Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Can You Hear Me Now?

Interested in the goings on of the Nanotechnology Research Center? Now there is no excuse for being uninformed!  During the last few months I have been busy, along with my NRC colleagues, creating several new mechanisms for communicating NRC events, news, and information to users, principal investigators, staff, and friends of the NRC.

Those of you who have been following this blog are already aware of our Facebook page, which recently passed the 200 fans mark.  While this number pales in comparison to the more than 7 million fans of Justin Bieber, you may be surprised to know that only one-third of these individuals are from the Atlanta area, and nearly 20% are from outside the United States.  Most of these NRC fans are not users of the facility, but are checking in to read the nanotechnology-related articles, see what seminars and conferences are taking place, and view the photos that are posted.

We have recently added a group on LinkedIn to complement the Facebook page and reach members of that network.  The LinkedIn site is designed to reach professionals in the field, and to provide nano-business information and job postings, as well as Georgia Tech nanotechnology-tagged press releases.  Both the Facebook and LinkedIn sites provide an opportunity for true social networking, with discussion topics and news items supplied by friends and users.  There is not a high level of this activity yet, but I am hopeful that I will soon not be the only one contributing to the conversation.

The NRC website was also recently redesigned and reorganized to make it easier for visitors to locate relevant information.  It is also the home for archived NRC newsletters.  This monthly compendium of short items about our research, facilities, education, and staff news is sent via email to all users, PIs and staff members.  If you wish to get on the mailing list, just send me a request.

Finally, most of the speakers in the Nano@Tech seminar series and the NanoFANS symposia are filmed and the videos (MPEG files or streaming video) are available on the SMARTech website for viewing or downloading. While on-site attendance is usually fewer than 100 people, the past three years of these seminars (nearly 50 in all) have been viewed hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of additional times by interested parties from all over the globe.

In our super-connected world, information can be disseminated and conversations shared not just among local communities, but literally with the entire planetary population.  I know that we are not reaching everyone yet, and I am usually one step behind the cutting edge, but I welcome your comments and suggestions so that the NRC can continue to improve our communications efforts.