Over the last year, I’ve really started to understand the valuable communication tool that social media has become.  Every time I write a blog post, a notification of the post is immediately seen by at least 1500 people.  If any of those connections comments, tweets, or “likes” the post, it is then shared with their network of connections.  One of my recent tweets was retweeted to over 4,000 people – not a big deal in comparison to celebrity twitterers, but we’re talking about doors here!

Social media has allowed me to connect with people all over the world.  A few weeks ago on a Saturday morning, I answered a code question for someone via several back-and-forth Tweets – he was in Egypt!  You might be thinking, “Who cares?  Why would I want to talk to someone thousands of miles away?” but I also talk to plenty of people close to home – people that are lucrative to my business.  I was listening in on a CSI webinar last week, and the presenter mentioned my blog and me as a great example of social media in the architectural/specifications industry.  A few months ago the Building Product Marketing blog used iDigHardware as an example of “how to do it right.”  Is this kind of press valuable to a hardware consultant?  You betcha!

I’m not bragging – really! – but I am hoping to entice our industry to get more involved with social media and start using LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to connect and exchange information.  I share lots of items of interest via social media that never show up on my blog, and there are other industry members out there too.  It doesn’t take a lot of time to join the conversation.  If you don’t, you might miss something!

Here are some recent links I’ve shared on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn:

Massachusetts Judge: Obsolete Fire-Suppression Means No Claims Paid

Unsafe Ekurhuleni care centres to close

Inmates short circuited door

Arnold fire trapped in bedroom

Inspectors let Sullivan resort stay open

Late Show theater doors vandalized (Check out this beautiful “before” photo)

Anti-burglar door locks may have hampered bid to save blaze man

SecureIdNews:  Aptiq – More than just physical access

Unsafe Havens:  Care homes are branded fire hazards

Fire marshal requiring $172K in changes at CCCHS

And just for fun…

This Tweet is on Fire

Has a nice ring to it

Door placement fail

See the door fail

The most efficient use of space ever?  A 24 square meter apartment.

House with insane sea view

Emergency exit fail

I’d love to know…how do you use social media, and what benefits have you experienced?  If you’re not using social media, why not?

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