As the winning entry in the essay contest sponsored by CU*Answers, I was given the opportunity to spend two full days immersed in the world of Passagways, intranet portals and collaboration, and I thank those who put it together for that opportunity! Attending the Passageways Powwow conference was well worth the time. In this short synopsis, I can only give you a high level view, but there is much more underneath. Suffice it to say the environment was thought provoking, positive and a model of open collaboration.

The first thing you realize is that companies have integrated their portals right into the daily activities of their staff and the cultures of their organizations. It is being utilized now for many things, such as effective file sharing, employee recognition and motivation, products and services, compliance, policies, procedures, HR activities, community service and yes, even some FUN. All this wrapped up in a portal.

As you listen to the speakers and talk with participants, you know that a portal, an intranet, collaboration and “Web 2.0″ are inevitable in the workplace, now or in the near future. The question is “are you ready?” It is, or should be, something that is planned for and deployed properly to get full value back. Start the process now.

And about value – one revelation I had was the considerable value that companies put in their intranet solutions. It was apparent that people find it critical to still invest resources of time, money and staff to expand, learn about, and grow an organizational portal for the benefit of everyone.

If you haven’t looked at the CU*Answers Talent Source Portal, which is the CU*Answers and Passageways partnership, check it out. If it’s been a while, go back and revisit it. Maybe we’ll see you at the next Passageways PowWow conference!

Mike Varley, IT Manager from Frankenmuth Credit Union

More information on Talent Source Hosted Portals

• Read what the Talent Source Portal can do for your Credit Union.
• Interested in seeing the tools? Check out our Talent Source Portal Demo.

Back in March, CU*Answers invited credit unions to submit an essay describing the benefits of owning a Talent Source Hosted Portal and the value it would add to their organization. The rules were simple: Write a minimum of 500 words and send it to portal@cuanswers.com by March 31^st. Easy!

While there are many excellent reasons for owning a portal the circle of judges especially liked the rationale of one and rated it “best in class” for its intrinsic implication. The writer’s overall theme was Break Beyond and this revealed his insight and vision for their portal: “The portal carries everyone in the organization beyond the walls to get a new vision, see the bigger picture and generate fresh ideas. Everyone is now part of something bigger and collectively we grow and succeed.” Many other statements recognized the value of a portal, to the extent that it supports the collaborative environment so key to our successes as a network of organizations. We appreciate everyone who submitted entries to us. So who is this winner?

If you’re interested in what this Talent Source Portal is all about, find out more at ws.wesconet.com. Read more about it here or if you’re ready, get the sign-up form here.

There is still room for you at PowWOW – get more information at: www.passageways.com/powwow_conference.php

This is a perfect opportunity to put a Talent Source Portal in place to organize the clutter.  Post documents, provide interactive tools and allow everyone to help keep it useful, organized and the collaboration effort moving.  The Talent Source Portal is more than closet; it’s a fully stocked room of organized resources.

There are still a few spots left to save the $1500 installation fee for new Portals, so act now.

Submit your entry by March 31^st for this one of kind opportunity.  All entries will be reviewed for content and a winner selected by April 15^th.  Full details at http://ws.wesconet.com/2010/03/04/win-a-chance-to-learn-from-passageways/

Check out Passageway’s Top 12 Reasons to sign up for PowWOW.

Talent Source Hosted Portals may experience intermittent downtime during this window.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

This is your chance to learn from the creators of the P4 Portal, FOR FREE!

The collaboration bandwagon is picking up speed and this is your chance to jump ahead of the game. Spend three days learning from the best examples and ideas other Credit Unions have, and take home a load of new information and ideas to apply toward your organization’s Talent Source Portal.

Read more about the contest rules.

What You Need

• Write 500 words minimum on how the portal is or will change your Credit Union
• You must have approval from your CEO to attend the event
• You must be available to travel to the conference in Indianapolis, Indiana

What You Win

• Two nights stay at Embassy Suites
• Registration and parking for the event
• A value of over $750
• Direct portal experience from portal experts
• Network with other portal users and build on their knowledge

Details

• Passageways PowWOW will be hosted in Indianapolis, Indiana on May 11th-13th
• Submit your entry to the portal team at portal@wesconet.com
• Entries must be received by March 31st 2010, winner will be announced April 15th
• Travel arrangements and expenses are your responsibility
• All submissions become the property of CU*Answers & WESCO Net Web Services

Passageways has developed a rich agenda of more than 20 business tracks, technical tracks and training sessions featuring product experts and industry thought leaders on collaboration and enterprise portals. This conference is a ‘can’t miss’ event; with advanced learning from case studies, hands-on learning from featured peers, and gives you the inside track on new technologies.

Download the flyer.

For a limited time we will waive the $1500 installation fee. But only for the first 10 portals.

What is the Talent Source Portal?

“The single biggest problem in communication is the allusion that it has taken place.” – George Bernard Shaw
The Talent Source Portal is our specialized version of the award winning Passageways Portal, allowing your organization to not just create the allusion of good communication; it provides the engine and structure to support it. Using this fully customizable and secure web portal, your information is easily organized and shared through this flexible communication tool.

Learn more about our Talent Source Portals.

Getting Started

Download the form, fill out the information and get your CEO to sign it before faxing it in. After you submit the form, our Talent Source Portal team will contact you about setting up your customized portal.

Download the sign up form.

From the date we receive your request for a Talent Source Portal, we will have it set up within 90 days. Your portal must be launched within those 90 days including working with our staff to set up training times and getting all requested information back to us.