Tips and Best Practices• Create a social media policy so there are clear guidelines and expectations of your

employees.

• By participating in association groups through LinkedIn, or contributing to a blog related to your expertise, you have the chance to share your knowledge and strategically position your firm as the expert on a particular subject.

• Update and monitor daily. Share photos, add new friends and events, and start discussions.

• A recent study noted that businesses that are seeing results are spending more than 32 hours a month on one profile over one year.

• Monitor what is being said, and respond quickly if there is a crisis.

• Share all involvement, including Twitter, blogs or LinkedIn pages, wherever possible so others can find you easily. Make sure your involvement is noted on each profile you have, your company webpage and your e-mail signature.

• Be a part of the community and dialogue with others. Don’t talk the whole time.

• Observe where your target audience is talking, then dive in.

Social Media engaging in • Social networking is the leading phenomenon in modern society,

and these tools are the new way of networking.

• According to Web-Strategist.com, 39 percent of adults have profiles on two or more sites. Further, 57 percent of adults have joined a social network, making it the number one platform for creating and sharing content.

• In April 2004, virtually no one was using online social media. But just five years later, in April 2009, 91 million were using Facebook, 73 million were using YouTube, 14 million were using Twitter and 12 million were using LinkedIn, according to Compete.com.

• According to a study conducted by Cone Business in 2008, 93 percent of Americans believe a company should have a presence in online social media, and 56 percent of American consumers feel both a stronger connection with and better served by companies when they can interact with them in a social media environment.

• Constructive Communication, Inc. recently conducted a survey of the AEC industry in which 75 percent of respondents said that they personally interact with online social media regularly, while 80 percent of companies rarely interact with online social media.