A few weeks ago I wrote a post about the connection between project management and social media, about how social media can improve the communication between project managers and their virtual teams. Now, I don’t think I went far enough; improving project management in virtual teaming is just a small piece of what social media offers to project managers – to anyone, really.
I belong, as do most of you, to project management related groups on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and subscribe to many, many blogs and other related sites. As a marketer/social content contributor for a Project Portfolio Management Software company, I read them to keep myself updated and to find interesting tidbits to share via Twitter and etc. What I realized (in a recent ‘oh, duh’ moment) was that all of you use social media sites to be better managers.
It used to be that if you wanted some real, honest-to-goodness peer networking/educational opportunities you had to travel to user-group meetings or educational seminars to find them. There were bulletin boards and association websites, and perhaps the odd blog or wiki that could help a bit, but those were mostly either one-way or so badly organized as to be virtually useless. And of course there are books on everything … but who’s willing to take the time to read them?
Today, anyone who wants to learn something, share something, ask, answer, or merely comment on a discussion can do so via social media. Truth is, there are a lot of tasks to complete and too much information out there to sort through yourself. So, anytime you find yourself or your project stuck on something new to you, a quick tweet or post on LinkedIn or shout-out from your own blog will bring a range of possible solutions right to you. It’s not just about expressing yourself, saving on postage, or finding new friends any more … social media has eliminated all the walls and boundaries that once limited peer collaboration and ongoing education.
A year ago I though Facebook was just the newest MySpace, and avoided it. Six months ago I thought Twitter was just silly. Now I spend most of my day on both, and they are not silly at all – they are one of my best project management tools. And it no longer matters if you’re competitors. We’re all getting along! Moms everywhere should be thankful.
And with that nifty segue, I want to wish all of you that celebrate it a happy Thanksgiving. Next week – the second half of my Favorite Project Management blog sites list.
