  Bringing together considerations from three research trends (honest signals
of collaboration, socio-semantic networks and homophily theory), we hypothesise
that word use similarity and having similar social network positions are linked
with the level of employees' digital interaction. To verify our hypothesis, we
analyse the communication of close to 1600 employees, interacting on the
intranet communication forum of a large company. We study their social dynamics
and the 'honest signals' that, in past research, proved to be conducive to
employees' engagement and collaboration. We find that word use similarity is
the main driver of interaction, much more than other language characteristics
or similarity in network position. Our results suggest carefully choosing the
language according to the target audience and have practical implications for
both company managers and online community administrators. Understanding how to
better use language could, for example, support the development of knowledge
sharing practices or internal communication campaigns.
