This is a follow up to my previous post on industries being behind the construction industry in technology adoption. I ran across an even better example then the insurance companies I mentioned in my last post that is a little closer to home.  Specialty Publishing who writes Constructech magazine appears to be more concerned with talking about technology then actually using it. This is a magazine dedicated to technology in the construction industry yet they appear to be about 10 years behind.  At the end of last year I ordered a copy of their IT playbook. To do this I went to their website and filled out the order form, several days later I received an email with a form that I needed to complete with my credit card information and return to them via fax. Online payment would have allowed this process to be completed in a couple minutes. Online payments are so common that the small pizza place next to our office accepts them. Constructech took what should have been a 2 minute process to order into a 20+ minute process of emails, faxes, and filling out multiple forms. Next the Postal Service damages the magazine so bad that it was returned, so they have to mail me a new one. Had Constructech been operating in 2010 instead of 1995 I should have downloaded the It playbook after placing my order online. The worst part is this magazine is supposed to be experts on technology in the construction industry but they appear to be behind many of their subscribers in adopting modern tools.. Their latest example of being clueless is their articles about blogging, yet they themselves do not have a blog. How can a writer write about blogging when they do not have one?

In the mean time construction companies are disposing of their paper processes at a record rate and moving to web based project management applications, BIM modeling, blogs, and virtual offices. Many of our clients receive our invoices electronically and pay us through direct deposit. I think the editors at Constructech should put down their pen and paper and visit a modern day construction site. It could help them avoid the terrible fate that so many media companies have gone through.
Eric Law
EADOC Founder