Social Media and the Built Environment—the Research Continues

Two years ago, our book Social Media in Action was published to help architects, landscape architects, engineers and environmental consulting firms use these tools in ways that help them reach their business and marketing goals. For this, we surveyed, studied and interviewed hundreds of firms, but much has changed in two years: new tools have  emerged and more firms are embracing social media in creative and innovative ways. So inevitably, new research is required.

Yesterday, in collaboration with Reed Construction Data, my co-author Holly Berkley and I launched a new study on the social media efforts of building product manufacturers to help these companies understand the most effective + efficient ways social media can be used to support their core business goals.

We need your help keeping this data current!

We’re looking for building product manufacturers–of all sizes and across the U.S.–to take a short online survey (it should take about 10 minutes), sharing insight into why, how and when you use social media. We’re also digging into costs, time and ROI of social media use among your building industry peers today. Select participants will be contacted for follow up interviews and possibly featured as a case study.

In exchange for your time, all survey participants will get a first look at the 2014 data results, along with a special white paper written by Holly and me, analyzing how building product manufacturers can best use that data to make social media work for them. In addition, as a special “thank you”, we’d like to offer anyone who takes this survey a discount code for 25% off your purchase of Social Media in Action.

Ready to get started?

Putting It All Out There

I’ve known for many years that writing a book is no easy task. I pitched the publisher, managed the writing, editing, image selection, etc. of EDAW’s first book Designing Public Consensus with author Barbara Faga in 2005. I distinctly remember prying the manuscript from her hands on the day of our final deadline. I now completely understand the difficulty of letting go of something that bears your name. I’ve since apologized to Barbara for not being more empathic. I was fully prepared to put in the long hours, but my family wasn’t. When I worked on Designing Public Consensus, I was married with no children and my husband accommodated my schedule by having dinner ready when I finally arrived home from work and I learned to happily eat tacos 3 nights each week. This time, my husband has a much broader range of recipes, but we also have two young kids. Working late wasn’t really an option, so I started my days at 5am and a couple nights a week I’d plug back in after the kids went to bed. After a while, this started to wear on me. Working a few hours on Saturdays and Sundays and few hours here and there on vacations, this started to wear on my husband.

My co-author Holly Berkley, who has written two books prior to this one, also has her own consultancy, a husband and two young kids—but somehow she manages this smoothly. I’m so glad to have had her throughout this process to lean on, complain to and learn from.

I had mixed feelings about letting go of this manuscript. “Perfect is the enemy of done”—a mantra a former boss used to recite to me. This went through my head daily, but there was always seemed to be one more thing. Finally we finished it. Now it’s out there for the world to judge.

The product of 13 long months, Social Media in Action: Comprehensive Guide for Architecture, Engineering, Planning and Environmental Consulting Firms is now available as an ebook for $9.95 and the print version will be available next week for $29.95. You can even enter to win a copy on from our AEC Idea Exchange Facebook page by posting your favorite design or planning site, tool or event on social media.

However you come across a copy—if you come across a copy—and if you read it, we’d love to know what you think. And if you like it, please tell someone about it.

Early Praise for "Social Media in Action"

Mark Zweig, founder and CEO of ZweigWhite, gave our book, Social Media in Action, an early read and had this to say! “Wow” is all I can say when it comes to the content of Amanda Walter’s and Holly Berkley’s new book, “Social Media in Action: Comprehensive Guide for Architecture, Engineering, Planning and Environmental Consulting Firms.” This book is chock full of helpful information and explanations of all of the social media options available to design firms today. There’s a lot of help here for those who want to understand all of this stuff and how it ties together marketing-, PR, and brand building-wise for any firm in our business. The specificity of instruction will give anyone—novice or master alike—a clear direction in how to use these communication tools that are revolutionizing our professions and industry today. One of the great things about this book is that it is so much more than just the informed opinions of the authors. It it based on significant primary and secondary research. The authors’ conclusions and advice is well-grounded—sure to help convince the most skeptical architect, engineer, or scientist of the rationale for what they need to do.