How are you Building a Network of Individuals who are Dynamic, Reliable and Participatory?
I am building a network of dynamic, reliable and participatory individuals in my PLN in a few major ways. The first way is that I make an effort to remain consistent in interacting with those closest to me in my PLN, and am often reaching out to people to keep in touch with them, especially through social media platforms. The article this week discussed the importance of leveraging technology when expanding your PLN, as it is a great way to, “discover people you would have never met otherwise and stay in touch with people that you would have otherwise fallen out of touch with” (Woods, 2013). This point is especially prevalent in my life, as I use social media to keep in touch with my old friends who live all over North America. For around seven years of my life, I attended a month long summer camp on an island in Washington, and made friendships that would continue and strengthen each summer we would return. After we all aged out of the summer camp and were unable to see each other at that scheduled place and time, we used, and still use social media to keep in touch with each other and make our own plans to meet up. Even now in my early twenties, I have plans this coming reading week to visit one of my oldest camp friends, whom I definitely would have lost touch with if not for the ease and convenience of social media. Another way to create reliable and participatory connections is by taking the time and putting in effort to build strong and meaningful connections with individuals in my PLN. I think that this is one of the best ways to achieve reliability, as you are way more likely to rely on someone, share information and hold discussions with them if there is a level of mutual respect, trust and camaraderie. I know I am way more likely to reach out to a colleague or peer I feel close to about a new idea or question about a subject if I feel close to them compared to doing the same with an acquaintance.
Are you Leveraging Healthy Relationships from your PLN for Growth?
I think that I am leveraging healthy relationships for growth from my PLN by building connections with people in my desired career field through volunteering and participating at school. This allows me to gain knowledge from seasoned and knowledgable professionals and ask them questions about their experiences. I am also able to lean on peers for mutual support as we are all in the same position. As Lily said in this week’s learning pods, authenticity is the foundation, and being true to ones self and transparent in interactions is the best way to form healthy and genuine connections.
How would you create a PLN Prior to Engaging in a Social Media Campaign or a Topic of Your Choice?
If I were going to create a PLN prior to engaging in a social media campaign on a topic of my choice I would be sure to gather as much relevant information as possible, so that I already hold a good amount of knowledge before I begin my campaign. I would do this through finding individuals offline who are experts in the field and take time to bounce ideas off them and discuss various related topics. This would also be a great way to build connections with possible collaborators once I begin my social media campaign. Lily made a great point in the learning pods this week, stating that maintaining a consistence presence online by posting related content and engaging in others through seeking feedback is a great way to build a social media platform.
References:
Woods, B. (2013, November). Building your own PLN: seeking new insights and ideas? Expand your personal learning network. T+D, 67(11), 70+. https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/apps/doc/A348998538/ITBC?u=uvictoria&sid=summon&xid=1010abdf