Posted by William Vander Plaats on Thu, May 20, 2010 @ 12:53 PM
Engineers have inquisitive minds and like to know how things work. They are often the first to try something new, sometimes out of curiosity, but also from a desire to discover better methods and smarter techniques. Things like better designs for products and buildings, such as those directed by LEED standards, sustainability, and life cycle costs. They also discover better ways to communicate with each other and with others in their field.
So as a group, how has the engineering profession -- and especially those in the building and HVAC sectors -- accepted and adopted social media communication tools like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook? So far the results seem mixed.
HVACRBusiness Magazine conducted a poll of its readers late last Summer, in which 26% said they already had company Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn accounts, but 48% said they WOULD use social media if they only knew how. It's one reason why HVACR Business created a special social media site just for HVACR contractors at SocialTract.com where contractors can create and maintain their own blogs with minimal effort. Some individual contractors and engineering firms have braved the new social media world on their own, such as California-based Rosenthal Plumbing, whose music video on YouTube has been viewed more than 5700 times. Blogs, videos, and other methods can also be used to answer questions about preventing heat exchanger fouling and cooling tower basin cleaning.
Industry associations and media like ASHRAE and Contracting Business have embraced social media as well. ASHRAE has corporate Facebook and Twitter accounts and also maintains a special MySpace account just for students. Social media can be a great way to look for job, such as using a Twitter account that lists jobs just for HVAC.
LinkedIn And Professional Groups
One of the best uses of social media is for networking and strengthening existing relationships. LinkedIn maintains a number of groups relating specifically to HVAC, engineering, and filtration that are a great resource for sharing information. That list includes:
- Consulting-Specifying Engineer (153 members). For engineers and others who have a professional interest in buildings. Topics of interest include sustainability, innovative design solutions, awesome new products, career development, industry events, and more.
- Filtration Networking (1300 members) For those interested in networking throughout the industry to share market/product knowledge, industry contacts, job search, and general information.
- CleanTechies Around The World (10,000 members) Joining requires approval in this group for active professionals, committed students, concerned citizens, interested politicians, and devoted educators. Consists of engineers, lawyers, financiers, technicians, consultants, architects, designers, communicators, students and teachers who are pursuing careers in CleanTech.
- Water Treatment Solutions (2454 members) This group is for water treatment professionals to exchange knowledge and ideas about water problems. Subjects to be discussed are related to treatment of wastewater, cooling water, and boiler water and other.
- MyWaterPlantJobs Group (218 members) A group for those who manage, operate and maintain water and wastewater treatment plant facilities worldwide.
- Wastewater Construction Group (502 members) Their goal is to communicate in all disciplines relating to water, wastewater and reclamation facilities, including design and construction.
It's Your Turn
What about YOU?
Have you jumped into the social media pool yet? You can start out slow and easy by:
- Join LinkedIn and check out some of the many forums and groups there, including the LAKOS LinkedIn account
Posted by William Vander Plaats on Thu, Mar 11, 2010 @ 01:40 PM
The tools and equipment for a successful farming operation have always changed with the times. Fields once cultivated with a horse and plow are now handled by air-conditioned tractors in many areas. Hand written accounting systems are now processed by computers. Plans for the placement of irrigation systems were once scratched in the dirt or on paper, and now they may use GPS and field-mapping software for proper design. It should be no surprise to find that farmers have embraced the Internet for news and information gathering, as well as this relatively new tool called "social media."
CNN reports that a 2007 census by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows 
high-speed Internet access doubled on U.S. farms between 2005 and 2007, jumping from 13 percent to 27 percent. That is still less than the general U.S. population, but it's growing faster. According to government statistics, 55 percent of U.S. farms had Internet access in 2007 compared with 62 percent of homes in the U.S. overall. And social media activities are growing quickly in popularity as a communications and marketing tool. A recent American Farm Bureau Federation survey (pg.4) of farmers and ranchers ages 18-35 indicates that among the 92 percent who use computers, 46 percent regularly use social media.
Social Media Defined
Social media can be defined as "social interaction and communication through web-based techniques and media." It includes Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, blogs, and many others. While Facebook is the fastest growing website in terms of total visitors, having recently passed Yahoo at #3 overall (behind only Google and Microsoft), the mobile nature of today's farmer seems to have made Twitter their most preferred social media tool. Farmers, like the small group in California, use their smart phones to make Twitter entries throughout the day. They use Twitter to answer questions and break stereotypes of what life is really like on a farm, and the daily challenges of today's farmer.
Websites serving the agribusiness community like AgWired are utilizing social media tools to extend their reach and provide more timely information to its followers. The United States Department of Agriculture even has a separate section of its website dedicated to Social Media and Resources and a very active Twitter account (@USDAgov). Others are using social media to raise the level of awareness of farm issues to the general population. In 2009, Mike Haley, who raises crops and purebred Simmental cattle near West Salem, OH, demonstrated the power of Twitter for farmers. To raise awareness and support of America's dairy families, he asked everyone who uses Twitter to create "tweets" using the keyword #moo on a certain day (in Twitter lingo, the # sign preceding a phrase is known as a "hash tag"). Word of this request spread among farmers and Twitter users. For that particular day, the keyword #moo became one of the most popular terms on Twitter -- on a day when 15 million tweets were made.
How Is It Used?
So besides debunking farm myths and raising awareness of farm issues, what is everyone Tweeting and Facebooking about? Some of it is just about farm life, and the daily challenges of that profession. Some of it is problem solving, and requesting input from others regarding how to handle certain situations. Such as those asked at the AgTalkForum, a moderated forum covering questions and answers on a variety of farm topics, claiming to have over 14,000 registered users. There are questions about using computers on the farm, including opinions from end users regarding which farm management software program might be the most appropriate. There is also a section on "Crop Talk" where visitors can share techniques about planting or fertilizing or irrigation equipment, like sand media tanks. Or ask questions like "If I have sand in my water well, how do I prevent it from damaging my submersible or turbine pumps that irrigate my crops?"
What about you? Do you see other ways social media and the Internet can improve life on the farm? Leave us your thoughts in the Comments area below.
Or why not jump a bit deeper into social media yourself! Just click on the icons on this page to follow LAKOS on Twitter, Facebook, or by subscribing to our RSS feed.
Social media is here, and it's time to get on board.