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Wednesday, December 29, 2010

A New Generation of Communicating

I heard a story on my way to work this morning about technological innovations to hit the market in the next few months. Video chat will soon be the standard way of communicating; however, holographic imagery is just around the corner. Batteries that recharge from air was discussed.


I respect advancements in technology, but find myself to the right on the technology integration curve--meaning I'm late into the cycle when I adopt new technology. My cell phone is the flip phone variety without camera or Qwerty keyboard, and I missed the whole Beta Max and laser disc phase (thank goodness). However, I use my home computer to video chat with my nephew who is currently deployed in Iraq and love my new portable e-book.

So what does this have to do with fire and leadership? I believe there is great relevancy to the way we communicate. Technological devices and the social media applications that go with them are main stream and a means of communication not only for the new generation firefighter but also those much further to the left on the technology curve than I am. Like it or not, the way we communicate is different. We are connected!

A few weeks after a special edition of Burning Issues: Social Media was released, I had the opportunity to participate in a social media class with individuals from NIFC's Office of External Affairs. Social media is a vital part of communicating within the fire community--at least to the outside world. How we embrace technological innovations will be a challenge for managers and leaders in the days and years ahead as innovation skyrockets and applications come and go. Although useful and often necessary, technological advancements can also be a distraction, putting the safety of firefighters at risk. Whichever side of the debate your reside, one this is for sure--change is coming
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5 comments:

  1. pmcdonaldJanuary 7, 2011 at 9:20 AM

    Kudos for the military on their recognition of social media use. One million followers is impressive. Maybe some day, the WFLDP will have their own FB page and followers.

    http://techinsider.nextgov.com/2011/01/and_the_best_of_government_on_facebook_and_twitter_is.php

    ReplyDelete
  2. pmcdonaldJanuary 13, 2011 at 9:40 AM

    Thanks to a friend who sent the following link to me about a new app for the NIMS Incident Command System. (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nims-incident-command-system/id406880725?mt=8)

    ~ This is in no way an endorsement of the product, just an indication of how differently we are communicating. ~

    ReplyDelete
  3. pmcdonaldJanuary 19, 2011 at 9:02 AM

    Here is an article about influence and social media by David Armano.

    http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/01/the_six_pillars_of_the_new_inf.html

    ReplyDelete
  4. pmcdonaldFebruary 3, 2011 at 1:03 PM

    Like it or not, people are connected. Here is another article about social media's impact on how we communicate.

    Jeffrey F. Rayport: "What is Facebook, Really?" http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/02/what_is_facebook_is_becoming.html

    ReplyDelete
  5. pmcdonaldFebruary 18, 2011 at 11:20 AM

    Recent developments in Egypt prompt some interesting responses from leadership experts. Check them out for yourself...

    http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/2011/02/leadership_goes_digital/all.html

    ReplyDelete

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