Who can live without the Web these days? I check the weather, look up phone numbers, research stories, and book entire business trips via the Internet, thanks to a few swipes of the mouse, a handful of clicks, and a long list of site-specific passwords. (So much for The Weather Channel, the Yellow Pages, the library, and travel agents.) If I belonged to Generation Y, I apparently also would be sending instant messages, visiting online "social networking places," and reading a lot more blogs, according to Forrester Research, which in July released its annual technology adoption study.
Obviously, the online world has become inextricable from our offline professional lives.
With that in mind, we have started reevaluating our own online offerings at Multifamily Executive and their value to you, our readers. For those of you familiar only with the print pages that you're holding in your hands right now, we also produce a Web site (www.multifamilyexecutive.com) and MFE Business Update, a twice-monthly e-mail newsletter highlighting print Multifamily Executive stories and hot industry news from around the country.
With so many activities of daily life moving online, though, we want to know what we can do to serve you better through the Web. Digital media offers so many opportunities to deliver information, from news updates, Web-based training, podcasts, interactive question-and-answer sessions, and so much more. (Turn to this month's Tech Specs department on page 93 for more on podcasting in the multifamily industry.)
But before we start coding and posting, we'd like to hear your thoughts on what you want and need in terms of online offerings. Here are just a few ideas to get you thinking:
- Daily news. We currently subscribe to an outside newsfeed for MFE Online. What is your interest in reading a short daily Multifamily Executive news story or two? Would you want to receive such stories via e-mail news alerts?
- Online Q&A sessions. One of my favorite Web features anywhere is the online Q&As on washingtonpost.com, which allow readers to "converse" with experts, sources, and editors about recently published stories or current news events. It's a wonderful chance to learn more about an issue by asking questions of the person who wrote the story or lived the experience. Would you be interested in such a feature on multifamilyexecutive.com?
- Webinars. Everyone wants to know how to do things faster, better, and more profitably, but time for training is always hard to find. Webinars can provide quality training on emerging issues with a minimum of time and expense to you. What topics would you want to see covered in such a medium? Let us know what you think. Help us put the Web to work for you.
Survey Says?
Whether you're reading this column online or in print, I'd like to hear what you think about our Web site (www.multifamilyexecutive.com) and how we could serve you and your business better through new or expanded Web features, newsletters, and more. Send your comments to [email protected], subject line: Online Endeavors. In your message, please let me know whether you read MFE content online regularly or just occasionally. We appreciate your feedback.
