Socializing IBM i on Twitter

The following PowerUp blog entry was written by Bruce Guetzkow who has been an IT professional for more than 25 years, mostly with Power Systems on IBM i and its predecessors. He is the current webmaster for the Wisconsin Midrange Computer Professional Association (WMCPA), an adviser for the Programmer/Analyst Track at Gateway Technical College in Kenosha,Wis., and an independent consultant for GmanTech Consulting in Delavan, Wis.

As a member of a local user group (Wisconsin Midrange Computer Professional Association or WMCPA) I can attest that we are always looking for new ways to promote our organization and events. We are always trying to reach new people, new companies, new organizations. We mail postcards to members and non-members that we know of. We send email blasts to many of those same people, companies and organizations. We've even placed the odd phone call now and then.

Last fall I decided to try something different, for me, at least. I've used email for a long time and participated in several forums. I had not gotten into social media, however. Oh, I have a Facebook page where I share some photos with family and close friends. I also have an account with LinkedIn. But I had not tried the most direct, pervasive social media--Twitter.

I created an account (@gmantechi) and started looking for people to follow. I began searching Twitter for IBMi (and IBM i, iSeries, AS400, etc.). It didn't take long before I began finding some familiar names. Many of the same people whose articles we read in magazines and online, whose sessions we attend at local user group meetings and conferences and at COMMON are also active on Twitter!

What's more, they share lots of exciting information with me (and countless others). I can't count the number of webinars and articles that I've discovered via Twitter that I would not have known about by waiting for an email that would never appear. I even have a few things to say on occasion.

I now follow a few dozen IBM i-related people. You wouldn't believe the number of IBMers with Twitter accounts. But what about people I don't know who also have information that might be of value to me? That's where hashtags come into play.

When people send a tweet they can include a hashtag (or keyword) to identify tweets on a given subject (e.g, the tag #IBMi). The pound-sign (#) identifies the character string that follows as a hashtag. There is no list; you can make them up as you go. Of course, using tags that others are also using means you can get more content related to a given subject. #IBMi is our very own tag.

I also use #WMCPA for obvious reasons and using #IN makes your tweets visible on LinkedIn if you've linked your Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. Many ISVs are making use of Twitter to get the word out on upgrades to their software and special events that they're hosting. Even IBM Systems Magazine uses Twitter on a very regular basis (@ibmimag and @aixmag).

Twitter is not just about hearing that your favorite actor is eating sushi at 9 p.m. at a certain restaurant. For IBM i it's about connecting with peers, vendors, customers and anyone who might be willing to share information. Create an account and do what we've always done on forums: lurk! Search Twitter for a few people that you know in our industry and follow them to see what they say. You'll be surprised how much valuable information there is. You might even make a few new (professional) friends--I have.

Comments

[Aaron Bartell]

Bruce, I agree, Twitter is becoming so much more than I gave it credit for. I started using it more about 1yr ago. It is a nice and simple way for me to get the word out about things I want people to know about.

As IBMi professionals it is very important we keep up to date on what is possible on our beloved machine. We don't need to have in-depth knowledge on every single subject, but we do need to know where to go to become more informed. Being informed and resourceful is what I like to call "employment insurance" and also gives ammo for those board room meetings where talk of leaving the platform comes up.

AaronBartell.com
twitter.com/aaronbartell

[Alan Seiden]

Thanks, Bruce, for this article and for all the IBM i information that you re-tweet. Let's keep those #IBMi tweets coming!

[Roxanne Reynolds-Lair]

I agree with the use of Twitter as an effective mechanism to "get the word out" on IBMi and share into with others in the IBMi community. You can find me @IBMiCiO

[Bruce Guetzkow]

Aaron/Alan/Roxanne:

When I began my Twitter-quest I had no idea how much information from so many IBMi-ers was out there, including the three of you. Retweets are a big part of it, making sure that more people see the info.

One other person of note that should be mentioned is Jenniefer Halverson. She puts together a daily newspaper devoted to IBMi: http://paper.li/S4iSystems/1307025220 An invaluable resource that is composed from much Twitter material.

The key point is not about who says things, but about getting the info out there. It is truly an amazing tool.

[Bill Rice]

Thanks for this article, Bruce. I too find it gratifying that IBM i folks are starting to embrace this powerful networking and information-sharing platform. You and your readers might want to look at this list of Tweeps (Twitter profiles) I put together sometime back as a resource to help IBM i folks more easily find and follow each other: http://twitter.com/#!/billricecomm/ibm-i-related/members. Since Twitter doesn't yet allow individuals to add themselves to a list, I am happy to add (or remove) anyone by emailing me: br @ billricecommunications.com. People can also just subscribe to the tweets coming from everyone on the list by going to the list URL above and clicking "Subscribe."

[Bruce Guetzkow]

Bill:

That is one amazing list! Thanks for sharing it with us all. We are definitely not just a handful of tweeps.

[Jen]

The #IBMi Twitter paper has moved to http://paper.li/RODINCoglinMill/1331058316

It is also accepting ads from any source and the proceeds will go to an i charity such as COMMON Education (still working on those details). If anyone would like the ad specs, please email @ jenniefer@gmail-dot-com