The Importance of Embracing Social Media and Technology

When I was in architectural school in the 1970s, two gentlemen came to our school, The Southern California Institute of Architecture in Santa Monica, California, to talk about the future of computers. I remember them going to their cars to get some equipment to bring in. They set up the equipment in an all-school meeting. They discussed their vision for the application of computers which at that time was so far out as an idea that when they left there were mumblings of how crazy they were.

They described the computer and how it could apply to design in a way that nobody had ever thought of. Their description and presentation included the preparation of design plans, structural drawings, and calculations and a myriad of other disciplines that could plug into the computer. This technology could rapidly produce drawings thereby increasing the efficiency of plans and then later the efficiency of building design through computerization.

When these two gentlemen left, they were literally laughed out of the school by many who were present at the meeting. The two gentlemen that made the presentation were Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak of Apple computers.

At that time, there were no commercial computers, no Internet, no social media outlets, and no other methods to communicate other than what are now archaic methods of producing graphics, plans, renderings, reports, and other materials

The pace of communication and information sharing across society has increased a thousandfold since those days in the 1970s.“ I am describing this because I think it is important for you to realize how you can apply technology to developing your own organization.

Full disclosure: I did not want to pursue social media when it first came out. I thought it was a waste of time. I was very opposed to pursuing this. How wrong I was!

I am going through this detail to encourage you in the development of your projects to keep an open mind, to pursue your dreams, and in this case keep your mind open to the amazing world of social media and technological advances.

The following are a series of selected graphics in a cross-section of content samples that we typically publish for SHARE Village on our social media outlets.

Currently SHARE Village is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter. In addition to social media our digital strategy includes our website www.sharelasvegas.org, our Mobile App which is a directory of community services for those in need of affordable housing, food, medical and mental health services and other vital resources for anyone in need. The SHARE Village Las Vegas Mobile App is available for FREE on both Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

Aside from these core digital tools there is a myriad of tools available that can be used online as a standalone option or enhanced features that can be added to your own website to increase engagement, raise awareness, and garner support for your cause.