Thing 6: Online networks

I've looked at LinkedIn a few times before and can see the purpose of it, I don't think that it's for me at the moment.


Facebook - OK doesn't everyone except my Senior Librarian have a Facebook account these days? I don't think I use Facebook to it's full potential but gradually I'm using it more and more.


I started to use it because it was something I had heard of and I was exploring the use of various Web 2.0 technologies. I set up my account about the same time as my Senior LRC Information Officer, so we had a support network of each other, that obviously quickly extended to more friends. Initially I only became friends with people I knew or had known, I was still apprehensive about being friends with total strangers. This changed once I started playing games on it.


Other than games, I use Facebook to keep up to date with family and friends, my best friend and I use it to e-mail each other in preference to using our Hotmail accounts, as it is more convenient. I find it a good networking tool but not as good as Twitter and I can keep up to date with professional matters through the pages that I 'like'. I also keep up to date with my interests in the same way.


I set up the Middlesbrough College Learning Resources Centre page and as this was something for work (and for safeguarding purposes), I read up on corporate pages and reviewed my security settings before the page went live. Now I use it to keep my library visitors up to date too.


I like using Facebook, although I periodically get overwhelmed with how many apps, friends etc I have on there. My solution to this is to review regularly and discard anything I don't use anymore and spring clean my friends. This isn't as bad as it sounds, it means that I 'unfriend' people who have stopped playing the games I play, as the games where the reason I was friends with them. It helps me manage Facebook and hopefully helps me keep up to date with the people I do know in real life, that I don't often see.


LAT Network - I recently joined this having read about it in a blog post and thought it would be a good thing to check out. Shortly after that, there was a TeachMeet organised in my area, which I was eager to attend. I got more than I bargained for, shortly after expressing my interest to go to my line manager, she suggested that we do a joint presentation at it. So that is exactly what we did! If you are interested, it was recorded and is on You Tube http://youtu.be/ipWBEE9uONo 


It was a very good experience and I enjoyed meeting new people especially since most, if not all, where from outside the FE sector. There has been a lot of positive feedback from people at other meetings i've been to where I have mentioned it, they are eager for another TeachMeet, so that they can attend too. 


CILIP Communities - I am a member of CILIP, my experience of the communities is through the weekly round up e-mail I get. Until I read Thing 6, it didn't even occur to me that I actually have access to it, which is very remiss of me. So my action from this is to go and explore the CILIP website more and to subscribe to some of the blogs.