• Building a reputation and trust in a connected culture can be difficult, how are you building a network of individuals who are dynamic, reliable, and participatory?

First of all, I think the most essential and significant factor in building such a network is attitude. Just as Woods mentioned in the article that we need to realize the differences of all PLNs (Woods, 2013), the respectful attitudes are needed to achieve effective communication and interaction. Particularly, I would be highly cautious about the sense of boundary in a chat to take into account of others’ privacy and to establish a healthy relationship. Additionally, sufficient time devoted to chatting also helps build a beneficial conversation. According to Woods’ description that the relationships that form a PLN are not the same as those in school (Woods, 2013), individuals in the network do not have to tell you what you are looking for. Therefore, modesty and patience are needed in communication considering the diversity of individuals. After all, only when individuals feel respect and your sincerity will they trust you and be willing to share various useful constructive information and resources they have with you. Furthermore, conversation itself matters too. Topics and questions chosen to ask in the network need to be clear, meaningful and positive. How to receive useful information from such a considerable amount of wealthy and dynamic perspectives others have typically lies in the content you choose and the way you ask about the content.

  • Are you leveraging healthy relationships from your PLN for growth?

I think I am leveraging healthy relationships from my PLN for growth. The most profound impact my PLN has on me comes from the academic discussions with my classmates. I have gained quite a few valuable insights and positive attitudes towards life after chatting with them. Their perspectives on psychology contained diverse cultural and social backgrounds, which really helps me understand certain psychological issues from a larger context. Besides, I have also developed a further self-integration after following several professional accounts with regards to counselling. The suggestions these professionals offered have been of great help for me when I need to cope with personal anxiety and depressive moods.

  • How would you create a PLN prior to engaging a social media campaign on a topic of your choice?

Firstly, I would clearly set up an outline for what this campaign is designed to achieve so that I would know the topic, focus and expected participants of this PLN. Second, I would search for the beneficiary groups and collect their opinions on and expectations for the campaign. More importantly, I think it is important to gather a sufficient amount of information and resources from professionals relevant to the field of this campaign, and later to develop the key processes and events based on these information. I would also start diverse conversations to make connections with individuals in the network, which could then help the launch of the campaign to be carried out more efficiently.

  • Reference:

Woods, B. (2013, November). Building your own PLN: seeking new insights and ideas? Expand your personal learning network. T+D, 67(11), 70+. https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/apps/doc/A348998538/ITBC?u=uvictoria&sid=summon&xid=1010abdf