SPYROS FIDAS

Project management does not exist in a vacuum. We have embraced the various new methods of communication to encourage better collaboration and team-work. It is now practically inconceivable for a project not to be using email, tele-conferences, even video-conferencing to maintain contact with the participants.

But are we embracing the new technologies available now? Are we making best use of the tools we now have? With project teams becoming even more spread out over the globe, are we making best use of our new communication methods?

Introduction of Social Network sites has given a bundle of great tools to the hands of the Project Manager.

Twitter is a relatively new “social network site” that offers short exchange messaging (until 140 characters). The role is to keep people connected in a simple and efficient way. You can build communities, teams and even protected groups. More important, Twitter is not a one way communication, meaning that you can choose the people you would like to hear next and so on. You can use Twitter to keep you team members connected and up-to-date but also to inform on project status.

Blogs are the absolute trend. Information is spread with such speed and freedom like never before. But blogs are the ultimate tool for publishing updates and status reports. All major platforms (Blogger, WordPress …) offer a wide variety of settings. Polls, surveys, photo sharing, links are only a few of them. Also a blog doesn’t mean that anyone can access it. It can be secured and only after personal invitation can be accessed. In addition, RSS feeds or Google Reader can ensure that all the members will be notified when the blog is updated.

Social Network sites are about communication and collaboration, important and critical for Project Management.