In our world where email inboxes and sent items folders overflow with both spam and valuable information, it grows harder to find what we need. The trend to rely on our professional networks to find answers and solve problems continues to grow.
In my role at the surface of the Emerson organization, I subscribe to many of the automation communities in LinkedIn to get a feeling for the issues being discussed and how Emerson experts might help. Some of the ones I follow include:
- DeltaV
- ISA
- Automation
- Automation & Control Engineering
- Automation Engineers
- Automation World
- CONTROL Global
It’s not an all-inclusive list, just some I follow and ones in which I receive daily summary emails. These groups have varying degrees of participation and mostly are not being led by active, focused community managers.
From an automation supplier-led community standpoint, the Micro Motion Community is a good example. The community has grown to 763 members, has connected 1742 friendship bonds, has 275 posts with 124 comments, includes 6 videos, and mentions 21 events to date. The community has strong support from the Micro Motion organization and is led by online marketing manager, Mike Tongwarin.
Mike has posted two of the videos, Micro Motion Launches Online Community and Micro Motion SMART Meter Verification. The latest smart meter verification video is hosted in YouTube but also viewable within the community. I imagine more will continue to be added over time.
The community also has a blog area where community members have posted a few blogs. Some of these posts include Greenhouse Gas compliance, Vapor Recovery, and a kickoff Let’s get started! post.
As with most communities, growth occurs over time if the people who visit find value and share the site with their peers. It boils down to whether the particular community helps find answers and solve problems more quickly than by other means.
I know that Mike and the team are committed to add the necessary energy into the Micro Motion Community to make sure the experience for those who visit is indeed valuable. I also look forward to sharing more on-line communities around Emerson Process Management as they bloom.