Catch up time for Things

Catching up with Things!

OK I am playing catch up on the 23 Things at the moment, I have been enjoying and following the programme but am finding it hard to find time to blog or even to get the words out onto virtual paper!

Thing 8: RSS Feeds:

I have not used these before so was interested to see what value I would get from them. I added a few to my account in Google Reader (23 Things RSS of course and a few others).  I am not sure if I am in my Google account enough to truly benefit from the direct feeds and updates that these provide, though I can see their use for speed of access to information that is up-to-date which would be of a real benefit to keeping you informed of what is happening in the areas of your interest and as quick links into websites and pages. As my experience develops and with the potential of me spending more time online within the social media network I may find them invaluable.  

Thing 9: Storify:

I had a brief look into Storify though I have not yet dabbled into publishing my own content, wanting to make sure that I am using the social media I have so far to the best use and to present the best impression of myself marketed online. I can see that this tool would be fantastic in following a particular event or for use as a teaching tool, linking content discussed from over a variety of online medias to create a unified space for discussion, reference and reflection.

Thing 10: Facebook:

I am a member on Facebook and have been for several years, I originally joined the site because a friend suggested that we could play pool online together through one of the games inside the site. Since then I have used it for checking in with old school friends, new friends and family, whilst adding photos and the odd comments to others. I remember various stages of Facebook's development (during my high usage era) where poking was the biggest thing going as were the competitions to have the most friends attached to your profile. Since then my profile has matured to a more reasonable level and the friends I do have on the site are a much more select group and the privacy settings I have chosen restrict this even more.

I attended the 'Facebook pages that work' presentation held by Liz McCarthy of the Bodleian Libraries which opened up the new idea to me of how exactly Facebook can work and be managed by an institution or company for a more professional perspective of the sites usage. up until now Facebook had always seemed to me to be one of those sites that you just messed around on and had a laugh, but I am keen with the 23 Things Programme to get Facebook working as part of my professional online profile. It has also provoked thoughts about getting my current work department online in an aim to fulfil part of or strategic plan. 

Thing 11/12: LinkedIn/Academia

I have heard a lot of people talk about LinkedIn and part of the reason I chose to take part in 23 Things was to find out more about it. I was keen to get started so I joined the site. I chose LinkedIn over Academia because of my academic and employment history and thought that it was more suited and tailored for my requirements. I followed that set up processes and aimed to get my profile spread across the Linkedin network by uploading my contacts and finding people I know to boost my status.

So far this has been successful only in part, it became quickly apparent that making links was not all that easy, but i am hopeful with a bit more use and experience i can get it to work for me. I attended the talk  by Lucy Hawkins 'Social Media and your Career' (Available soon on the Oxford University's Podcast) which inspired me on and I have also booked on a course 'LinkedIn - Designing your academic profile' from which I hope to leave as a master of the online tool.