Shirley Garcia
Student ID #: 11468539
Info 506: Social Networking for Information Professionals
Lyn Hay—Fall 2010
Based on Utecht’s 5 stages of PLN adoption I would say that I am somewhere between Stage 1 (Immersion) and Stage 2 (Evaluation). I have really only begun creating connections via Web 2.0 tools. The exploration of various social networking tools is a direct result of this course. I have gotten involved in the social networking tools that have been outlined as a part of this class. The only networking tool I used before this course was Facebook, and I did not use it regularly. I am still learning about other tools (I have a particular interest in blogs, and have been exploring them for both personal and professional use.
As a result of my explorations, I am also realizing which tools work best for me. As I engage in their use, I am learning which tools are a good fit for my needs (both personal and professional), my interests and personality. While there are a great many tools out there, I think it is very important to assess what works for you and why, as these tools can seem overwhelming at the least. Forcing one’s self to participate in the use of networking tools that are either not of interest to the user or that do not provide the user with what they are searching for does not bring any benefit and can actually turn an individual away from all social networking tools, which defeats the purpose of these tools as a whole. When the user finds tools that are useful and engaging, he or she will seek out similar tools. That creates a greater amount of learning focused toward one’s interests and goals.
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