Before I started on CPD23 I had a very limited experience of using social media. My librarianship MA had introduced me to tag clouds and tagging as part of the Information Architecture module and talking to fellow students who worked in HE libraries, I was able to appreciate how a social media tool, such as wiki, could be used to update and share information.
CPD23 was the catalyst for me to explore social media in depth. The course has enabled me to get to grips with the technology by experimenting with using it myself. This has been a fun journey of discovery and my learning has been aided by the professional knowledge and experience of the CPD23 team and other CPD23 bloggers. Evidently, the main benefit of social media is that it enables this kind of knowledge sharing; where people from diverse backgrounds can come together online and broaden the debate.
CPD23 is a good example of social media fostering a ‘community of practice’ ( see Smith, M. K. (2003, 2009) 'Communities of practice', the encyclopedia of informal education, www.infed.org/biblio/communities_of_practice.htm. ) rather than simply a sense of community.
However, as is the case in any type of community: there will be people on the margins and people who are exluded for different reasons. In the context of social media and CPD, a person needs to actively engage with the social media tools in order to fully participate in the community endeavour (innovating our services and professional practice).
I will continue to use social media in my personal/professional life because if I don’t I will risk excluding myself from the debate . The technology is rapidly changing and the list of tools, apps and widgets ever growing. Of course, not all these social media tools will be useful or relevant to my life, but in order to make a critical judgement I must ensure I am up-to-date with the technology and engaged with the process.
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