Social networking is not new, but it looks like it is gaining traction in the construction industry. There are social networking sites out there today for business like Linked In. At Linked In you can connect with business professionals that you have met or worked with all over the country and world. You can also get leads for projects or find out what is going on by joining groups in your field.
Twitter is a micro-blogging tool that you can get real time information from people that you follow. News updates from publications like ENR are useful to help you keep up on what is going on. You can follow people or groups that interest you.
Facebook is more of a way to connect on a personal level. There are groups on facebook that you can follow but finding an active group in an area that interests you can be a hard task. You usually have better luck on Linked In.
All of the mentioned sites have their use, but are they better than meeting face to face with people? There are many construction networking groups out there like ASPE, ABC, AGC, NECA, MCA and NAWIC just to name a few. Most of the organizations have groups that meet in your area.
There are many benefits to meeting with people face to face. Getting to know your competition can be of great benefit when bid time comes around. Building relationships that could turn into partnerships. You can also share “war” stories and find out what others have done in your situation. Needless to say so much more can be done face to face than can be done online.
I think that the online social networking is a great tool to use, but there is no substitute for a face to face meeting with people.
