Thing 12 - Putting the social into social media

I've at least done one thing in that I have added more contacts on LinkedIn this week, mainly people I don't see every day but it's good to keep up to date with them and see what they are working on at the moment.

I think another benefit of social networks is the ability to promote professional/special interest groups.  For example the CDG Wales has a Facebook page.  It means members aren't having to visit the website to keep up to date or get in touch but importantly I could come up as a recommendation for someone to join.  They might never have thought of joining before but I feel it makes the group that much more accessible.

I know I definitely will use social networks for my professional development.  I would say namely Twitter and Google + but I have enjoyed (when I remember) blogging here which is something I think I would like to continue.  I feel it gives me an arena to express my thoughts and opinions, allows me to think out loud and hopefully my writing skills are improving too!

Do I think that social networks help foster a community?  I think that has already been answered this week in regards to the UK riots.  Social networks being used to organise these terrible acts of thuggery but also being used for clean up operations.  They were used to debate the riots, and for people to show support for victims.  But one blog post from this morning really caught my eye.  It was discussing the idea of the PM closing down social networks.  The blog post debated and then was on the side of the PM, this coming from one of my favourite web 2.0 supporters!  But at the end of the post was the comment "Close the roads...that is what they mean, right?" and it really made me laugh.  Online social networks are a tool for communication, you can create a community by meeting in a library, pub, church hall, wherever but online social networks allow you the freedom to access communities all over the world.  Which if the tool is used correctly is never a bad thing.