One of the greatest benefits of ITE membership is our online community—or the e-Community, as we are rebranding it, to distinguish it from our physical Community of Transportation Professionals. Membership in ITE connects you to a world of ideas, people, and resources. The e-Community is your window into this world, giving you perspective on where our profession is heading, connecting to peers from across the globe, and finding answers to questions or solutions to problems.
I regularly post articles or reports to ITE e-Community that I find interesting or instructive. I try to share my perspective or interpretation of the issue and hope to give you something to think about or some information that you might not otherwise come across. Others use the e-Community to be provocative or to champion a particular point of view. While we may not all always agree, as long as we are able to share our differences of opinion in a professional and collegial way, the ITE e-Community can help us be more knowledgeable and informed about a range of ideas and opinions. We try to take a light hand in moderating the e-Community so we do not stifle the discussion, but will not tolerate profane or personal attacks.
Many posts are by individuals who are facing a challenging transportation issue and are looking for examples or advice from others. Within 24 hours there are usually at least a half dozen responses from around the country and sometimes the world providing first-hand experience from those who have dealt with the same or a similar issue. I have heard the e-Community referred to as a “force multiplier,” extending the resource and knowledge-base of individuals or firms. A number of members have told me that this resource alone is worth the cost of their ITE membership. I am always amazed at the willingness of our members to share their experiences, the amount of time some posters will put into crafting their responses, and the thoughtfulness they put into the posts.
While in your career, you likely will not come in contact with the majority of our more than 15,500 members, the e-Community is your connection to these individuals. Nearly all of our members are signed up for the All-Member Forum, and many of them are active in other forums as well. In addition to the All-Member Forum, I encourage you to sign up for other communities that fit your areas of interest or lines of work, including ITE’s technical and employer councils. If you are interested in either mentoring or being mentored, you can connect with others through our mentoring program on e-Community. I also encourage you to share your thoughts and ideas. A recent post on the e-Community lamenting the fact that there were not more active posters brought a great response from e-Community “lurkers”—individuals who post very infrequently, but follow the e-Community every day as a way to track developments in the profession or to expand their knowledge. We welcome those who just want to look through the window into the e-Community, but we also encourage more of you to open the door and come on in. I promise you that you will find benefit from being active in the e-Community, and I know your peers will benefit from your knowledge and perspective.
I look forward to “talking” to you on e-Community, and as always, you can reach me at jpaniati@ite.org and on Twitter at @JeffPaniatiITE.
This blog post is from the Director's Message in the March 2019 issue of ITE Journal.