Columns

Milwaukee SPE President: Pete Kambouris 2010/2011

November 2010

The debate on personal interaction versus technology wages on. Is a text message better than a phone call? Is the internet better at giving the news than a newspaper? Is an electronic tablet a good alternative to a book printed on paper?

I know I touched on how technology has touched (or cursed) our lives in a previous article, but this topic is huge and the technology involved has a huge impact on our lives. I have two work emails (one for SPE), two personal yahoo accounts (one was flooded with spam so I had to get a new one) a twitter account (@Wiengraving in case you were wondering) a facebook page, a linked in account, BBM (Blackberry messaging - 223EB096) the ability to send text messages, instant messages, oh and when I feel like it I can actually make telephone calls.

The above is JUST for me. Imagine if you total all the people who have or can poses modern technology! Has anyone actually spoken to a human in the last decade? Routinely we all send an email to a client or vendor because we don’t need an immediate response. Clients appreciate it because they don’t get tied up on the phone with a sales call. Yes, all of this makes sense in the business world.

This brings me to the real reason I started up this topic again. A small debate has been brewing within the SPE. Are technical meetings still worth having considering the amount of information available through the web? Has social networking (facebook, linked in) taken the place of monthly organized meetings? Why would anyone want to take the time away from home or personal responsibilities to head out to a meeting? It’s easier to jump on the internet after the kids have gone to bed and look up whatever it is you need.

The truth is there is no real answer to this question. SPE is not the only organization competing for its member’s time and money. There are plenty organizations out there that we all belong to. But, is this truly a better way? Is technology the best way to go?

Personally, as much as I am “wired” into cyber space, I enjoy interacting with humans. But then again I love the smell of a newspaper or a good book, grabbing a technical speaker after a meeting and asking question pertaining to my company and processes, meeting my peers and expanding my contact database. These are things you cannot do in cyberspace. I’m not saying that one is better than the other. They both have their place in our new world. Everyone will make use of each method in a way that is advantageous to them.

One thing I do know, I will be touching on this topic again in the future. As usual, if you have questions or comments, I would love to hear from.

Respectfully,
Pete Kambouris- SPE Milwaukee Chapter President
pckambouris@wi-engraving.com