Connectivity Connundrums

In today's fast-paced world, it seems that we have new indviduals coming in and out of our lives more often than a Holiday Inn. That may well be due to the fact that in this day and age, we are perhaps more interconnected than ever before.
Think about that for a minute. Or perhaps, think back to your last vacation (I know...for some of us out there, it might be tough to recall). We're you REALLY taking a break from the day-to-day 8-6 work schedule? Or did you still finding yourself answering phone calls on your cell phone? Responding to work e-mails in the hotel? Replying to text messages or service requests on your Blackberry? No matter where we are or what we're doing, work always seems to be nearby. Getting "off the grid" has never been more difficult.
In my Heating Up column in the March 2010 issue of the RSES Journal, I discussed how in this fragmented world of digital media, YouTube, blogs, Webinars and, of course, print (no, it is NOT dead!), it's more difficult than ever as a publisher to figure out exactly how people want to receive information. That's because not only is it hard to discover how people are willing to accept content, but it is even HARDER to figure out how they share it with others.
The social-media landscape has forever transformed how information is reported and shared. Ten years ago, before the world of YouTube and Facebook, and when there was no mobile video or instantly accesible Web content on a handheld device, we called someone when we heard news we wanted to share. We perhaps logged on with a dial-up connection to send an e-mail via America Online to one of our friends about some article we read.
Now, information is posted instantaneously. We can find out the latest news, product information, etc., with the scroll of a track ball on our PDA. This is both a blessing...and a curse.
It's terrific because there are so many applications in the world of mobile media and information that the HVACR industry can take advantage of. Instaneous updates from job sites. The opportunity to take photos of a system and upload them immediately to engineers or designers thousands of miles away. Downloadable system specifications or equipment information that can help technicians troubleshoot a unit in the field (how cool is that!).
But we also run the risk of being too connected. We have to know when it's time for us to "unplug" and take time for ourselves. Our families. Our friends. Our mental self-preservation. It's exactly why when I go for a long run, the Blackberry is no where near my person (though I do have an iPod to help pass the miles!).
And some of my best editorial ideas and concepts have come when I'm on the road, away from the calls, e-mails and text messages. Maybe I need to go off the grid more often?!