This course has taught me a lot this term, I learned how beneficial it is for me to expand my PLN and making connections on various platforms. Having the interaction on Matter most played an integral role in creating our own little PLN for this course. Prior to this class, I only used my social media to communicate with my friends and family but now I see the importance of making connections outside of that circle and how it can diversify my PLN. I also took the initiative of completing my LinkedIn profile because of this class. Initially, I only essentially had a profile picture and my education but then I started making connections on the platform because I learned the value of it. As of today, I have 110 connections on LinkedIn whereas in the beginning I had roughly 15, which is a huge difference in my opinion.
My perspective has definitely shifted on social media than when I first enrolled in EDCI 338. I realized just how many different opportunities can stem from a social platform and that it is the new way of discovering potential opportunities whereas before I thought the traditional job posting websites like Indeed were the only source. I have also gained the knowledge of that there can be two personas that a single individual can portray on a social media platform or rather two uses. A user can have a personal and professional account and I have applied that same theory to my life. Like mentioned before, I thought social media was just for personal and entertaining purposes, but you can also utilize it in a professional manner to get into contact with individuals who are in the same career path as me in my situation. Qualman (2012) explained that “connections are vital to anyone’s success” which I could not agree with more. From experience, I have seen that people that you know or have connections with can present you with opportunities that you may not be qualified for, but you are given the position because of the individual you know and not based off your credentials.
Reference:
Qualman, E. (2012). Digital leader: 5 simple keys to success and influence. In Digital leader: 5 simple keys to success and influence. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Retrieved April 1, 2021, from https://learning-oreilly-com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/library/view/digital-leader-5/9780071792424/ch16.html#ch16
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