IT departments are often early adopters of new technology, but that hasn’t necessarily been the case for social media. However, it has become abundantly clear that social media is a vitally important platform for communication, networking and marketing, and CIOs have joined the movement.
The same transformation has occurred at all levels of government, business and higher education. Twitter, in particular, has become a source for gaining valuable insight from peers and customers as well as a place to disseminate important news:
Beyond providing a platform for increasing transparency about IT operations and plans, social media offers CIOs a unique opportunity to learn and grow professionally. Casey Coleman, CIO of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is an avid Twitter and Facebook user; she describes Twitter as “a primary source to gather information about changes in my industry. It helps the organization stay current with the latest trends and thinking.”
Interacting with thought leaders is a common benefit that CIOs express when discussing social media. Ben Haines, CIO of Pabst Brewing Co., echoes Casey Coleman, saying, “The greatest value of social media is gaining access to thought leaders in the industry. Frankly, you would otherwise pay a lot of money for that information.”
Read Social Media for the Innovative CIO on The Wall Street Journal.
Recently, The Huffington Post published a list of the most social CIOs on Twitter. Among the 70 listed were 13 higher education CIOs who are pioneering a new way to communicate. They are also building a case for IT as a key player in the future of education. Here are the higher education CIOs from the list:
Kelly Walsh - The College of Westchester
Walsh is the creator of EmergingEdTech.com. His Twitter feed features links to edtech resources from his site and others. @EmergingEdTech
Phil Komarny - Seton Hill University
Komarny’s Twitter feed provides insight based on his role as Seton Hill University’s CIO. Topics of interest for the self-proclaimed “Edupunk” include big data, mobile computing and BYOD. @PhilKomarny
Brian Miller - Davenport University
Miller is the CIO of Davenport University, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Follow him to keep up with his thoughts on technology, pop culture and, of course, the Detroit Tigers. @suydam
