I agree with the advantages outlined that social media is really good for CPD in helping to achieve a sense comunity between professionals, giving a space for sharing best practice and allowing access to other areas of the profession. I think it also encourages a more rounded approach to development and gives it a wider sense of experience. You can go on a traing course and I tend to find I'll think about what is said then sometimes it will completely go out of mind and I have forgotten what was done, said or my thoughts. Social media gives an area to reflect with other people so that the knowledge and theory is underpinned with reality.
I have followed developments in CILIP and the Library and information community much more since embarking on 23 things and feel a sense of belonging to a community. It makes working in a Library seem more than 'just a job'.
The negative aspects I have found is the extra time it takes to trawl through everything. There are so many different social medias that keeping up with everything can be quite a daunting task. I am also finding that I have joined so many things that remembering login deetails and passwords is becoming an issue! You only get out what you put in though so from taking a few minutes to check updates I am learning and sharing.
To be honest I don't feel as though I have made many contacts at the moment. I have had a quick read of updates but not actually had a rapport going with anyone specific. Summer is quite a busy time where I work so my time has been quite limited. I have found that some of these 'things' do take up quite a bit of time to set up accounts and get to grips with what can be done. This then hasn't left me with much time to read others blogs and see how everyone else is finding the experience. Hopefully as the Library starts to quieten down over the next few weeks I'll have more of a chance to have a look and comment on a few more, find a few people to follow on Twitter etc.
I hadn't used social media for professional development before '23 things' so it has been an experience. I hope to continue to use it and hopefully make it work a bit better in the future depending on time constraints. When we are back into the swing of term I am hoping to set aside a good 15 minutes a day for checking social media and connecting with the professional world.
I have had experience of creating a sense of community with social networking outside of Libraries. I am part of a Facebook group of ladies who all had babies in the same month. There are around 60 of us and it is fantastic to keep in touch with them and be able to ask questions as our children grow up. We have such a sense of community and many of us have met up and become friends as a result of the group. I haven't yet reached this same sense of community yet with Libraries. I feel the main reason for this is that there are just so many people that is it more difficult to keep in touch with what is going on. I think that smaller groups are sometimes better. I have felt a bit bewildered and out of my depth at times with the range of knowledge and experience and the sheer size of the information professionals community.
I am happy though as I have just realised I have managed to catch up on the 'things' after my mammoth blogging session this morning! Yay
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