Drum roll please...the results are in!

In the SMPS National Publication the Marketer (link access for members only), the article “Silent Presses” discussed how online publications and blogging is resulting in a decline of the newspaper/magazine industry. Although other industries are twittering and involved in the blogosphere, where does the A/E/C industry stand regarding online technology? The National Conference, buildbusiness.org, had a session dedicated to social media. The case study during this session involved HOK who is way ahead of the curve compared to any other organization in the A/E/C industry. HOK has employees in all of their global offices posting to the their blog, www.hoklife.com. Are A/E/C marketing professionals leery of accepting new forms of technology and do we lag behind other industries?

SMPS Atlanta has embraced this new way to communicate by being the first chapter to maintain a blog, but where do our members stand regarding the utilization of technology? How do our members feel about moving to an online newsletter only? In an industry that is pushing for sustainable design, are we also embracing the other areas that can make us “green”?

To gain some insight we conducted a survey to find out what our members and prospective members thought about our communication efforts to determine what type of communication is preferred and how they utilize technology. The survey revealed that even in our industry you can begin to see the paradigm shift, as more and more A/E/C professionals begin to want information at their finger tips. We surveyed over 1,000 industry professionals and received 168 responses, as of this blog entry. 60% stated they preferred to receive the newsletter online vs a hard copy. 22% stated they prefer to receive a hard copy and 18% stated they preferred both.

So, why does technology take longer for the A/E/C industry to accept? Is it because the X & Y generation are slowly creeping into our industry? Is it because marketers and principals aren’t sure how new technology pertains to them? Maybe a little of both. When asked if you knew SMPS Atlanta had a blog, 33% said Yes and 67% said No. Of that 33% that said Yes, only 14% actually read the blog. However, 51% said they felt the blog was of value to them or their firm. Additionally, as a comparison 56% of those that responded said they don’t even read other blogs. So for that 44% that do read blogs, we are working on new content based on your feedback. Additionally, we will be putting out topic ideas with deadlines to get our members involved in the newsletter and blog.

Over the next year we will continue to publish the newsletter, however, in the future we may move to be online only as the results revealed that we are still split on this issue. You will also begin to receive a special edition of the infoblast with one to two articles every other month. SMPS Atlanta will continue to send the regular infoblast out each week on Wednesday mornings. Also, 70% stated they were interested in podcasts, so we are looking into this technology.

Please comment on the blog, call, or email me or any board member with any feedback. As we are here to advocate, educate, and connect leaders in the building industry.

Sarah C. Mackley
Innovative Solutions Group, Ltd. (ISG)
SMPS Atlanta, Director of Communications

RSS Feeds: What Are They & How Can They Benefit Me?

What is RSS?
RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is an XML-based format for content distribution on the Internet. RSS Feeds (similar to a bookmark in a web browser) are often indicated by links that say "RSS," "Syndicate this site" or a square orange button with the text "RSS" or "XML" within it. RSS Feeds are commonly used on weblogs (blogs), news Web sites and other places with frequently freshened content. They are a great way for Internet users to receive recently updated online articles or news content -- without having to search for it.

How Does RSS Work?
When new content has been posted or updated on a site, the RSS reader (AKA an aggregator) keeps track of the changes and delivers them to you. The aggregator "pulls" content to the user every time a specified page is updated and allows the user to view all the new content in one location. RSS feeds are most often attached to text, images, podcasts and video, but they can be used with any document (word processing and spreadsheets) that has content that changes.

How Do I Access a RSS?
There are many free, web-based readers, all which compile and update feeds, all which allow anonymous access to their feeds from any computer with Internet access. For heavier users, there are desktop, application-based readers that offer more features. You can access RSS feeds on mobiles device and many cell phones or via e-mail as well as on a computer.

What Are the Benefits?
One of the main benefits is the ability to eliminate the time it takes to find information you want on the Internet. Every time something changes on the page, it comes to you through the RSS Feed. One of the original uses for RSS is the ability to create a personal newspaper with new content updated every morning. For example, if you always read the front page of Atlanta Journal Constitution, the RSS eliminates the need to check for updates.

Some other examples of its use include: organizing information about a particular topic; tracking packages; finding cheap airfares; searching for jobs; receiving software updates; etc. All without surfing through pop-up ads, slow downloads and poorly navigated sites. RSS saves time. It’s as simple as that. Using RSS you can subscribe to this blog.

Sarah Mackley

Innovative Solutions Group, Ltd. (ISG)

SMPS-GA Director of Communications