, let's unleash the power of Confluence blogs and drive engagement to new heights!

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Aron Gombas _Midori_
Community Leader
Community Leader
Community Leaders are connectors, ambassadors, and mentors. On the online community, they serve as thought leaders, product experts, and moderators.
May 21, 2023

@Marin These are powerful apps to create professional-looking and engaging content without design skills/efforts, but how exactly do they address "maintaining the quality and accuracy of shared information"?

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Marin
Marketplace Partner
Marketplace Partners provide apps and integrations available on the Atlassian Marketplace that extend the power of Atlassian products.
May 21, 2023

Hi @Aron Gombas _Midori_

Thanks for reading and commenting on my article. It's all about better visibility and better employee engagement. As I am a big fan of system thinking, I will try to include it in my explanation.

  • When more people engage with internal blogs and provide comments, it brings diverse perspectives. Different team members may have unique insights, experiences, and expertise that can enrich the content. This diversity of viewpoints can lead to more comprehensive and well-rounded discussions. Better engagement leads to better knowledge sharing, which improves content quality. Imagine you are writing a blog post without having any feedback, and this is something that usually happens in Confluence.
  • By encouraging comments and feedback, internal blogs become platforms for collaborative learning. Employees can share their knowledge, ask questions, and engage in meaningful discussions. This collaborative environment fosters a culture of continuous learning, enabling individuals to grow their expertise and contribute to higher-quality content.
  • Comments and feedback provide an opportunity to identify and rectify errors or inaccuracies in the content. Readers can point out typos, inconsistencies, or areas that require further clarification. Constructive feedback can help authors refine their ideas, ensuring the content is accurate, well-structured, and engaging.
  • Comments and feedback often spark new ideas and insights. Readers may offer suggestions, alternative approaches, or additional information related to the blog post. This input can lead to the development of more innovative and valuable content. Encouraging open dialogue can inspire creativity and encourage employees to share their unique perspectives and knowledge.
  • When employees see their comments acknowledged and responded to, it fosters a sense of involvement and motivation. Active participation in the comments section creates a feedback loop, where authors feel encouraged to produce more high-quality content, knowing that it is being appreciated and generating discussion. This increased engagement can lead to a virtuous cycle of continuous improvement in content creation.

If you want to use blogs in Confluence, you should measure the impact of those. Creating content without having proper feedback is the worst thing that can happen in one organization. In my opinion, it is all about creating a learning organization.

@Aron Gombas _Midori_ if you want to use our apps for free, please let me know. 

Thanks for participating
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