Thing 13 Reflective Practice
Applying for second badge
This piece is for the Online networker badge. I've been using the tools mentioned in this section for almost ten years now and I have never really given much thought on how incorporate them professional persona or use them in a professional way. These last three things were quite eye opening in a way in that I have had to reassess some of attitudes and actions online.
Twitter I have long used as a networking tool for professional use. Most of the people I follow are librarians, Archivists or some other form of Information Professional, indeed I tend to avoid or block celebrities or political hashtags. I try to engage with #uklibchat each month and before that I used to join the conversation on the now inactive Irish lib chat. I use twitter to send questions to people who work in areas I'm interested in such as @iaphistorians or @irachaeology for history or @Disability&I for disability matters or @CnaG for Irish language issues. I think my profiles is fair enough for a professional I outline where I'm from and my job in my profile and my photo is an up to date and consistent across multiple platforms.
The section I was surprised about was the use of Facebook for professional purposes. It may be one of the largest social networking sites but I never really thought of it as a place where you can network for work. When I look at Facebook it still is very casual and social holiday snaps sitting beside professional blog posts doesn't seem right.
Overall I think its important to think of yourself online as you do in the real world. As you would attend a networking event speaking and dressing in an inappropriate manner neither should you online.
Thing 11 was all about developing a professional identity (I still dislike the term brand!) . I think I hit most of the points raised in this blog post in my use of twitter and linkedin. My network in both are quite wide ranging going from archivists and librarians to foot doctors to window installers. I use linkedin and twitter to engage in topics of debate. I try not to be provocative or aggressive in my language but I may occasionally come across as smart-aleck. I have recently changed my headline and have written a new summary which can be read on my previous blog post after reading thing 11.
Thing 12 was interesting as it introduced me to tools I never heard of such as Trello and slack. Taking a tour it reminded me very much of Pintrest except with a group involvement. Working with people and groups that are spread over the midlands and west of Ireland online collaborating tools are vital for getting anything done. The google tool box are a fantastic free resource for any organisation or group with no or little funding. But the alternatives outlined here are excellent.
I enjoyed this section and it very much made me rethink my professional image and how I approach and carry out my networking.
The section I was surprised about was the use of Facebook for professional purposes. It may be one of the largest social networking sites but I never really thought of it as a place where you can network for work. When I look at Facebook it still is very casual and social holiday snaps sitting beside professional blog posts doesn't seem right.
Overall I think its important to think of yourself online as you do in the real world. As you would attend a networking event speaking and dressing in an inappropriate manner neither should you online.
Thing 11 was all about developing a professional identity (I still dislike the term brand!) . I think I hit most of the points raised in this blog post in my use of twitter and linkedin. My network in both are quite wide ranging going from archivists and librarians to foot doctors to window installers. I use linkedin and twitter to engage in topics of debate. I try not to be provocative or aggressive in my language but I may occasionally come across as smart-aleck. I have recently changed my headline and have written a new summary which can be read on my previous blog post after reading thing 11.
Thing 12 was interesting as it introduced me to tools I never heard of such as Trello and slack. Taking a tour it reminded me very much of Pintrest except with a group involvement. Working with people and groups that are spread over the midlands and west of Ireland online collaborating tools are vital for getting anything done. The google tool box are a fantastic free resource for any organisation or group with no or little funding. But the alternatives outlined here are excellent.
I enjoyed this section and it very much made me rethink my professional image and how I approach and carry out my networking.
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