• Project Management and Twitter
• PM Tip: Get your latest PM news using Google Reader
• Recommended Reading

News You Can Use

Project Management and Twitter

My search for social media applications for project management continues to identify additional tools that project managers can use to enhance their learning and improve collaboration with a worldwide community of practice. If you study social media, you can't go too far before learning about Twitter. I written about the topic and its application to project management learning is a useful one.

I don't use Twitter to learn about where my friends are at, what they are doing, or their latest witty comment or outlook on life. Facebook is a much better application to keep in touch with friends and keep your personal life...well...personal. I DO use Twitter to learn about what other project managers are doing, what they are reading, and asking questions through my project management network. Twitter operates on a simply concept of distribution 140 word characters to everyone who is following you.

As a guideline, I only follow project managers or people who produce useful project management content. As a result, anytime someone I'm following sends a "tweet", I quickly get a 140 character description of the project management snippet. If I want to learn more, there is usually a URL included. This approach quite simply saves time and when someone I value sends a tweet, I'm more likely to look at it.

If you want to jumpstart your Twitter and Project Management follow list, I recommend you follow these project management practitioners:

Dave Garrett @DaveG253
Naomi Caietti @califgirl232
Elizabeth Harrin @Pm4girls
Elyse Nielsen @anticlue
Cornelius Ficht @corneliusficht
Andy Makar @andymakar

(yes I had to include my own plug...)

For a quick overview on Twitter for business checkout:
A quick Twitter guide and glossary for business users

Upcoming Mind Jet Mind Manager Webinar

Please mark your calendars for September 10th for an upcoming webinar on mind mapping and project management with MindJet Mind Manager. I've been asked to co-present so I look forward to seeing you virtually on the seminar! It is a no-cost webinar that will highlight mind mapping and project management in action. Stay tuned for more details. Once the registration URL is live, I'll let you know.

Tactical Project Management Tip

Get your latest PM news using Google Reader

If you want to keep up with the latest project management news in our industry, give Google Reader a try. Google Reader is a Really Simply Syndication (RSS) reader that simply aggregates the latest news feeds into one easy to read view. If you find a favorite project management website like (ahem) http://www.tacticalprojectmanagement.com, you can add its RSS feed to your Google Reader. Instead of visiting multiple websites to get your latest project management news, articles or tips, I just use Google Reader to get a preview of all the relevant articles.

You can access Google Reader by visiting http://reader.google.com
Below are just a few of the RSS feeds that I recommend. Just copy the RSS link into your Google Reader.

Hearding Cats http://feeds.feedburner.com/typepad/HerdingCats

Gantthead http://www.gantthead.com/RSS/gantthead.xml

Projects@Work http://www.projectsatwork.com/RSS/projectsatwork.xml

Tactical Project Management Blog http://www.tacticalprojectmanagement.com/tactical-tips/feed/rss.html

Did I mention that Google Reader looks great on the iPhone? The majority of my reading is done via the iPhone while waiting in-line or during those "deadspots" in meetings. (I'll let you define your own deadspots as some poorly run meetings can consist entirely of deadspots).

Recommended Reading: One Page Project Manager

The One Page Project Manager is an interesting premise - What if you could communicate and manage an entire project using one sheet of paper? The author, Clark Campbell, provides a template and the mechanics of adding milestones, issues, risks to provide an overall summary of the project. The data tracks all the major aspects of a project on a simple page. We often manage complex projects and the ability to clearly communicate key details, engage with stakeholders, and successfully track progress is a useful feature condensed into a single sheet of paper.

Mr. Campbell offers two books using this approach - one for general project management and one for IT project Management. If you're looking for a simple way to reference the latest project status and simplify communication, check out the book. I enjoyed it.

Check 'em out at:

1. The One-Page Project Manager: Communicate and Manage Any Project With a Single Sheet of Paper
2. The One Page Project Manager for IT Projects: Communicate and Manage Any Project With A Single Sheet of Paper

Hope the rest of your week is a good one!

Thanks!

Andy
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
http://www.twitter.com/andymakar
http://www.tacticalprojectmanagement.com

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