Month: October 2020 (page 1 of 1)

What are the benefits of a diverse and inclusive PLN in social media sharing that understands where you are coming from with messaging that impacts the community?

A diverse and inclusive PLN in social media is about conversations, community, connecting with the audience and building relationships (Clark & Aufderheide, 2009). It supports the realization that everyone is different and reinforces that we’re more connected and have more in common with each other as we communicate using different platforms. It’s an opportunity for individuals to connect with people of all different backgrounds in order to share experiences, find commonalities, and to solve problems in new ways. When we communicate with someone who’s different from us, for example, regionally or generationally, we allow ourselves to appreciate new viewpoints and to benefit from their expertise and experience.

In addition, a diverse and inclusive PLN in social media helps build engagement and trust within a community. From this weeks video, Mike Russel mentioned that from the many social media platforms he has launched for the school district 79, he has been able to engage Indigenous people and Elders into the community by giving them a platform to use their voice (EDCI_338, 2020). His story telling strategy has been a big part in raising awareness to structural inequality in the community and bringing forward voices that are not traditionally heard (2020). This illustrates that social media platforms have a huge ability to bring awareness and share important messages that need to be acknowledged more (2020). Furthermore, these tools have helped Mike build a lot of trust between him and the Cowichan community and as a result of that, Elders are reaching out to him in order to share their story (2020). This safe space that Mike has built for Elders to share their stories is opening up the door to engagement and the passing on of knowledge and important messages to the community (2020).

References:

Clark, J., & Aufderheide, P. (2009). Chapter 4: A New Vision for Public Media: Open, Dynamic, and Participatory. Media and Social Justice. Doi: 10.1057/9780230119796

EDCI_338. (2020, October 18). EDCI_338 A01 – Russel, M. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/vH_UiTWYYw

How would you create a PLN prior to building a podcast on a topic of  your choice?

I would begin by determining my needs on what I want to know and learn from my PLN. Next, I would create a social media account to begin my PLN, for example Twitter. Afterwards, I would find the right people; people who can help me achieve my goal, such as providing different perspectives, having values that I appreciate, are passionate about what I am wanting to learn, inspire me, are experts on the topics that are relevant to me, etc. If I stumble upon a particular topic or post that is of interest to me, I would read it and ask questions to further engage with others. I will also network by purposefully engaging in conversations and communicate ideas, thoughts, and opinions on certain topics that other people may gain insight and learn from. By sharing content with others, it would be a great way to introduce myself and prove to potential connects that I would add value to any PLN conversation.

How would you emulate success stories in this space?

I would make certain that the success stories are authentic and portray the message that I want to get across as well as are important and useful to my audience. In addition, I would engage my audience through success stories by asking questions for them to answer or reflect on.

How would you reinvent with the intent to expand your audience?

Most of the times, one’s bio is the first thing people will look when trying to decide whether or not to follow you. In order to expand my PLN audience, I would create an engaging Twitter bio to compel people to hit the follow button. Another thing I would do is to engage as much as I can with my audience through sharing insightful posts, retweeting, and having direct messaging conversations with individuals. I would ensure that the content I share is of high quality and targets my audience for them to enjoy as well as utilize hashtags on Twitter to grab the attention of a wider audience.

What are some privacy/security concerns to consider when developing an audience on any social media platform?

When developing an audience on social media, it is important to think about and educate yourself on the many privacy/security concerns that it can bring on. Phishing is one of the most popular ways criminals attempt to gain access to sensitive personal information (Tulane, 2020). Data mining is used to leverage companies to better target advertising to their users, such as collecting data on user behaviours (2020). Another privacy concern is social profiling (2020). Social profiling is used to construct a user’s profile using his or her social data (2020).

How are you building a network of individuals who are dynamic, reliable, & participatory.

I am building a network of individuals who are dynamic, reliable and participatory through following people that have high credentials, have the same interests as me, provide useful and knowledgeable information, and are always willing to engage and provide answers to questions I may pose. Furthermore, I will continue to follow and build my network with people from many different levels of educational background, ethnicities, cultures, and gender.

Are you leveraging healthy relationships from your PLN for growth?

Yes, I am definitely leveraging healthy relationships from my PLN through engaging with the people I connect with. This is done by liking and retweeting peoples posts, asking questions, and directly messaging individuals about who I am and what I offer.

References:

Tulane. (2020). Key Social Media Privacy Issues for 2020. Retrieved from https://sopa.tulane.edu/blog/key-social-media-privacy-issues-2020

How diverse is your PLN?

I would say that Twitter is a pretty diverse PLN. The inclusion and diversity Twitter report from September 2019 found that the PLN is increasing representation of women, Black, and Hispanic employees in technical roles, driven by increased diversity recruitment efforts (Brand, 2019). Twitters 2025 vision is to have at least 50% of the global workforce be women and at least 25% of the US workforce be under-represented minorities (2019).

In regards to Twitter demographics, millennials are the most popular age group to be on Twitter; males make up 62% of the global audience; 41% of Twitter users surveyed earn a household income of about $75,000; 42% of U.S users have at least a bachelor’s degree; different ethnic groups (White, Black, Hispanic) using Twitter in the U.S is pretty evenly distributed (Sehl, 2020).

Are you learning from a variety of voices or are you the loudest in the room?

I am definitely learning from a variety of voices as I am following a pretty diverse group of people and companies on Twitter. It’s great to read about all the different initiatives and projects happening around the world as well as all the campaigns that organizations are posting in order to bring awareness to racism and injustice that’s happening in the world. In my opinion, I would love to see organizations and brands go beyond a one-time statement about diversity on social media by integrating diversity, equity and inclusion into their social strategies for the long term.

In order to promote inclusion on Twitter, organizations and brands should provide their users with a purpose for why they should be followed (Moore & Schnellert, 2016, p. 22). It should not be assumed that users know what the goals and visions of a particular company are, instead users should be guided to what it is the company wants to convey out to their audience, shifting away from integration and towards inclusion (p. 22).

Do you participate in a silo of information sharing?

No, I do not believe that I participate in a silo of information sharing. I may be biased to this, but I try to share as much important information as I can whether that be online or to my family and friends in person.

What is a learning outcome of your PLN and how are you ensuring your exposure to diversity and inclusion?

A learning outcome of mine is to become more familiar with Twitter as a whole, since it is my first time using this social media platform, and how I can utilize it and build upon my online professional identity. To broaden my exposure to diversity and inclusion on Twitter, I will follow people and organizations from many different backgrounds, skill sets, race, gender, ethnicity, and education. I will also aim to educate myself more on how to increase my exposure to inclusion and diversity through social media.

References:

Brand, D. (2019). Inclusion & Diversity Report September 2019. Twitter Blog. Retrieved from https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/company/2019/inclusion-and-diversity-report-september-2019.html

Moore, S., & Schnellert, L. (2016). One Without the Other: Stories of Unity Through Diversity and Inclusion. Portage & Mainpress. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/lib/uvic/reader.action?docID=4832579&ppg=11#

Sehl, K. (2020). Top Twitter Demographics That Matter to Social Media Marketers. Hootsuite. Retrieved from https://blog.hootsuite.com/twitter-demographics/

My VR Map

What digital platforms are students currently using to develop their professional network?

I believe the biggest digital platform at the moment that students are using to develop their professional network is LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the largest professional networking site today and is a great platform to promote yourself and the skills you can bring to a job. I first heard about LinkedIn when I was on my first co-op at Interior Health. My supervisor recommended I create a profile in order to document my skills, educational background, and work experience. Ever since then, I am constantly on the app or website scrolling through so many amazing peoples post that inspire me to achieve my professional goals someday. Another digital platform that students are utilizing is Twitter. Twitter allows individuals to follow other people in their field and by commenting on their tweets or even retweeting, it can significantly increase ones digital profile for recruiters.

What could the student consider to expand their professional learning network?

Some tips that can be applied for further expanding your professional learning network on Twitter is by following headhunters, internal recruiters, and hiring managers. Twello.com can be used to start making connections as it allows you to search by keyword, category, or both (Fletcher, 2019). Another tip is to retweet strategically because a majority of the people you retweet will notice, which increases the likelihood that they will pay more attention to you for cool opportunities (2019). Lastly, writing a strong bio can be of great help (2019). The best Twitter bios combine personal information and professional details with a confident tone. In addition, Twitter bios also allow you to link other digital platforms such as LinkedIn (2019).

How does data privacy and security limit and/or promote a PLN?

Data privacy and security are very important aspects to acknowledge when using digital platforms. Several attacks are introduced with personal learning networks, including data mining, phishing attempts, malware sharing, and botnet attacks (Tulane, n.d.). Data mining occurs every time someone creates a new social media account because they provide personal information that is stored and leveraged by companies to better target advertising to users (n.d.). Phishing is found to be the most common way to gain access to sensitive personal information through sending messages that look legitimate from organizations (n.d.). Malware sharing is utilized for gaining access to computers in order to retrieve certain data such as personal information, extort money, etc (n.d.). Botnet attacks are used to steal data, send spam, and launch distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks in order to leverage cybercriminal access (n.d.).

In your network how can you create a digital identity/reputation?

Nowadays, it is super quick and easy to create a digital identity at any time and any place. There are some useful steps that you can take to develop a thoughtful digital presence (Bogle, 2019). First, it is important to identify what your main goal/accomplishment is for creating a digital identity (2019). It can be as simple as sharing your writing on a widely-read platform or connecting like-minded individuals (2019). Secondly, decide which digital platform you what to utilize for your presence. Thirdly, determine what type of content you want to publish to the world (2019). Lastly, brainstorm and develop a short and sweet personal brand statement or personal mission statement that conveys and guides the content you will publish (2019). Remember to make it authentic!

Find out what a local employer would do if you applied for a job with them?

The first thing an employer would do is browse through my cover letter and resume to see if I would be a good match for the position and highlight any skills/qualifications that stand out and pertain to the job. Since I have my PLN (LinkedIn) attached at the top of my resume, they may search it up out of curiosity or if needed. They may call my references that I have attached to my resume in order to further gain insight on what kind of person/employee I am. Lastly, if I am qualified and a good fit, the employer would contact me via phone or email to set up an interview time and day!

References:

Bogle, J. (2019). How to Create a Digital Identity Beyond Branding. Idealist. Retrieved from https://www.idealist.org/en/careers/create-digital-identity-branding

Fletcher, L. (2019). 11 concrete ways to use Twitter for networking. Blue sky BLOG. Retrieved from https://www.blueskyresumes.com/blog/11-concrete-ways-to-use-twitter-for-networking/

Tualne. (n.d.). Key Social Media Privacy Issues for 2020. Retrieved from https://sopa.tulane.edu/blog/key-social-media-privacy-issues-2020