23things plus 5 - #1 LinkedIn

LinkedIn the social networking platform for making business/professional connections has quite a following although I have a profile on LinkedIn I have not put much energy into building my connections. Like Tony I prefer Facebook as I feel more connected to the community I have created there.

I gave a talk last week on digital footprints after reading dana boyd and looking at the digital identity maps of likleafar and Fred Cavazza. In the presentation we discussed the importance of librarians having/developing a personal brand.

Tools like LinkedIn are useful for building your brand. Networking can be achieved in many ways f-2-f and online. We work in an industry that requires that we stay current with new technologies. However, I don’t imagine that LinkedIn will change the way I work like some of the 23 things we covered in 2007:

• igoogle
• google reader
• Facebook
• Blogging
• del.ici.ous

woo hoo… hit 100!

Didn’t think it possible but I have made 100 posts…. oh my god! A significant milestone. I am giving myself this Dalek anniversary cake.

Actually this weekend I am going to a Dr Who dinner party which will involve ahhh watching Dr Who with some of my friends who are also fans. We are quite a mixed bunch - librarian (me), educator, classical musician, Vet and not one of us geeky! We will be doing some face-to-face social networking ;oP

Peace

Fell of the Wagon…

I hate to admit this but I reactivated my Facebook account for about 1/2 an hour yesterday. A bit of a set back but I really didn’t enjoy it. So I deactivated it nearly straight away. I realised I really wasn’t missing anything and that I had made the right decision. I can empathise with my friends who are giving up smoking and then have a sneaky one when out socialising. My excuse - I was bored.

Today I am leaving on a jet plane for a conference in a far off land. I am not sure if I will be able to blog whilst away but I am looking forward to listening to practitioners talking about social networking in a e-learning context. It should be a stimulating few days.

Before I head off I am off to Christmas gathering number one for the year and getting my Christmas decorations out and putting them up around the house. I love unpacking the boxes and seeing all the beautiful decorations again. I enjoy the rituals of a secular Christmas (a bit of an oxymoron).

I am not religious but our family has lots of little Christmas rituals. The first is decorating the tree and putting up decorations.

One day… without Facebook

I made it through the night without reactivating my Facebook account and it wasn’t too bad. I must admit I do miss it and was considering sending statuses to my friends… but that would just be sad. It seems the saga surrounding the Facebook status and the use of “is” is still continuing. I must admit I wasn’t a fan but you had to be inventive to get around it. So I might list some of my favourite statuses whilst I was using Facebook and then I will get it out of my system:

Kim is…

• on the long and winding road
• shiny and new like a version
• voting for the red power rangers
• back to life, back to reality
• wearing my new “Angels have the phone box t-shirt”
• worshipping David Tennant from afar
• changing careers and becoming a…. mystery shopper
• getting my groove back
• asking “do you want fries with that?”
• watching… Dr Who season 3
• thinking that the best things in life are free

Goodbye FaceBook

I have decided to go cold turkey and give up Facebook after reading another “friend’s” blog I decided that I was getting sucked into a time wasting vortex that was very unproductive. I did have fun but when you wake at 5.30 am and change your status something is seriously wrong….

I did try lots of different applications, meet some new people, learned much more about friends and colleagues, flirted online and much more but as for the social networking value, well, you know yourself if it is a useful tool in your life. I would much rather get out in the real world. Hook up with people for some face-to-face interaction.

I don’t have a large network overseas perhaps if I did it might be different. I am not saying I will never use Facebook again but for now I am going to try the real world.