LinkedIn Secret Tools for Construction Business Owners and Business Development March 11, 2013
Posted by carolhagen in iPhone, linkedin, Social Media Tools.Tags: business, business development, construction, linkedin, marketing
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In my attempt to help others leverage LinkedIn it dawned on me just how unfamiliar most construction business owners and their business development staff really know about LinkedIn and the apps that utilize it’s information. I have shared the “7 Lesser Known Apps to make LinkedIn Pop” and recognize there are more apps and tools to share that will improve productivity, garner deeper relationships and manage your connections. These are the Secret LinkedIn Apps to Success for Construction Business Development. Every SMPS member should be leveraging these tools and become more effective in managing their construction industry connections.
Evernote Hello (Android, iPhone) – Scans Business cards, automatically connects, makes meetings memorable. Great for prequalification presentations, jobsite, and pre-construction meetings!
CoBook (iPhone) Imports your contacts with Rich Profiles, organizes volumes of contacts with intelligent search by name, company or group. It also displays the local time for each contact – a handy feature!
To get it to work with LinkedIn, On your iPhone, open Cobookâs Settings and simply shake your phone. Aggregating your contacts in one place so you’re never caught without your contacts while at the jobsite.
Tout Email analytics, email templates, live feed interaction with links to call, email or access your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system for personalized follow-up. If you don’t have a CRM solution you can import your contacts by group or association. Works with Outlook, Gmail and synchronizes with your LinkedIn Connections. The ultimate in easy follow-up to all your important construction meetings and business development opportunities.
Five Hundred Plus For those of you with over 500 LinkedIn connections, this personal CRM tool now has a team feature if you have team members nurturing a prospect. Keep you LinkedIn connections close and nurture referrals with those that influence the construction industry.
ProInsights.me (Android tablets, iPad and the iPhone) This app offers a better way to visualize your connections with infographics, has an intelligent search that’s useful for finding someone when their name escapes you. Sorry no videos available on this one but there’s a quick overview preso on their website. Most construction professionals are visual, so make your LinkedIn connections and relationships easier to navigate.
NoteLeaf (Android, iPhone and Blackberry) This is a fantastic app that takes your Google Calendar (Which I sync my Outlook too daily) and gives me a recap of who I am meeting with 10 minutes before my meeting on my mobile device. Although not currently accessible in beta trials, add your email and get invited to their official release. I’ve used this for over a year, keeping me informed with my construction prospects, influencers and customers.
Charliehq Another suggestion to sign-up for early. CharlieHQ will give you a reminder before a meeting and help you stay current with a contacts activities. Heard about this tool via my network. Looking forward to it’s release!
Social Media Topics are Moving to “Social + Websites” January 25, 2011
Posted by carolhagen in iPhone, linkedin.Tags: construction, linkedin, social media, web design, websites
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To all my avid readers who come here for social media topics, I have decided to separate the construction technology topics and the pure social media tips by starting a new blog. Social + Websites will discuss social media tips, website design and how to engage your prospects and clients using social media in social networks and on your website.
You will still get great content every week on technology issues specific to the construction industry on this blog but the social media topics will mostly appear in Social + Websites. Hope you take the time to check it out and please share this with all your friends, connections and followers.
Here are the latest posts at Social + Websites that you might like:
LinkedIn Labs offers Swarm (Search) & InMaps for Visualization
Mobile Website Surfing: Will iPhone, Android or iPad Fill Your Pipeline?
Construction Project Managers Go Mobile September 1, 2010
Posted by carolhagen in communication, Construction Industry - Software, iPhone, Payroll Time Collection, project management software.Tags: android, blackberry, construction, construction project management, iPad, iPhone, mobile, project management
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Update September 27, 2010: Project Manager views Job Alerts on iPad using Corecon Mobile
Update: Project Manager uses iPhone to access construction documentation
Construction Project Managers main line of communication is their mobile device. Whether it’s texts, emails or phone calls your smartphone has become the primary tool of the trade. What’s missing? Applications designed to improve collaboration that you can navigate efficiently on your cell phone or iPad. Today I want to introduce you to what I suspect will be a best friend to homebuilders, architects, engineers, and commercial contractors and subcontractors. The Corecon Mobile solution. This is part one in a series of 5 posts on what construction project managers want access or update on a job when they are out of the office.
To be clear, Corecon is something that my firm markets to the construction industry and I believe that they’ve hit the nail on the head. First it won’t matter which smartphone you have. Corecon Mobile will work on all these devices:
* Apple – iPhone
* Apple – iPad
* Blackberry
* Google – Android
* Microsoft – Windows Mobile
* Palm – Palm OS
Wait, you did read that correctly…the iPad too. Corecon is a web-based estimating, project management and scheduling system that has managed to roll-out mobile apps at no cost to the Corecon client. No need for virtual servers, or IT staff to keep Corecon running. They believe in value and have delivered. So what areas of the Corecon system have they included in their first Mobile deployment? The list is impressive:
iPhone 3G Project Menu
Contact Management
* Companies
* Contacts
Project Leads
* Leads Listing
* Lead Directory
* Bid Calendar
Projects
* Project Directory
* Alerts
* Documentation
o Checklists
o Daily Log
o Meetings
o Owner Items
o Permits
o Punchlists
o Safety Accidents
* Correspondence
o Comply Notices
o Journals
o RFIs
o Submittals
o Transmittals
o Work Orders
* Time Entry
* Schedules
o Tasks
* Financials
All this with no need to install anything extra on your device. Just access to the internet and a subscription to Corecon. The mobile portion is free. In essence Corecon delivers value to their customers and their smartphones. Here’s a Comply Notice screenshot to wet your whistle.
Comply Notice on the HTC EVO 4G
Tune in tomorrow for more. Over the next few days we’ll be showcasing more than screen shots with actual video of just how easy it is to access, create, update and share these documents from the device of your choice. We’d like to hear what you think about the evolution of technology for managers in the field and on the go.
Update: Blackberry used by Project Manager to access contact directory in Corecon Mobile V7:
I should also mention that Corecon has a fabulous integration to Quickbooks, SAP and Simply Accounting so contractors won’t need to rekey the data and worry about transposing errors. Smaller firms can have all their accounting, estimating, project managmeent and scheudling in the Cloud so the overhead for fancy PCs, backups and loading updates is over. The future has arrived!
What has your construction firm been using your smartphone for other than email and phone calls? Leave comments and share this with others.
Connecting Buildings to the Internet October 22, 2009
Posted by carolhagen in Construction Industry - Software, Construction Industry Hardware, iPhone, virtualization.Tags: augmented reality, carbon footprint, construction, energy consumption, iPhone
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It’s great that LEED certified buildings can record the energy savings they return to their owners. Now it is possible from every home, building or project in design to bring the activities and consumption data on-line with realtime sensors. Energy and environmental data from objects, devices and buildings can be captured, reported and shared. Both Physical & virtual environments can be tapped. I’d like to introduce you to a company focusing on the value of this technology called Pachube.
I read a recent interview with Pachube’s founder in Frontiers Economy Blog post called “Wiring Up the Internet of Things” that caught my attention. Today you need to look at “where technology, telecommunications and architecture are beginning to collide”.  The Construction Industry, Governments and Manufacturers can take advantage of these tools to make an impact on energy conservation and provide transparency. Here are a few insightful ways Pachube can be used per their website:
… an architect, you might use site-specific realtime sensor data to modulate (or generate) a Sketchup model, or use EEML data in conjunction with IFC-compliant models (as can be exported from AutoCad, etc.) to undertake post-occupancy evaluation
… a facilities manager, you might connect up specific outputs from your Building Management System, so that specific data items (like current energy consumption or temperature level) can be shared with the public without compromising security
… a property developer, you might connect together several buildings to allocate resources or monitor energy consumption and occupancy
… a consumer, you might connect up your electrity meter to track it over time, embed usage graphs in your own website, calculate your realtime carbon footprint or use iPhone or gPhone applications to monitor it remotely
Pachube has been used to measure Air quality in Beijing, Hurricane Gustav’s strengh and location and has numerous apps for connecting environments and patching the planet. The video below shows augmented reality of the sensor readout:
I am always interested in hearing about how anyone in the AEC industry has leveraged this technology. Hope to hear from you soon.
IPhone Contender for Verizon Customers October 19, 2009
Posted by carolhagen in Construction Industry - Software, iPhone.Tags: iPhone, Smartphone, Verizon
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Verizon Wireless just started an advertising campaign with the new Droid phone.  I was convinced I was switching to AT&T until this announcement and their slick sales pitch that aims squarely at the iPhone. Â
The Droid is based upon the Android 2.0 operating system and is a Motorola and Google collaborative effort.  It’s not the first Android based smartphone so you can read about the players in the space from PCWorld . As Techcrunch so eloquently put it “Verizon Droid is the Real Deal,” so I am now waiting to decide until after the release date of October 30th  for a new smartphone purchase. With features like 5.o megapixel photos, a Qwerty keyboard, the ability to run simultaneous Apps, widgets and open development this could be the answer for the iPhone or not. With 10,000 apps touted, I’ll let you know.
IPhone Apps I Wish were All Available on Blackberry September 25, 2009
Posted by carolhagen in Construction Industry - Software, Construction Industry Hardware, Document Imaging, iPhone, scanner, twitter.Tags: apps, blackberry, construction, Document Imaging, iPhone, mobile, scanner
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My Friend Tom Davanaugh is more enthusiastic about his iPhone than any other tech gadget he’s ever had. That’s significant since Tom has lived and breathed IT for decades and is dedicated to educating the construction industry on ECM solutions. Whenever we chat he mentions new apps he’s using. The latest excitement has come from JotNot and Evernote since document imaging and mobility are required in the construction business today.
Want to capture expenses easily … so easy an executive will do it himself? Jotnot turns your iPhone into a scanner and with the Evernote integration you start cooking! Categorizing your text notes, voice recordings, and snapshots, you can organize notes into notebooks, add tags, search and more.  You can capture text, webpages, voice recordings and your tweets too.  There’s more coming per their blog with the beta 3.5 new release. Things like auto spell checking, faster searches, map views are on their way. The combination of these two apps usurps an earlier blog entry I made on iPhone scanner apps.
Here are Tom’s favorite iPhone apps, not in any specific orderâĤÂ if you are getting hooked yourself and some of these apps are available on blackberry (BB):Â
Tom Tom            GPS !!!
Google                Which has every google app all on one screen (BB)
Vlingo                  Amazing voice commands to search the web, get map directions and or voice dial. (BB)
Appbox               A utility setÂ
Camera               Depending on the application required I have several, most of them zoom and or improve native camera functionsâĤ  camerabag, genius, izoom, photogene, colorsplash, picture safeâĤ all of these either do some amazing things to make the camera more usefull or allow you to manipulate and or modify the photosâĤ
 Tidegraph           I am a fisherman
 Navionics            Is specialized GPS and more (waypoints etc) for the waterâĤ   I am a fisherman
 Glaurung            Chess I am a chess player also
Koi pond             The longest living creature on the planetâĤ and a way to have a virtual koi pond   Which I also have in the entry of my home only itâs a real one
DocScanner       Take a pic and voila you have just virtually scanned!
Zen Garden       Nice to burn up some free time
Urbanspoon      A way to find a restaurant like you were a local
Stars                     I am a student of the universe
Planets                because I am both a fisherman and see above
Dollar Origami   No wayâĤ  yep!
Stanza                  a Kindle like app with access to the Gutenberg projectâĤ
Ultimate quote machine              because there were many other well spoken people before me
PM sayings        cause I used to be one and they are so appropriate still today
Ocarina                A musical instrument that also broadcasts what is being played on it all over the world in real time
Backgrounds     Amazing photos
NoteVault          The same one for the construction industryâĤ
Just having the internet in my hand and being connected even at 36000 ft is pretty powerful. The search ability of the stuff in the phone itself is awesome like a google appliance
JotNot and evernote.com – It is cheaper than Docscanner (3 instead of 9 dollars)âĤ saves in more formatsâĤ and is integrated with evernote.com âĤ  this one wins so farâĤ it also does more than paper.
Some great games for those that love em and have the timeâĤ
Shazam âĤ it samples recorded music and comes back with the title and artist and YouTube video and suggestions of songs like it. (BB)
Might as well add my stock app alsoâĤ there is one for each of the common and popular systems out there.
If you are still reading, Tom has his Blackberry strapped to his waist while he waits for corporate to allow call forwarding to his iPhone. And I was lazy looking up all the links for all these apps…just go get your iPhone now and you can thank Tom. He’s out there!
Carol's Construction Technology Blog 