I must admit that I haven't really used Facebook as a networking tool much. I go on there and update my status, but personal networking isn't really happening. That said, I have become a 'fan' of 23 Things - yay me! Professionally I am a little more active - we have a Facebook profile for work and at pertinent times I provide updates for students. I also link in to Facebook sites in other department of the University to show what we support. Our numbers are increasing slowly, but as it is a fairly new addition to our service I think the numbers are fine. I hope that the new academic year will bring with it an increase in numbers! If not then it may be a non-starter, but it is worth giving it a go.
I'm also on Linkedin, albeit as a free member. I begrudge paying for it as I really only set it up for my artistic venture. As that's on hold at the moment I haven't done a great deal with my Linkin profile... until now. I haven't switched to the paid membership, but I have at least bulked out my profile. It still needs work, but it gives a lot more information now, which is the whole idea after all. I may add my C.V. but I think that needs some reworking before I can add it. In the meantime I have added a list of publications from way back when I was a Research Assistant (*my title for this Thing is related to one of the titles in my list!). I have also joined some groups - some work related, some related to creativity. It is a great one-stop shop for access to what's most talked about at the moment. Or certainly seems to be!
Of those networks flagged as useful for the industry, I have joined LISNPN - I didn't really fit in with the others! I quite like the vibe of the network. It was only established recently so it is still developing. It is nice to be involved so early on. I already feel some benefit from being part of the network. Tapping in to what others are doing / feeling about the industry has given me food for thought. I hope to continue dipping in to it and perhaps build relationships there. The layout is a little uninspiring though. I think it's all the grey. A little too utilitarian for my artistic sensibilities!
Finally, I'm showing off a bit now!!! I am on Google+. I think this is going to take a while to get going, but first impressions are fairly good. It seems to be trying to be all things to everybody in terms of social networking. It is simple enough to use and is sufficiently non-grey to keep me interested (not exactly pretty though!). It doesn't have the focus of Linkedin, but is a little more organised than Facebook.
Monday 25 July 2011
Tuesday 19 July 2011
Returning to Thing 4 - My Pushnote debut (aka Thing 4.5)
Ok so Pushnote is fairly nifty, but I'm a little limited in how I can use it. Installing the add-on is not feasible in my workplace, although I could perhaps install it at home. But as I don't do a lot online at home I think it will just become another piece of clutter.
That said, I do like being able to promote websites through the Pushnote site itself. I also like how it will automatically add my comments and the link to my Facebook/Twitter updates (I like doing this where I can and within the particular "brand" I am using).
What I don't like is only being able to see the sites in the stream. I think it would be useful to have a search facility - akin to Google - that enables you to find the recommended sites within a particular search category. I realise this must be somehow linked in to search sites, but why not enable it within the system also? I'm starting to feel like I've missed the point somehow.
Finally I do like that it allows you to follow users, but why haven't they made finding people easier? The Twitter model would be a good starting point.
I don't like being negative, so I will not say any more about it. I'll see how I get on with it and watch out for any developments. That's as much as anyone can say about any new technology I suppose!
That said, I do like being able to promote websites through the Pushnote site itself. I also like how it will automatically add my comments and the link to my Facebook/Twitter updates (I like doing this where I can and within the particular "brand" I am using).
What I don't like is only being able to see the sites in the stream. I think it would be useful to have a search facility - akin to Google - that enables you to find the recommended sites within a particular search category. I realise this must be somehow linked in to search sites, but why not enable it within the system also? I'm starting to feel like I've missed the point somehow.
Finally I do like that it allows you to follow users, but why haven't they made finding people easier? The Twitter model would be a good starting point.
I don't like being negative, so I will not say any more about it. I'll see how I get on with it and watch out for any developments. That's as much as anyone can say about any new technology I suppose!
Monday 18 July 2011
Taking a long hard look in the mirror (aka Thing 5)
What's great about CPD23 is that we are reflecting in each thing, so that makes this reflective writing thing less daunting than it would have been just over a month ago. Reflective practice is not new to me as a concept. The support department I work in even has a guide to it for students - particularly the healthcare students, but increasingly other disciplines. Also the concept of "two ticks and a wish" was described to me a few years ago. I thought it sounded so simple and positive that I had planned to do this daily, but these things rarely last long with me. That is not to say I am reticent about such things. It's just that I do a great deal of my reflecting/planning/analysing internally. This blog has been quite a leap for me in that sense. Yes I can witter on Twitter etc. but a blog is much more of a commitment and each post is necessarily much more considered.
So looking back over the things we have done, I can see that so far we have covered a lot of old ground for me, which has given me the opportunity to consider how these tools are used by others or might be used within my work either as a new tool to introduce or developing what is currently used.
So far I can see that a blog with post about useful themes could be a great way to provide common answers to students. Many thanks to my colleague in the library here for that model. So although we are currently developing an FAQ page for our website, perhaps this could be linked in to a blog somehow - some further consideration required there!
As far as tools that are not "old ground" I have a confession to make - I have not looked into Pushnote yet. As mentioned in my last post I only have access to Explorer in work so it would mean check it out at home. I have noticed that I am not the only one to have skipped Pushnote - either for the same reason as me or because Pushnote requires registering but don't give a lot of information about what they do. My initial reaction is to give it a wide berth, but no... I'll get onto it. Tomorrow I'm working in a different office and will have access to Firefox, so I'll try then.
So I have reflected and will be exploring how I can use what we've looked at so far in my workplace. I will even format my summary of the tools in a reflective practice layout - providing evaluation and potential applications.
So looking back over the things we have done, I can see that so far we have covered a lot of old ground for me, which has given me the opportunity to consider how these tools are used by others or might be used within my work either as a new tool to introduce or developing what is currently used.
So far I can see that a blog with post about useful themes could be a great way to provide common answers to students. Many thanks to my colleague in the library here for that model. So although we are currently developing an FAQ page for our website, perhaps this could be linked in to a blog somehow - some further consideration required there!
As far as tools that are not "old ground" I have a confession to make - I have not looked into Pushnote yet. As mentioned in my last post I only have access to Explorer in work so it would mean check it out at home. I have noticed that I am not the only one to have skipped Pushnote - either for the same reason as me or because Pushnote requires registering but don't give a lot of information about what they do. My initial reaction is to give it a wide berth, but no... I'll get onto it. Tomorrow I'm working in a different office and will have access to Firefox, so I'll try then.
So I have reflected and will be exploring how I can use what we've looked at so far in my workplace. I will even format my summary of the tools in a reflective practice layout - providing evaluation and potential applications.
Tuesday 5 July 2011
Which way to turn? (aka Thing 4)
I am pretty au fait with Twitter and have 4 accounts to my name at last count (I only use two really though). I'm also pretty good with RSS feeds; I use feeds to connect news on our website to our Facebook page. Although I didn't realise that each time I follow someone's blog it is an RSS feed that adds the content to my Dashboard. Ho-hum!
Pushnote is something I haven't tried before, but unfortuntately I can't use it in work as I don't have Firefox or Chrome on the PCs available to me. This looks like homework!
I feel I should put a qualifying statement before the following ramblings as it sounds as though I don't agree with using the internet tools we're being told about in cpd23, but please rest assured that I am fully supportive of this course and know I will learn from it. I just wanted to say a little bit about the use of technology really...
In reading another participant's blog today I was reminded of how all this new technology is not always terrifically effective as a marketing tool. I am by no means a technophobe, although I am perhaps techno-weary. There are a variety of methods available to us now to promote our services, but I think there comes a point when (as with road signs) there can be too many. People stop looking. I get frustrated when people don't know what we do despite the wealth of advertising, and yet I think it comes down to the fact that we humans still need human interaction. When I'm struck by information overload I just want there to be someone next to me to ask (in person!!). Instead we need to search Google, scan through all the text and snazzy pictures, the confusing links and the mish-mash of sources. Are you therefore wondering why someone that thinks like this is doing cpd23?
Well, although I may be pretty nifty on the computer and will go to Google whenever I need an answer, the fact is that we humans sometimes need someone to show us the way.
This course is a good example - we're not having to look for the information; it's all in one place with explanations. Without this course I wouldn't be thinking about Pushnote etc. I also wouldn't have homework! Better still a face-to-face example, such as someone asking a librarian if the library holds a certain book, eventhough they could have found out by looking at the catalogue themselves.
I think a lot of people have realised that there isn't a really easy to use catalogue of the internet out there. And if someone wants to tell us there is then they're wrong because they had to tell us about it. I do love Google, but it's not perfect - it can't find me for a start (see my last post).
So what's my point? My point is this - we can't be surprised when despite our best efforts to show the way people still come and ask. I may use technology but if the person I'm trying to reach doesn't want to use technology then I can't reach them unless they show up in person, at which point I can't expect them to know what is on the website, etc. Replace technology with posters or signs in that statement for the same point to be applied for offline marketing.
Does this show a failing in people - that they won't "bother" to find out online (or by simply looking at a poster)? No. I don't believe that the greatest minds that ever lived would have achieved half as much if they'd had to contend with all this information overload. There would have been fewer road signs in their day too!
Pushnote is something I haven't tried before, but unfortuntately I can't use it in work as I don't have Firefox or Chrome on the PCs available to me. This looks like homework!
I feel I should put a qualifying statement before the following ramblings as it sounds as though I don't agree with using the internet tools we're being told about in cpd23, but please rest assured that I am fully supportive of this course and know I will learn from it. I just wanted to say a little bit about the use of technology really...
In reading another participant's blog today I was reminded of how all this new technology is not always terrifically effective as a marketing tool. I am by no means a technophobe, although I am perhaps techno-weary. There are a variety of methods available to us now to promote our services, but I think there comes a point when (as with road signs) there can be too many. People stop looking. I get frustrated when people don't know what we do despite the wealth of advertising, and yet I think it comes down to the fact that we humans still need human interaction. When I'm struck by information overload I just want there to be someone next to me to ask (in person!!). Instead we need to search Google, scan through all the text and snazzy pictures, the confusing links and the mish-mash of sources. Are you therefore wondering why someone that thinks like this is doing cpd23?
Well, although I may be pretty nifty on the computer and will go to Google whenever I need an answer, the fact is that we humans sometimes need someone to show us the way.
This course is a good example - we're not having to look for the information; it's all in one place with explanations. Without this course I wouldn't be thinking about Pushnote etc. I also wouldn't have homework! Better still a face-to-face example, such as someone asking a librarian if the library holds a certain book, eventhough they could have found out by looking at the catalogue themselves.
I think a lot of people have realised that there isn't a really easy to use catalogue of the internet out there. And if someone wants to tell us there is then they're wrong because they had to tell us about it. I do love Google, but it's not perfect - it can't find me for a start (see my last post).
So what's my point? My point is this - we can't be surprised when despite our best efforts to show the way people still come and ask. I may use technology but if the person I'm trying to reach doesn't want to use technology then I can't reach them unless they show up in person, at which point I can't expect them to know what is on the website, etc. Replace technology with posters or signs in that statement for the same point to be applied for offline marketing.
Does this show a failing in people - that they won't "bother" to find out online (or by simply looking at a poster)? No. I don't believe that the greatest minds that ever lived would have achieved half as much if they'd had to contend with all this information overload. There would have been fewer road signs in their day too!
Monday 4 July 2011
What's in a name? (aka Thing 3)
I've heard of the new t-shirt slogan "I Google therefore I am" but it would seem that I am not! I entered my name into Google and gave up looking for myself after the 7th page of other lovely people called Laura Parsons. One, in Northamptonshire, has recently had her GCSE results - yay for her. Another is the President of the American Folk Art Museum - way to go! But I am nowhere to be found.
This isn't a huge surprise to me. It is a long time since I appeared in Google searches. The internet grows at a fantastic rate, as does the population, so it is no real wonder that my name could be shared by many others and I should therefore dissappear. My Facebook account has the highest Privacy settings and I don't tend to use my full name online too much. My online identity is determined by my surname followed by my initials - as in my blogspot url. I search for that I found I am all over the first page, albeit with one curious reference to a court case in 1902 in which a Mrs Parsons is mentioned but the print has been mis-read by Google!
I maintain two identities online. My personal identity for friends and family, and my professional identity for work related activity and networking. Evenso, I do think I have a similar attitude to the two. I just don't tend to give away too much of my private life when using the professional identity.
I had a look at the recommended reading and although I knew a lot of what was said already, I did find some parts interesting; in particular the post by Andromeda Yelton - Personal Branding for Life. I agree with the view that our careers are more than just the institution we work for; our professional development is up to us and we need to make our own opportunties. Also in the same post I think that Lisa Carlucci Thomas made a good point when she said a strong brand can make it easier to start a conversation with someone when you meet in person.
This isn't a huge surprise to me. It is a long time since I appeared in Google searches. The internet grows at a fantastic rate, as does the population, so it is no real wonder that my name could be shared by many others and I should therefore dissappear. My Facebook account has the highest Privacy settings and I don't tend to use my full name online too much. My online identity is determined by my surname followed by my initials - as in my blogspot url. I search for that I found I am all over the first page, albeit with one curious reference to a court case in 1902 in which a Mrs Parsons is mentioned but the print has been mis-read by Google!
I maintain two identities online. My personal identity for friends and family, and my professional identity for work related activity and networking. Evenso, I do think I have a similar attitude to the two. I just don't tend to give away too much of my private life when using the professional identity.
I had a look at the recommended reading and although I knew a lot of what was said already, I did find some parts interesting; in particular the post by Andromeda Yelton - Personal Branding for Life. I agree with the view that our careers are more than just the institution we work for; our professional development is up to us and we need to make our own opportunties. Also in the same post I think that Lisa Carlucci Thomas made a good point when she said a strong brand can make it easier to start a conversation with someone when you meet in person.
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