A recent Watson Wyatt survey found that more companies are turning to Web 2.0 technologies such as social networking tools, blogs and Webcasts for internal communications and as part of their overall technology mix.Watson Wyatt's 2009 HR technology trends survey found that since the economic downturn began, 72% of employers have increased their use of the intranet, and 61% have increased their use of e-mail to communicate with employees. With more than 70% reporting an HR budget decrease and talent management becoming a higher priority, employers are also using newer tools-32% have increased their use of Webcasts; 13% have increased their use of social networking tools; and 12% have increased their use of blogs for communication."Web 2.0 technologies work well, in most instances, for targeting specific employee and manager groups, and companies are using them in appropriate situations," said Jon Osborne, senior technology consultant at Watson Wyatt. "Using tools such as role-based portals, internal blogs and Webcasts ensures that both managers and employees can send and receive tailored messages in an engaging format. This is useful for improving productivity and maintaining employee morale and engagement, particularly in this difficult economic time."Companies are adopting role-based employee portals-those that are personalized to the user-the most rapidly; 41% have already deployed or are piloting role-based employee portals and nearly a quarter are planning to adopt them in the next 24 months.–[email protected]

Truliant FCU Faces Trademark Suit

Three little words-"'Yes, You Can"-have sparked a controversy.CommunityONE Bank has filed a lawsuit against Truliant Federal Credit Union over trademark infringement. At issue is the credit union's billboard that says "Yes, You Can Join Truliant" and directs consumers to its microsite, trudifferences.org, where they can learn more about the credit union difference.According to the suit, CommunityONE Bank claims that the credit union has infringed on its trademark "Yes, You Can" slogan resulting in consumer confusion. The bank also contends that the credit union's sunburst logo is also too similar to its own.