Skinkers is making a name for itself as a desktop news alert system. It has been signed up by a number of media companies, including the Financial Times and the BBC.

The technology is straightforward enough. At one end, a web-connected server and, at the other, a thin Windows or Blackberry client. A Windows Mobile version is on its way.

Mac and Symbian users can avert their gaze. True multi-platform capability has been sacrificed in favour of a powerful and elegant client.

The point of telling you this is that the same technology can be used inside companies to maximise the chances of truly important material being viewed. Skinkers offers a push channel which delivers only what people want to see/hear about.

The alerts appear in a Flash-powered ticker or a small popup box. You can choose where to go for further information - to a Skinkers news browser or to the original source.

It sounds intrusive but, if the information being delivered is highly relevant to the person receiving it, they shouldn't mind. They can change their category selections and even add in their own favourite RSS feeds. They can switch the alerts off or hide them, which somewhat defeats the object. But without this choice, resentment could easily build.

Skinkers alerts mean that your users don't have to delve for important company notices in their email. And it means they don't have to keep looking at the corporate portal, just in case there's something there. It keeps people in touch with what's important to them. It requires no effort on their part. The tip-offs just appear and they can choose whether or not to act.