This Thursday, April 14th, I will host the inaugural #aiaces chat at 2pm EST. The first topic will be Lifelong Learning in the Design and Construction Industries, and more information can be found on AIA.org. Between now and then I have time to reflect not just on lifelong learning in the design and construction industries, but also on the social media path I walked since I started to work in AIA/CES.
November 2005 when I started my job within AIA/CES I didn’t blog. Within a year or so I read, Julie and Julia written by Julie Powell, and I was determined to try blogging. The author’s ability to broadcast what interested her most, and to receive a massive supportive response was very inspiring. I started many blogs since then, and luckily the ones I used outside of work were free. My enthusiasm for blogging was contagious at work, and this enthusiasm manifested itself in the AIA/CES blog.
When I originally started to blog for CES the goal was to repurpose information already present on AIA.org or within the CES Provider Connection. I thought I could use it to add more support to continuing education programs that deserved attention. However, this year the focus of the content is to present a look at professional development from a bigger picture than just a course here or there. I would like readers to be inspired to respond to the blog, start a conversation with a colleague or start a blog on their own.
Besides writing a blog, AIA/CES also has a twitter presence AIAContinuingED, and we are formatting a Facebook page. Social media platforms are fun, but we need to define the reasons they are necessary. Blogging is still a great way to repurpose information communicated via other channels, but as with tweetchats, it’s a way to create a real-time community where none existed before.
CES Providers, what part of your social media strategy supports lifelong learning?