September 28th – October 4th
Please see my Visitor and Resident Map below!
Visitor and Resident Map
What digital platforms are students currently using to develop their professional network?
I believe that students are using numerous digital platforms to develop their professional network. As a student, I use LinkedIn as my primary platform to develop a professional network. The reason for this being that it is a platform that was created specifically for professionals, posting and discussing jobs, and providing information useful for the business world. Based on conversation and observation of other students, I believe that platforms that were created originally for social media purposes are now also being used to develop a professional network. Students are creating specific accounts with the intent of sharing their learning in school (for example, a friend of mine has created an instagram account for her recipes and to share her knowledge of nutrition. This is done in hopes that once she has built up enough followers, she will be able to use her social media platform as an asset for her future business). Another platform that students are currently using may be Twitter. This is the case because it provides an interactive interface in which people can connect with each other and with organizations using a variety of techniques, such as direct messaging, commenting on tweets, and tagging others when creating a tweet.
What can you (as a student) consider to expand your professional learning network?
As a student I think that expanding my professional learning network is important, even more so as I approach graduation. Expanding my professional learning network could be done by connecting with my family friends on LinkedIn to gain a better understanding of their careers, and to seek advice/guidance from people with careers that I find interesting. Another way to expand my professional learning network is to interact with others digitally on a regular basis to build connections with those with similar interests. Following accounts that post information that is relevant and interesting to me in my professional career is beneficial and can further my learning on topics that I find engaging.Â
In your network, how can you create a digital identity/reputation?
I can create a digital identity or reputation by engaging with others and through what I chose to share/interact with. It is important when considering your digital footprint that your actions align with what you intend to have as your reputation. Interacting with content that is constructive, business related, and positive has been beneficial to my digital reputation.Â
Consider what a local employer would do if you applied for a job with them – can they search the content, is it of benefit to the career path, does it hinder the opportunity of employment?
A local employer would be able to see some of my digital platforms, although not all. I chose to keep much of my information private and therefore not searchable unless I was to grant them permission to follow/view my platforms. The platforms that I have that are public are representative of my professional experience, and I feel that this information would not hinder my employment opportunities. Having recently undergone an interview and received an offer of employment from an organization, I am very aware of what my digital footprint appears to be. The content that I have public is of benefit for my future career path and I intend to maintain that.Â
ReferencesÂ
“Digital Visitors and Residents” www.oclc.org. ©2020 OCLC [October 1, 2020] http://experimental.worldcat.org/vandrmapping/signIn.
Hi Leah!
Great blog this week. I see that you listed Instagram as being a platform people can use to grow their professional network. I discussed the same thing in my blog! I’d be interested to know your thoughts on how Instagram differs from LinkedIn as a platform. I find it interesting that, like me, you agree that it’s beneficial to keep our social media private and more difficult to view, but for people trying to build a brand on Instagram, it’s the complete opposite!
Great job on your map by the way – it looks great!
Erica
Hello Leah! This is a job well done. Just like you, I also considered LinkedIn as a digital platform that can help students develop their digital professional identity. If one linked his/her email in his/her LinkedIn account, he/she will be notified whenever anyone in his/her network updated his/her resume. This is a cool feature because if your job is to hire people, finding the right employees would be easy. Also, I totally agree that Instagram can also be used by someone who wanted to expand his/her digital platform. However, I learned that some Instagram users are using the business profile even if they are not really creating a business account. Some users use the business account because the business account contains a feature that allows user to view who visited their profile. In this regard, compared to LinkedIn, I do not think that Instagram can be very reliable.
Hi Leah, I really like you map. I very much agree with LinkedIn as the main platform for developing professional networks, because people can find the information and knowledge they want through search. You can follow the blogger and interact with the blogger to become a fan. This is very beneficial. At the same time, keeping social media private is very necessary. Better protection of privacy through corporate account authentication and permission setting.
Hello Leah,
Your Visitor and Resident Map looks very organized and clear! I found that some social media tools in your map are also used frequently in my professional network as well, such as Zoom, Google, YouTube, and Gmail. I totally agree that these digital tools are quite valuable, useful, and effective for people to use to develop their personal and professional network. Also, I agree that both LinkedIn and Twitter can be considered as two useful online tools for people to develop their professional networks. In my post, I also explain how LinkedIn works well for showcasing an individual’s professional identity. As I described in my post, LinkedIn is useful and invaluable for job seekers and professional networking. A LinkedIn profile also plays a crucial and valuable role in helping people to develop and manage their professional digital identity. I am wondering if you have read this web article, called LinkedIn and Professional Identity (link below). In my opinion, this article is quite useful and directly related to your ideas as well. Moreover, I completely agree with your idea about “interacting with content that is constructive, business related, and positive has been beneficial to my digital reputation”. Thank you for sharing your map and your blog post.
Chunlin
Link of the web article: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333543055_LinkedIn_and_Your_Professional_Identity.