When Becky asked me to read and review the e-book, “Social Media for Architects,” I jumped at the opportunity. One of the many things I’ve found about learning about social media is that you must read, read, read to learn, to keep up with changes, to find out about best practices, and to avoid major fails.
The book contains six chapters of content on Social Media, Blogging, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Case Studies. From the author’s LinkedIn profile, he describes the book as a “brief tome [that] discusses how architects can use social media for lead generation through didactic examples, commentary and case studies.” This accurate and concise statement summarizes the publication. The book is short in length, quick, and easy to read. It contains good, basic information on the topics listed.
One of the challenges I had when reading the book was trying to decide if there was enough information given that, if I had no prior knowledge of social media, would this book be enough to get me started. It is difficult to discern, but I do believe there is. I agreed with nearly all of what was outlined, it was simple and to the point. I have collected, suggested, and used many of the statements that he included such as “social media tools are a means, not an end,” (p.7) and social media tools are “extensions of traditional networking methods.” (p. 9). Both of which, I agree with completely.
The thing about this book is that it is a book for architects written by an architect. Enoch Sears, AIA, LEED AP, the author of this ebook, is a registered architect and web aficionado. From his own blog site, he states that he started his blog – BusinessofArchitecture.com – as a resource for solo architects and boutique firms. He states, he is “just a guy trying to understand the place of the architect in today’s world,” and that he will “…share what [he] learns along the way.”
If you haven’t signed up, logged in, or participated in any social media platforms this ebook’s simplicity may give you just the confidence you need to get started. Once you get started, there are numerous additional resources to assist you on your journey. Some of these might include: Content Rules, by Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman; Social Media Explained or the Tao of Twitter, both by Mark Schaefer or numerous other social media books for beginners from the nearly 8 million results discovered with a quick Google search.
I encourage you to visit this link, download the book, and share your thoughts about the book in the comments section here.
This is just the latest in a series of posts relating to the use of social media in your professional world. To read the previous post in AIA Pittsburgh’s social media series, click here.