Thing Six (I know, yesterday was Thing five...)

I just went back to read the main module blog and yes, yesterday was thing five not four although we were continuing with Building a network.

Today is thing six and we are talking about digital content curation.... I know what the heck is that. I don't know and that is why I am on this module to find out more and to develop my digital skills. Anyway we have been introduced to Scoop.it and storify . I have just read and re-read, had a break and a cuppa but I still cannot get my head around the concepts. Anyway the point is to make things look pretty or professional looking and then link it to your accounts which for me is the millions that I have swimming about in the world wide web (scary :0)  So the point of both sites is to help publicize events and stories live. I have to say I have just about given up creating new accounts and so I'm afraid I cannot give you my views on these sites. The thought of creating one more account any where is just too much for me. I feel though that for most of these sites etc, the main aim is really from a business point. It can help you expand your target market, reach out to new customers etc. Although I see how some may apply this within academia I fail to see this. I mean take for instance - little old me doing research in a specialised field (not really but I like to say that to make myself feel extra special), there are at least 10 people out there who might have an interest in what I do, and to be honest if I don't know these people by name then I am fighting a loosing battle. After the 10 people, there may be another 5 who have a slight interest as their work may have some link, and these will contact me from my correspondence information when they read my article. And finally on the off chance, there are 2 people who might find me on google, exclude my stalking ex and we have 1. So now I have to create 10 accounts on all these sites just to reach that 1 person? Someone help me out here because clearly I am failing to see the beneficial use of all this hard work and time to find that 1 special person. I am not a skeptic but isnt there a better more efficient way to do all this?

Anyway that's all for today folks and see you next week for the final segment in our endevour to be digitally skilled :) Thing 7 : Maintaining and preserving your online identity and can I add dignity to the end of that sentence.

Thing Four - continued

I guess today we are still on Thing Four. Today we explore academia and LinkedIn. My immediate question is how do these promote networking as compared to the kind you would do at a conference. I have set up accounts with both previously and I have to say they have not helped much. I think the way that technology is advertised and promoted is slightly misleading (and this is coming from a lover of technology). Well, I do not see how having an account in any of these would increase or help collaborations etc. Although researchers are very happy to get an e-mail from anybody and nobody, it is very rare from my experience that they would take a collaboration request that seriously. This is were I still believe in the six degrees of separation. Unless you know someone who knows somebody who get introduce you to someone who has met somebody that has worked with somebody's partner then your chances are pretty slim. This still works in research and within social media. So I would apply that in either academia or LinkedIn, and make sure that you know or get a link with someone who knows somebody.

On the other hand in aspects of giving greater visibility online, yes I have to say it works as they do rank highly and are picked by google HTML robots, but still I would say you need to do twice as much if not more work than you would do at a conference. This is a playing field without visual cues etc which is quite difficult and people tend to need more assurances on deliverables etc which is understandable. So I think if you are someone like me (very limited time to network online) it might still be better to do things the old fashioned way and either pick up the phone or better still spend the money to make a personal visit. If all else fails, stalk people at conferences and meetings but please don't say you read it from this blog because by that time I will have deleted this post :). Besides I wouldn't want word to get round that I am a conference stalker!!

So back to the task in hand, I have accounts with both sites, but I could not remember my password for LinkedIn and so had to create another one. I am now trying to merge the two accounts but they will not let me as I cannot remember the e-mail account that I created the other account with (2 years ago), so I guess its goodbye to all those people I was LinkedIn with before :(. I guess this week for me is about pulling the people in before I start pushing information out. Do not want to drive people away by information overload (well not just yet:) anyway).

Liked the exeter university information on LinkedIn, I thought it was very helpful. And on that note it is goodbye for today and see you sometime soon. As I said I am trying to keep up with this blogging thing even if I may fail in everything else on the module - perhaps I am in the wrong profession - should have been a journalist, this writing thing is growing on me although I am still in the Introduction page of a paper I have to submit end of the month. ...
Anyway where was I , or yes on the farewells and all that jazz - Goodbye Folk see you tomorrow

Thing four - Building a Network

I know I am so far behind in this module but I am determined to complete it and do the next one as well. I guess my attempt to write for 30 minutes a day has failed as well, but I do not give up so easily. I guess that's why I am were I am in life (depends which way you look at it). Anyway thing four is building a network.

So - Twitter. I have created a twitter account, but I always find I have nothing new to tweet about. I either am re-tweeting other people's ideas or have lame twits. I am not sure how I can stay on top of this. By nature, I am a round about speaker. I say what I have to say in three or more sentences and so micro-blogging may not be for me. Or maybe I need a better smartphone - that way I can always be on the ready to tweet. But then I get to crossroads with the work, life balance because if I am using my phone to twit about work etc I can never switch off completely - One can never win can one?
I was not aware that I could tweet a new blog post. Maybe if I manage to keep my writing for 30 minutes each day I could try tweeting that. I really like the idea of all this but I just wonder when people get the time to do this. Better time management - I hear someone say, but I feel I manage my time so much that I have become a micro-manager and trust me - it takes all the fun from living. My life has become too rigid, I think there is more to life than watching the clock tick and counting down the seconds and minutes to the next task - although having said that I really like the feeling that accompanies ticking off a task from my to do list. I am still not sure how I can tweet a blog post as I am not using word press (so if anyone out there knows how to do it in blogger please help!)

Thats all for today, and with the way I am feeling, I will be back tomorrow. Oh by the way I am feeling the way I am feeling because of the new book I am reading, by Dale Carnegie. I would greatly recommend the book. I am only in Chapter 3 and I am buzzing, and trust me, buzzing is not a word I use normally but in this case I am with a Capital Z, so go and beg, borrow or steal if you have to the book, How to stop worrying and start living (I think thats the Title). More about it tomorrow.