Greetings From the President….

March 2010

I’m finally going to take the plunge; really, I am. I was disappointed that I missed our recent Industry Roundtable on Social Media, it would have saved me some research time. It seems everyday I hear something about “social media” and its finally getting my attention. For those of you who don’t know me too well; you’re looking at somewhat of a technology dinosaur. Email and internet is about it for me. I share a cell phone with my wife and guess where it is? In her purse. Blackberry? Twitter? Facebook? Why? It’s just another communication tool to keep track of! Who’s got the time? Well I’m beginning to change my ways. I set up a Linkedin profile and it was pretty simple. So now I’m looking into Twitter and plan on starting a Facebook page.

Twitter is a free service that lets you keep in touch with people through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: what are you doing? It can be accessed on the web by computer or mobile device. It allows you to share your thoughts in 140 words or less as often as you’d like. You can also follow someone on twitter by getting notices about new posts and reading or responding to them. Did you know that Lance Arrmstrong has almost 2 1/2 million followers? Talk about being able to get the word out! What a powerful tool. I’ve been thinking about tweeting a punchlist items or field observations. This could be really cool! You can see why twitter has received a lot of attention.

Twitter is just one of the several social media options on the web today. Other outlets include various wikis, blogs, and networking sites such as Linkedin and Facebook. Next time you’re sitting at your desk eating lunch reading news headlines on the internet check out one of these sites. I set up a Linkedin profile and its amazing how I’ve been able to reconnect with friends, fellow architects, clients and industry members that I’ve lost touch with. Pretty neat stuff. I’m planning to set up a personal Facebook site profile my hobbies, ok, I mean hobby, cycling. Then I wouldn’t have to use my president’s letters to share my cycling adventures. Just have to remember everything you post is public knowledge so things will find a way of getting out.

I’m learning Twitter has become popular with manufacturers who want to get news out to their target audience. Politicians have embraced it as a way of keeping supporters informed of what is going on. It is a quick way to find answers to questions if you and your colleagues stay connected to it. It may even have applications in the AEC community, but I haven’t found many yet. If you know of any please let me know. If we do use these tools, just remember that it will reflect on you and the company you represent. With the speed that information travels at the click of a button, consider slowing down to think about what you are about to share with the world. Technology can get you in trouble really fast.

Blogs are a great way of sharing information too. People start blogs and just write on a regular basis (or irregular basis) about a topic that is relevant to them. People can then comment publicly on the content. It is a great way to exchange ideas. Check out blog.csinet.org or one my favorite discussion sites discus.4specs.com/cgi-bin/discus/discus.cgi. CSI Chicago Chapter is also on Twitter and Linkedin. There are others, many others so get out there and check them out.

The young whipper snappers are all up to speed in social media, now its time for us old timers.

I hope to see you soon,

John Birazzi, CSI, CDT, AIA, LEED AP
jbirazzi@boothhansen.com

Past President's Archives:

John Birazzi
Nolan Day
Randy Chapple
Joanne Rodriguez
Renee Doktorczyk
Jim Kreps