Intranet, community platform or social network: what is the difference?
The three words describe overlapping tools. An intranet informs employees, a community platform connects members around a shared interest, an enterprise social network lets colleagues talk in the open. This page explains the difference and helps you name what you actually need.
The three, side by side
| Intranet | Community platform | Enterprise social network | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who is in it | Employees of one organization | Members, customers, volunteers, alumni | Employees, sometimes partners |
| Main purpose | Inform: news, procedures, documents, directory | Belong: discussions, events, mutual help | Converse: questions, ideas, recognition |
| Who writes | Mostly the communication team and managers | Everyone | Everyone |
| Typical content | Announcements, policies, forms, org chart | Posts, events, galleries, polls, member profiles | Posts, comments, groups by interest |
| Success measure | Everyone got the information | Members come back and help each other | Silos break, answers are found |
| Examples | SharePoint, Liferay, Staffbase | Circle, Mighty Networks, Discourse | Viva Engage, Workvivo, the former Workplace from Meta |
Why the lines blur
A modern intranet is expected to be social: employees want to comment on the announcement, not just read it. That is called a social intranet. A member community also needs reference content: statutes, minutes, the calendar of the season. Most organizations need a bit of both, and paying for two tools to cover it is where budgets go.
Where HumHub fits
HumHub is built like a social network and organized like an intranet. A space can be an official channel where only editors post (intranet), a working group where everyone contributes (enterprise social network), or a members' area with events and paid access (community platform), in the same installation, with the same accounts. See module combinations by use.
How to decide what you need
- Who must be reached? Only staff: intranet first. People outside the payroll: community platform.
- Who will write? A few editors: intranet. Everyone: social features matter most.
- What must never be lost? Documents and procedures need a wiki and file library; conversations need search and an archive.
- How will people sign in? Company accounts point to single sign-on; external members point to open or approval-based registration.
If the answers mix, you want a platform that does both. Use cases of HumHub shows how organizations like yours set it up.
Questions
What is the difference between an intranet and a community platform?
An intranet is for the people of one organization and is mostly about information: news, documents, procedures, directory. A community platform gathers members, customers or volunteers who are not necessarily employees, and is mostly about conversation, events and belonging.
What is a social intranet?
An intranet where every employee can post, comment and react, not only the communication team. It combines the reference content of a classic intranet with the conversations of a social network.