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Maritime media

Social networks: a powerful tool for engineers

Having been around for roughly two decades, social media has cemented its place in modern life. Although still mainly used for entertainment purposes, it is gaining credibility as a means of sharing knowledge. Experts in technical industries such as maritime engineering are opening their eyes to its potential as an instructional tool.

 Informative and educational

Today, social networks are a major source of information for the masses—and the statistics back this up. Over half of people with internet access use social media to stay up to date with current affairs. For 18 to 24 year olds, it is a more popular news source than television.

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As well as keeping young people informed of the latest global developments, it also helps them professionally. Studies show that half of Europeans aged between 18 and 29 look for work on social media. Meanwhile, 60% of this demographic follow tutorials on the likes of YouTube and Facebook to enhance their skillsets. Elsewhere, Quora allows users to pose complex questions on all manner of topics, encouraging detailed and intelligent answers from qualified experts.

LinkedIn

However, when it comes to using social media for work-related purposes, LinkedIn is the most popular choice. The world’s largest professional online network, it has members in over 200 countries. And 60% of these members use it to read about industry insights. Moreover, LinkedIn is the preferred option for engineers and other industrial professionals: 63% of this group are active on the site, where they acquire valuable knowledge on their trade from trusted sources.

Twitter is another increasingly respected resource in the engineering sector. Specialized websites like ENGINEERING.com, The Engineering Daily, and EPSRC all have Twitter feeds with thousands of followers. These benefit from trustworthy insights delivered in the form of short, snappy tweets. Links to videos and more detailed articles for further information are also provided.

 

The most popular social networks for engineering insights:

  • LinkedIn is the most popular and respected source of information for engineers
  • Twitter delivers short, concise insights with links to more detailed posts
  • Quora provides expert answers to complex questions on all manner of subjects

 

@SKFMarine

Here at SKF Marine we are firm believers in the power of social media as a professional tool. Our LinkedIn account is a valued source of information for around 1,500 maritime industry professionals. We also run a YouTube channel for interviews with experts and video demonstrations of marine technology. Furthermore, our Twitter page delivers all the expertise you would expect from SKF Marine, but in bitesize chunks. Together, this trio of social networks helps keep users informed of the latest news and insights from the maritime industry.