Social Media for Engineers and Scientists

Book excerpt: This book explores the rising phenomena of internet-based social networking and discusses the particular challenges faced by engineers and scientists in adapting to this new, content-centric environment. Social networks are both a blessing and a curse to the engineer and scientist. The blessings are apparent: the abundance of free applications and their increasing mobility and transportability. The curse is that creating interesting and compelling content on these user-driven systems is best served by right-brain skills. But most engineers and scientists are left-brain oriented, have generally shunned the right-brain skills like graphic design and creative writing as being indulgent and time wasting. The problem is, those are exactly the skills required to create compelling content. This book will help engineers and scientists re-acquire those right-brain skills and put them to best use in the new world of internet-based social media technologies. The reader will benefit from: * An emphasis on the growing role that social media technology -like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, will play in professions like science and engineering. * The "How to" in understanding the importance of continuous streaming of content over time for both professional presence and for collaborative effort--the key in today's team approach to engineering and science. * The valuable help for quantitative people like engineers and scientists in setting up social media sites, requiring qualitative skills.