Category: edci338 (page 1 of 2)

Reflect on your experience in the course, your development of a PLN, your use of social media platforms and networked publics, share any changes in your perspective of social media in professional settings and personal use. Do you continue with your created content and your network? How do you use your skills in professional practice?

This course has taught me a lot about the social media world and the importance of a PLN. Prior to the course, I only thought a professional platform like LinkedIn could be used as a PLN in order to network, learn from others, and find jobs, but I was proved wrong as there are so many more services out there to be utilized. I discovered how to create a successful PLN through managing my account, engaging my audience, enhancing my digital identity/presence, including more diversity and inclusion, and the importance of privacy and security concerns that can rise. Watching the weekly guest speaker videos provided me with a lot of useful insight and opened my eyes to how social media can be used to bring communities together, give a voice to people who may not have one, advance through different careers, and engage with people from all over the world with different educational backgrounds, genders, and ethnicities. All the knowledge I have gained in this course will be used in not only my professional endeavours, but also my personal ones.  Overall, I had a great experience with EDCI 338 and the valuable knowledge I gained from the course.

Can your PLN be used to help professional development post-course?

A PLN is such a powerful tool that can be used to help develop an individual’s professional presence. You are able to connect with people that have similar interests in your field in order to engage and reach out to them. By doing this, you are able to network with others and learn from their knowledge as well as pass on your knowledge to them.

Can your PLN be relied on to open professional opportunities and on which platform does your emerging expertise get good exposure?

Yes, a PLN can be relied on to open professional opportunities anywhere in the world. I would say that LinkedIn is a great platform to showcase your experience and expertise as it allows people to search for your specific skills. This can open up job opportunities and different career paths. You are also able to connect with old coworkers and stay in touch with them.

Can you leverage your PLN in future endeavours?

Most definitely! I think that having a PLN can really help you with future career opportunities and expanding your network. As Amber said from this weeks video, she was able to move through different career paths by networking with individuals who were able to pass on knowledge to her (2020). A PLN can be used to connect you with people from across the world, with different educational backgrounds and expertise. You are able to “promote” yourself on a PLN in order to attract attention and engagement from fellow peers

With consideration to the reading and video interview, how do you ensure that you expand your PLN via social media platforms into spaces that may be outside of your comfort zone?

It can definitely be a scary and anxious feeling and experience of expanding your PLN into different social media spaces as you are not aware of what you might get out of it and what people may think of you (Glauser, 2020). At the end of the day, you should just go for it and all though there will be people who may not favor/like you as Amber said, you should still keep grinding and building your PLN (2020).

References:

Glauser, A. (2020, November 15). EDCI 338 A01 – Glauser, Amber. EDCI_338 YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/RiWaXNfnHAg

Community communications go beyond blogs and social media shares, how does a PLN help and hinder the development of thoughts and ideas in public discourse – especially when addressing our differences?

A PLN does a great job at uniting people from across the world, from different backgrounds and cultures. This gives people the opportunity to easily connect with one another and engage in meaningful conversations and ways (Mooney, 2020). People are able to gain knowledge from different perspectives and learn about all the differences in the world (2020). On the other hand, a PLN can also hinder public discourse. People tend to be attracted to things that they are more likely to agree with, therefore when individuals are not open minded and fail to acknowledge and listen to others from different perspectives, they become stuck in this bubble of their own (2020). As a result, we are becoming encamped inside polarized groups that fit our preferences only and we then become blind to the opinions, ideas, perspectives, and views of others.

How can a PLN be curated to minimize bias and expand knowledge of the lives of others?

As Harrison Mooney said in this week’s video, curating is always a great way to reduce bias and expand your social network (Mooney, 2020). This can be easily done by adding voices that challenge you and suggest things you may have not thought about (2020). You can unfollow people that may not bring much value to you, as Harrison did with hockey players, and instead begin to follow people from more diverse backgrounds and cultures in order to begin understanding their side of life and the challenges they face (2020). In addition, applying ethics of visibility to social networks allows you to become more conscious of the way we make others visible and account of other people’s rights and opinions in order to learn and grow from them (Meikle, n.d., p. 92).

How does the identity of who you are, fit into your PLN?

Each individual person has their own identity and that’s what makes the world such a cool place. From my personal experience with my PLN, I enjoy showcasing the things I am passionate about and what I want to learn and give to others. Since my degree in Health Information Science is part of my identity, I lean more towards following people in that field in order to gain knowledge, ideas, and different opinions. Having your own identity helps you curate your PLN and find a pathway towards engaging with individuals that have similar interests and passions or even people you may not have anything in common about.

Do you include professional and personal boundaries?

Absolutely. On my PLN I strictly like to keep it for my professional career and endeavours as I am conscious that future employers may search for my name one day. I also try to keep this in mind when I am using my personal social media as I’m not the type of person to share everything online and therefore I try to keep it more private.

References:

Mooney, H. (2020, November 8). EDCI 338 A01 – Harrison Mooney. EDCI_338 YouTube. Retrieved from EDCI 338 A01 – HARRISON MOONEY

Meikle, G. (n.d.). Social Media Communication, Sharing and Visibility | Chapter 4 Convergence and the Limits of Citizen Journalism. Retrieved from https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781315884172/chapters/10.4324/9781315884172-10

How do notable individuals use social media?

Notable individuals use their personal platforms to raise awareness for the things that truly matter to them and promote positivity around the world. Despite the fact that social media can be extremely “self-promotional and weird”, verified users are discovering new ways to use their fame to lead to positive change and motivate others to fight the good fight (Blickley, 2015). These notable individuals have a large audience of people that may really look up to them and by using their platform to bring about good change and awareness on important topics, it only increases the positive use of social media.

What are the benefits of being in the public eye and having a PLN?

Some of the benefits of being in the public eye and having a PLN for career development include the ability to expand your audience and platform to showcase your skills and knowledge out into the work force. Social media has a compounding effect. Your posts can be shared repeatedly, expanding your search beyond your own personal and professional networks. The growth of the internet and social media has made it easy for job seekers and employers to look for prospects in social media platforms. This can be used to your advantage by promoting yourself out to companies that align with your interests, passions, and beliefs. Social media is full of people with diverse skills, knowledge, and experience in different fields. Interaction with the right individuals can guarantee you both personal and career growth. Being in the public eye allows you to establish new connections within your area of specialization, connect with them, and share your knowledge and wisdom.

Building community with online tools provided by the employer can be limiting, what are the perceived restrictions and benefits of having social media directly associated with employment?

As stated by Sophie Lui from this week’s video, having social media directly associated to employment can have its ups and downs. There is a higher chance of a verified user being targeted with criticism, hate, and unlawful behaviour due to their larger platform and high number of followers. On the other hand, the benefits that it brings is the bigger and more impactful voice individuals have when they have such a big audience. In addition, when users are looking for future career positions, it is much easier to be able to connect and engage with others that are of interest.

Delivering information in a connected society requires verifiable resources, how does one build a PLN that can be consistently relied on?

Ways in which an individual can build a reliable PLN is through expertise, invitational rhetoric, and trustworthiness (Kim, 2016). Vendors and key stakeholders want the ability to engage and interact with individuals that have expertise in which they are looking for (2016). By promoting yourself in a professional matter and sharing things on social media that can back up your expertise and passions, it only improves your PLN and credibility. Another way to be reliable on social media is by always engaging with your audience, whether that be replying to comments, questions, or direct messages (2016). Social media audiences are always wanting to sustain a two-way dialogue with intent to listen, respond and incorporate the publics’ comments. By failing to respond and engage with others, it does far more damage than breaking down lines of communication. It can destroy the perception of the individual’s credibility. Trustworthiness is also a huge determining factor in whether an individual’s PLN is reliable (2016). It is important for you to be honest, transparent and reliable on social media.

How do those, who are veteran story tellers, minimize risk in sharing misinformation?

I think a couple of ways that one can minimize the risk of sharing misinformation is by trusting the source, not the sharer. It is found that individuals are more attentive to the sharer than to the original source of an article (O’Conner & Weatherall, 2019). Reputable news sources are the most trustworthy as they have fact checkers employed and strong incentives to report facts accurately (2019). Another way to combat sharing misinformation is by avoiding or fighting confirmation bias (2019). People tend to trust evidence that confirms beliefs they already hold and ignore evidence that pushes against these beliefs. If individuals find themselves only trusting and sharing things that they already believed, that may be an indicator that they are falling into the confirmation bias trap (2019). Lastly, read and share science journalism that covers a whole literature, not a single study (2019). An entire body of evidence that has been gathered by many scientists is less likely to be misleading (2019).

References:

Blickley, L. (2015). How Celebreties Are Using Social Media In A More Positive & Passionate Way. HUFFPOST. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/celebrities-social-media-for-good_n_6979790?ri18n=true

Kim, M. C. (2016). Four Ways to Gain Credibility in Social Media. Institute for Public Relations. Retrieved from https://instituteforpr.org/four-ways-to-gain-credibility-in-social-media/

O’Conner, C., & Weatherall, O. J. (2019). Six Tips for Avoiding Misinformation on Social Media. Yale University Press Blogs. Retrieved from http://blog.yalebooks.com/2019/03/15/six-tips-for-avoiding-misinformation-on-social-media/

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

What is a digital identity?

Digital identity is your presence on the internet, whether that be the things you have shared, posted, searched, and the tools you used to engage with others (University of Derby, 2016). In other words, it represents everything you do on the web, and once your digital identity has been created, it will always live online and can be searchable by potential employers for any information (2016).

How do personal versus professional approaches to digital identity affect social media use?

A personal digital identity is used on social media for spending leisure time on the apps you enjoy most, such as connecting with family and friends, posting pictures about something you did on the weekend, scrolling through multiple food and nutrition accounts, etc. With a personal digital identity on social media, it is much easier for people to potentially post inappropriate or offensive content that they may have not thought about twice before sharing to the whole world. A professional digital identity is used on social media for showcasing one’s literature work, networking with different companies and people, opening yourself up to potential job opportunities, and learning valuable skills that can be utilized in many different careers. Individual’s who have professional digital identities are more careful and aware of what they post, share, like, etc., because prospective employers may do a quick search to see what your digital footprints on the web are.

How do digital identities converge in networked publics – what are the impacts and/or benefits?

Digital identities are what make up networked publics. For example Facebook is one of the most popular network publics in the world and everyone who creates an account with Facebook, automatically creates a digital identity. Once an individual’s digital identity is constructed, it is permanently living on networked publics on the web. A huge impact is the possibility of future employers discovering something offensive or inappropriate that the individual may have forgotten they posted, ultimately jeopardizing their career and job search.

References

University of Derby. (2016, November 25) Eric Stoller – What is Digital Identity? [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0RryRbJza0&feature=youtu.be