I was talking with a coworker this morning about something really cool that we'll get to do coming up here soon. Our employer is putting together a training on Web 2.0 tools. And she was working on her content contribution regarding social networking and how it can be an asset in the workplace. It reminded me of some posts I had recently read, I will link them here and here.
My coworker was asking if I thought I would add any site to her list beyond the basic (isn't funny how they're already basic?) MySpace and Facebook etc. It occurred to me that maybe we should mention career-specific sites. One that I like, and though have not yet become a proficient user of, and really it would be considered a wiki more than a social netowrking site, is Curriki.org.
The idea behind it is that users set up a profile, and then add content that is then a public teaching resource. It's netowrking because you're able to contact one another for teaching/learning opportunities, but it's a wiki because of the forum. Another thing that occured to me is a conversation I had with a friend the other day. The same friend who I had coffee with, who I speak so seldom to anymore because it seems to have become strained and awkward. He said he was reading my blog. And that's ok with me. There is more of me on here, than probably anywhere else. And if our friendship continues in a more virtual way, if it allows us to be more open and truthful, I welcome that. At least I can't say that we don't talk anymore.
Communication is changing. And I am welcoming the change. I am also questioning the way we are doing things, still. But With chnage brings new growth. And growth brings beauty. Hopefully.
How about you? What do you use to network?
2 comments:
hey i made it onto your blog! coo. i agree with you that the way we communicate with people is different. i also think the way we build and express our identity is changing. you can get to know someone face to face, but anymore, to get a fuller understanding of so many people, you have to have access/insight into the virtual places they exist. as you said "There is more of me on here, than probably anywhere else". what do you think?
I definitely agree. It used to be that we invited people over to our houses, and our front porches welcomed them, our furniture told our guests how much money we made, and the neighborhood made a statement of both status and preference. Our existence was unlimited by most circumstances. Anyone could see most of the truths of our lives whether we wanted them to or not.
Now we welcome our friends to our virtual worlds, where we can either accept or decline even knowing them, where we limit or expand how much they see about us, and it's fashioned in a way to say something about ourselves. It's another costume, another mask, to hide behind.
In many ways though it's a more accurate depiction of people than any other time before. Is it good? Is it bad? I don't know. It's just waiting to be seen, I suppose.
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