Online Community

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr-—Internet sites that where unfamiliar to most people only a couple of years ago are now part of daily life. Tweeting, texting, posting, linking and surfing have new meaning in our contemporary vocabulary.

What many refer to as social networking tools were created to facilitate communication between two individuals, however, the professional world has been quick to adopt these communications tools and now realize how they benefit life in the workplace.

Some would observe that online social networking are a greater part of the lives of younger professionals, demographics show that people of all ages are using these tools in varying degrees to communicate.

While the full impact of social networking as a professional tool in the workplace is unknown, the power of this medium cannot be questioned. More and more organizations are integrating these tools as part of their communications strategy and are only now beginning to assess the effectiveness of these changes. Now, IARP has launched its own online social networking community-—IARP Connect.

About IARP Connect

This new, online networking community connects IARP members around the world. Similar to other popular networking sites, IARP Connect gives members the power to share experiences and knowledge with their peers. It allows users to participate in discussions through blogging, document sharing, eGroups—-our improved listservs, and much, much more!

IARP Connect Users May:

• Create a secure personal profile that is pre-filled with information from IARP's membership database and may be expanded (as the user wishes) by completing additional details;

• Define who may view their profile and what information site visitors can see;

• Participate in section, chapter and issue-defined eGroups--an enhanced version of the previous listservs;

• Search past eGroup discussions for specific topics of interest-—a feature unavailable with the previous listservs;

• Share documents via online libraries and browse other documents posted by members—-our previous system did not allow for the safe and secure sharing of documents;

• Search the IARP directory to find colleagues, friends and members with similar interests/classifications;

• Categorize contacts into personally defined groups such as co-workers and fellow committee members; and

• Create their own blog, follow other users' blogs—-and much more.

Members will quickly realize that IARP Connect will help them be more efficient. No longer will your inbox be cluttered with every message transmitted to a particular listserv. You will be able to manage your own preferences, determining the frequency and catagorization of posts.

The value of previous posts won't be lost with IARP Connect. Indeed, our online discussions will be accessible to a wider number of members. The new system archives past discussions so users can go back to an eGroup to see what has been said about an issue of importance. The ability to benefit from previous discussions was lost with the old listserv system.

Flexibility is what makes IARP Connect such a useful tool. Users may take advantage of as many or as few of the features that they choose. Users need not fill out all the fields on a profile and can be selective about what other users can see on their profile. The system is secure and will actually prevent some of the threats that accompany traditional e-mail communication.

Due to increasingly vigilant SPAM filters and virus protection being put into place by organizations, a great number of IARP members could not participate in the old listserves. IARP Connect expands the reach of our members and facilitates virtual communication safely and responsibly.

While adjusting to this new system and its capabilities may seem daunting, don't feel pressure to have all things in order immediately. It may take some time (with our busy schedules) to fully learn the details of the system.  Once you sit down in front of the computer, you'll find that taking full advantage of IARP Connect isn't all that difficult. Online tutorials will likely address all your questions. If you still hit a stumbling block, don't hesitate to contact IARP-HQ.

Using the IARP Connect tools to connect with your peers, participate in discussions, search for relevant information, and communicate with others is not as complicated as it might seem.

Yes, there will be a learning curve and not all members will participate in the early months of the system; however, members are encouraged to keep an open mind, and consider the benefits of embracing this new resource.