Month: October 2021

An effective and educational learning environment and PLN consists of techniques that promote interaction, engagement and the attention of your audience. We do not want to bore and overload the brains of our audience. 

The benefits of a diverse and inclusive PLN: 

• The ability to share free speech with others with common personal and professional interests. 
• You can build a sense of self. 
• It is a place to be creative, be your full self and spread endless imagination and passion. 
• You have various opportunities to connect with other users with different opinions and beliefs that could inspire and introduce you to new ideas. 
• When an environment is welcoming, kind and inclusive, people are more content on participating and sharing their thoughts. 
• Common respect is shown in a diverse and inclusive PLN, which includes acknowledging the contributions, different backgrounds and views of each member.
• Users are reciprocal, resourceful and open minded. 
• By sharing useful information, your PLN grows naturally. Collaboration also creates a common ground and allows others to see your interests. Additionally, genuine interest builds a solid, authentic and inclusive network.
• Social responsibility is the best kind of motivation for establishing a PLN.

The restrictions of a diverse and inclusive PLN:

• It is hard to 100% decipher how people intend to sound in what they post which can spread miscommunication. For example, if someone were to send a message with a period at the end, some people could see this as normal communication but some could see this as the person being angry. Therefore, we should be aware of this and adapt our messaging accordingly. 
• Fake news is out there and a PLN could spread false information and dangerous measures. 
• Online communication tends to promote non-personal, short and non-detailed ways of communication so this could leave readers confused, misinformed, and with short-term connections.

“You are the expert of your own lived experience”

Markiel Simpson

Looking at Markiel Simpson’s PLN: 

• Markiel Simpson is an amazing individual who is involved in a majority of alliances, organizations and political leanings. 
• With these alliances, he is able to build connections not only for himself but for other people within his PLN who are searching for support and personal or professional opportunities. 
• Being involved with an organization called BC community alliance which is a non-profit dedicated to dismantling systemic racism, and being the lower mainland rep for the BC NDP’s Indigenous black and people of color committee, Markeil is able to connect with many individuals in these groups and refer others with similar interests and backgrounds to this PLN. 
• An important point that Markeil makes is that no matter who you are, you can make a difference and your voice is the first step. 
• With these diverse PLNs spread all over Twitter, Instagram, Facebook , etc, people are talking and the message they are trying to project gets seen and shared with many users. For example, with Canadian black history, conversations are happening where people are talking about it or have talked about it. Individuals are branching out and expanding their PLNs which helps bring attention to important conversations and events. (Even using hashtags creates traffic and conversations!)

References 

Miller & Simpson. (2021, June 1). Jesse Miller: EDCI – 338 MARKIEL SIMPSON [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsoDHGaXNNs&feature=youtu.be.

How do notable individuals use social media?

• Notable individuals on social media often have a sizable audience and level of influence on those who follow them. These influencers mainly use their social media accounts to present awareness on relevant information about their own lives, brands, or current events.
• For example, Shailene Woodley is an actress and shares some parts of her acting career online but mainly uses her social media platform to bring recognition to current foundations and movements.
• On the other hand, the Kardashians use social media to promote their dynasty, personal endeavors and family (Soleil’s blog).
• Neither of these platforms are better than the other since they attract and prioritize different niches. Ultimately, it is up to the notable individual to decide what they post, share and have influence towards.
• Remember, everything posted on social media is intentional.
• Looking at Jody Vance’s influence as a broadcaster in Canada, she is able to reach a vast majority of individuals around the country with different interests and opinions and can share with them whatever she wants.

What are the benefits of being in the public eye and having a PLN?

• Being in the public eye and having a PLN is extremely beneficial and valuable because you have the ability to accumulate a high amount of followers and people who want to interact with you and what you share. More followers leads to more connections and opportunities. 
• For example, if you are in the public eye and are looking for a job, you can share this on social media and you will have a greater chance at being recognized by an employer than someone who isn’t in the public eye and can’t get on popular pages and likes to boost social media algorithms. 
• Additionally, the “blue checkmark” verified accounts receive on social media proves their credibility, reliability and significance online and in society.

Building a community with online tools provided by the employer can be limiting, what are the perceived restrictions and benefits?

Restrictions:

• It is hard to 100% decipher how people intend to sound in what they post which can spread miscommunication (Hirst, 2018). For example, if someone were to send a message with a period at the end, some people could see this as normal communication but some could see this as the person being angry. 
• Fake news is out there and can spread false information and dangerous measures (Hirst, 2018). 
• Online communication tends to promote non-personal, short and non-detailed ways of communication so this could leave readers confused, misinformed, and with short-term connections.

Benefits:

• The ability to share free speech with others with common personal and professional interests.
• You can build a sense of self.
• It is a place to be creative, be your full self and spread endless imagination and passion.

Delivering information in a connected society requires verifiable resources, how do you build a PLN that you can rely on?

• It is important to make sure that the information you are giving and receiving is credible, reliable and factual. To make sure of this, you can generate information from peer viewed and scholarly journals and articles, news articles and documentaries. 
• It is also worth your time to double check facts using a variety of sources so you are not just relying on one and can get a mixture of views. This can increase your reliability even more!

How do those, who are veteran storytellers, minimize risk in sharing misinformation?

• You can minimize risk in sharing misinformation by using a reference list that shows readers exactly where you got your information. This also allows you to share credit where it is due. 
• Additionally, Instagram allows you to tag other users and link sources in post captions so web etiquette is fulfilled and the rightful owner always gets credit. 
• Question what you read and don’t assume the information to be true.
• Veteran storytellers can also monitor their PLN and the information being shared so they can ensure it is all factual.

References 

Vance & Miller. (2021, March 3). Jody Vance: Media Voices [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-NnpQJdl0A.

Hirst, M. (2018). Social Journalism and the Gig Economy. Navigating Social Journalism: A Handbook for Media Literacy and Citizen Journalism. Ch. 4. (p. 78-96). NY: Routledge. doi:https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/10.4324/9781315401263.