Back to School with Insurance Campus

If you’ve been in any industry long enough, it’s common for a sense of “knowing everything” to stifle creativity and the quest for contemporary knowledge. The fact is, if you operate in the microcosm that is your insurance agency without venturing out to do research about trends in risk management, pending legislation and best insurance marketing practices, you’re stuck in a shrinking bubble.

One of my favorite resources for fresh perspective is InsuranceCampus.org billed as, “The Insurance Industry Person-To-Person Networking Center.” While still underutilized, the specialized Ning network created by Insurance Broadcasting CEO Walt Podgurski is essentially a Facebook-like community for insurance professionals, giving them a place to exchange ideas, post blog entries, network or even share multimedia materials.

Unlike a typical forum, InsuranceCampus.org encourages individuals to befriend industry contacts and discuss pertinent topics, facilitating the conversations with a variety of groups ranging from insurance media/advertising to the senior marketplace to workers compensation and enterprise risk management. There’s something for everyone.

With just under 2,400 current members, InsuranceCampus.org will grow as more insurance professionals become comfortable with social media and seek out like-minded individuals for inspiration, troubleshooting and success or failure stories. Social media encourages the broadcasting of messages, but it’s equally valuable as a learning tool. The social network itself acts as the ice-breaker so you can feel comfortable soliciting feedback or advice from a relative stranger.

Perhaps my favorite part of Insurance Campus; every Tuesday is “Make a Friend Tuesday,” where Walt shares some nugget of wisdom and encourages us to forge a relationship we didn’t have before. Not sure why I like the concept so much. Maybe because it reminds me of my son’s kindergarten “Friendly Fridays” or because Walt looks so stern in his picture, but really, who couldn’t benefit from more wisdom and friends?