Utilization of the social media in my daily work
I work as a structural engineer in an international engineering company. I use computer, phone and different digital tools all the time in my work. Very rarely anything is done other ways anymore. When I begin my workday, I start my computer and finally at the end of the workday I shut it down. Various tools, software and platforms are in use often simultaneously throughout the day. In my work I mostly use software designed for my line of work such as 2d and 3d modeling software, structural calculation software and Excel for example. In addition, there are various platforms and software used throughout the day for supportive work. I use Teams to contact my coworkers, attend online meetings and attend online courses. I use Outlook for emails and calendar and OneNote for taking notes. Various websites and platforms are used for example for storage, research and finding information. In free time I use Epassi for cultural and sport activities.
My choices
LinkedIn is a professional social media platform where you can connect with people, find new job opportunities, and learn new skills. I have a LinkedIn profile, but don’t use it at all. I am aware that I should be more active there and maybe someday I will be. I think LinkedIn has many good qualities and offers good opportunities for many people looking for new job opportunities for example. There is always need for new colleagues too, and I think LinkedIn could be utilized finding them. Companies can also advertise themselves and open positions in LinkedIn to find new people and to connect with promising individuals.
Miro
Miro is an online collaborative whiteboard platform that brings teams together. This platform sounds very promising since we often have meetings and most of the people are attending remotely via Teams. With this platform it might be interesting the solve problems and brainstorm solutions for challenges that arise mid-projects. On the platform you can also create mind maps and all sorts of listings etc. which are quite visual ways to approach the topics.
iAuditor
iAuditor is an inspection, issue capture and corrective action platform for teams. This platform could be very useful especially when team members are not at their desks but on the site or visiting clients. By using this platform, you could inform coworkers and clients at once of any issues or changes that need to be done.
Todoist
Todoist is a project management application for personal and professional use. It allows you to manage your tasks from your smartphone. This application also might help the people who need to be on the move and at same time manage new meetings and tasks that pile up while not at the office.
Youtube
YouTube is an online video sharing and social media platform, where anyone can share videos with other people. I believe Youtube could be utilized more on the professional life too. I sometimes have checked tutorials for tricky operations on software or when I have some problems with my mobile phone. Tutorial videos could be utilized more by software developers for software designed for 3d design or structural calculations for example.
Positive and negative sides of social media
Social media has come to stay on the business. Nowadays almost all companies are on social media because that is the most productive way to market your services and tell people about your business, visions, and values. On social media companies can easily reach large amount of people, I think. On social media the companies can connect with younger generations and future markets and make themselves visible for new clients. The social media offers companies a way to connect in real time with customers and future customers. Companies must evolve with fast changing surroundings. This might be a challenge for smaller businesses who don’t necessarily have visibility on the social media platforms yet. Social media also offers possibilities for individuals to connect with future employers.
Social media can also be challenging and even harmful when misused. For example, when future employer looks for applicants’ personal profiles on social media and evaluates people based on that information. Social media has helped people to talk about inappropriate behavior on the workplace which has already changed some professional conduct and I believe this is a very good trend.
Self-evaluation
This task offered me a chance to familiarize myself with new platforms, that I didn’t know before. They seemed to be quite useful even in my professional life, not only in personal life. Especially while working remotely or on the times not at the office. I was familiar with some of the platforms already but have not yet used them professionally. In my work there are already very many software and platforms in use everyday but if some of these new platforms could make the work more efficient, I don’t see why not to use them too.