Thing 12: Putting the Social into Social Media

Found a link this morning that related to Thing 3 of the list of 23 Things. It is about being visible on Twitter.  One suggestion was improving the profile.

Moving on to Thing 12.  I am to consider the role of social media in building up networks and a sense of community.

• are there any other advantages to social networking in the context of professional development than outlined below?:  

1. Better communication between individuals who may or may not have the chance to meet otherwise
2. Collaborative working space.
3. Easy access to other fields of the profession.

For me personally, numbers 1 and 3 have been key.  I get to see what other librarians are doing in their libraries, see how they are thinking, and get ideas.

• Can I think of any disadvantages to social networking? I would say I spend too much time going from link to link.  Social networking is addictive.
• Has CPD23 helped me to make contact with others that I would not have had contact with normally? Definitely. I have made contact with librarians outside of the USA and their experiences have been worth reading. Very interesting reading about other people's journey into this profession.
• Did I already use social media for career development before starting CPD23? Will I keep using it after the program has finished? I made minimal use of Twitter for career development.  I never had a personal account until I started the program.  I only had an account for my Toastmasters Club. I intend to continue using Twitter after completing the 23 Things.
• Does social networking really help to foster a sense of community? It certainly helps. The need to belong is very strong in us human beings.  Social networking of like minded persons facilitates that feeling of belonging.

Thing 5: 23 Things Professional Development

The Thing 5 CPD23 assignment is about engaging in reflective practice in relation to my participation in the 23 Things program.

 Recall
Blogging was Thing 1. When I first started blogging in 2005,  it was for my book club, a group of informal book lovers.  I thought that all of us would be writing the blog posts and posting comments but then I noticed I was the only one writing. Six years later, I am still writing and this has become my personal blog.  My mission has not changed.  The blog is about books, writers, book blogs and includes my personal book reviews. Occasionally I write about libraries and about money saving ideas. I decided not to start a new blog but to piggy back on this existing blog to participate in CPD23.

Thing 2 was a challenge.  I love to view blogs but I rarely post a comment.  One of the blogs I commented on was The London Librarian and it is still active. Now I am at Thing 5 and I am still browsing other blogs related to 23 Things and posting comments.

I explored Thing 3, considering my personal brand. I want to maintain some privacy so I limit personal pictures and personal information in the blogosphere.  My blog, my twitter, personal facebook page do not have my picture.  I am satisfied with the brand out there. 

I joined twitter on behalf of one of the social organizations I belong to so I did not open another account for Thing 4.  I did not register with Pushnote. I found another hesitant participant,  the Neon Librarian,  
who posted interesting (and greatly appreciated) comments on Pushnote.
Evaluation:
What did I learn?
Even before this project, I had explored other blogs to see what librarians were doing.  I must confess I find some librarian blogs intimidating.  They are so wonderful that I feel so inadequate.  I have learned that the social media landscape is getting wider and wider and I need to learn more and more.

What did I enjoy?
I enjoyed learning from the blogs and the tweets. It takes up much of my time to connect and post but I am learning.  I want to make note of Wendy's Blog for Learn with CDLC & 23 Things . It led me to reflect on CDLC's 10 Things.  Thing 10 is about Future Trends.

What (potential) impact could participation in CPD23 have on my job? I will be more ready and more competent in the work place when it comes to navigating social media.

Application: This is the What Next part of the reflection. I want to combine action and learning.  I have been applying my knowledge of social media in my community activities.  I want members of the organizations, to which I belong, to see me as the go-to-member, who happens to be an Information specialist, when it comes to communication as well as navigation of the social media. I am putting much more thought in how to apply new thinking about libraries into library orientation sessions at work.