I started off my career working as an administrative assistant at an architecture firm. Somehow, I have moved full circle – through the music, beverage and development fields – to come back to buildings, now working in commercial real estate. Through all my random (and calculated!) career choices, one thing has always pushed me forward: communication.

In the commercial real estate industry, it has become apparent both through discussions and through observations that even today many deals are done and hands are shaken in “traditional” business settings. This form of communication is often calculated and fluid, a fascinating verbal dance that goes on between client and provider, between CEO and VP and across boardrooms and cocktail parties everywhere. However, that doesn’t mean making the initial connection and subsequent forging of a relationship has to be done as the past dictates. There are many modern technologies and new channels which allow for different kinds of communication on a variety of levels.

And guess what the biggest is? Yeah, it’s social media.

I was initially the biggest skeptic of Twitter. I refused to sign up for Facebook in the beginning; I’d already tackled Myspace and Friendster, who needed another way to stay in touch? BUT, very suddenly, everyone was on Facebook, then people tweeted constantly. You needed an online persona just to stay on par with peers, clients, and others in your industry.

Fast forward to my social media mastery of today: many a work-related connection has been made or enhanced via the GlobeStcom and GlobeStLIVE Twitter feeds – the second has turned into the voice of our editorial staff out and about at events, chasing stories, breaking news. It’s been hinted at across the net that Twitter can and may replace an old-fashioned news wire, which changes the fundamental way the way events and stories are broken. Today, we all communicate in shorter bursts, breathlessly trying to push out the biggest, newest deals faster and wider than our competitors. And commercial real estate is truly starting to absorb and utilize this new form of communication.

Howard Kline of CRE Radio recently gave a keynote address on social media at Sperry Van Ness Broker’s Forum on 6.16.12, He addressed this shift in communication and why this industry should pay attention. Among other things, Kline hinted at the fact the boardroom mindset has to shift a little, to allow for this new way of interacting.  While there’s nothing like a good, old-fashioned handshake to seal a deal, people would do well to realize that the seeds of connection can now be planted online via Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook. Nothing can or should replace a relationship deepened offline, however, but it’s time to expand horizons and make room for both. And only good things can come of it.