(L-R): PDCA Communications Committee Chair Jason Moore, Social Media Subcommittee member Amy Cristiani 

Internet users understand the importance of technology in business operations, and most are aware that online technologies are continually evolving. One example of an evolving technology is the powerful tool of social media. Barely two decades old to mainstream audiences, social media has become a reliable tool for communication through its capability to expeditiously distribute multiple forms of media including photographic images, video, live production, and many other resources unheard of just one decade ago.

PDCA has maintained an online presence through a few generations of its website over the years. It has also established a social media presence on various platforms. In addition to more traditional communications, PDCA has increasingly used social media to bolster its dissemination of news, announcements, and other communications that are relevant to PDCA members. 

Thanks to PDCA publications partner Lester, which also produces PileDriver magazine and A Pile of News e-newsletter, PDCA boasts a professional social media product, often incorporating new and emerging effects. As the popularity of social media continues to grow, PDCA has gained a growing demand among stakeholders for more and diversified content. Jill Harris (pictured), PileDriver publisher, oversees the social media production and advised that in order to maximize PDCA's social media reach and reliability, some content parameters to protect the consistency of the PDCA brand were needed. 

The PDCA Board of Directors learned of the impact that PDCA's social media has on the organizational membership and industry at-large, and embraced Jill's expert advice. The leadership tasked the PDCA Communications Committee Chairman Jason Moore to address some of the shortcomings with social media operations. Moore assembled the Social Media Subcommittee which involved a handful of the Communicaitons Committee members, to develop necessary guidance for the increasing desire of PDCA Chapters and PDCA Committees to include their content on the PDCA social media platforms, predominantly, LinkedIn. (The Association also has a presence on Facebook and Instagram.)

Amy Cristiani from Associate Member company THI Pipe and Piling was a participant on the Social Media Subcommittee and is credited with helping develop the concepts and deliverables for two new resources that are now available to PDCA Chapters and Committees, to contribute to the PDCA social media feed. Said Cristiani of her motivation to volunteer in this capacity, "By streamlining PDCA social media submission guidelines, we have made it easier to ensure communication requests are tracked, time-stamped, and executed with greater efficiency. We want your voice to be heard and your experience to be hassle-free."

PDCA Chapter leaders and committee chairs who are interested in submitting content to PDCA social media platforms are encouraged to contact the PDCA staff to obtain two new resources: 1) PDCA Style Guide for Social Media, and 2) PDCA Social Media Submission Guidelines. Please send your requests to matt@piledrivers.org.