I recently came across an interesting article in a LinkedIn group I’m a member of. Its all about the impact of the iPad and its uses, or not, in education.

Now I have to admit, I’m a confirmed fan of both my iPad and my iPhone. As friends and colleagues as well as regular readers of this blog know, this has not always been the case ! and to those who took a sustained shed-load of abuse and ridicule over their alleged lemming-like rush into so-called Apple slavery, I apologise wholeheartedly. But can we take things too far,as the image in this post (from technology.desktopnexus.com)might suggest?

But I was press-ganged into having an iPhone by my other half and my excuse is that I was taking my time, evaluating, and making informed decisions based on experiences and technological advances in operating systems functionality and the merits of one Smartphone vs the others blah blah blah

Anyway, I digress somewhat…

The article argued that, whilst the iPad is a fantastic device for collecting, storing, and consuming content, this ‘content controlled’ aspect is perhaps limiting in an education system being currently regeared towards creativity. (rather like the difference between Trad jazz so beloved of my father and freestyle jazz, which is more to my taste). The writer goes on to extend this argument into the area of textbooks, positing the view that having spent the best part of the last hundred years delivering up our students to the text-book publishers, we are now doing the same by sending down Apple street, Kindle rise, or Microsoft Alley.

So is the iPad a creative tool ? well I wrote this blog post on mine using a creative writing tool, which also has drawing software for our Glass Arts design business.
So judge for yourself

Some of the most vibrant newbies on the Social Media block are the question and answer sites. you've probably seen Formspring tweets inviting questions, which can get quite esoteric or even puerile, but the newer sites are tailor-made for business networking. One of the big must-do's in using social media for business networking is curating content and one of the best ways to get yourself noticed in doing this is to position yourself as a 'Guru' in your field -someone who folk tweet for information or answers to questions. Seth Godin talked about this in his seminal book Tribes



The newer Social Media sites are geared towards this. Three in particular jump out as worth a punt...

Quora, Focus, and Namesake.

Very briefly, Quora is a business-to-business network, Focus is more of an 'Expert' market where you can access downloads, information, and even become a resident expert, and Namesake appears to be much more of a live conversation community, much more chaotic, even anarchic, than the other Q&A sites.

There's a great and much more detailed guide top these sites from Aliza Sherman writing here I'd recommend a read and plenty of reflection.

So, how do you use these sites ? Well, as Aliza suggests, chose one which appears to fit your business or organisational needs best and just give it a go. Its important not to spread yourself too thin, as engagement is the key to success with any of these sites, which after all, exist to promote dialogue, communication and sharing...but do this..

- Make a Splash. Have plenty of content bookmarked in Delicious or Digg accounts managed by your organisation and link to these in your profile and posts on your chosen Q&A site

-Make a Buzz. Engage enthusiastically with the online community. Try to both ask and answer questions. Position yourself as both a 'seeker' and an 'expert'.

-Be Humble. Thank others for their help and pass on their stuff to your professional learning network (PLN).

- Be a Presence. Its important to use your site regularly. Irregular visits are no good for building your profile and keeping it up there in the minds of the community. Set aside time to post and answer questions.

So go on then, give it a go, and above all, don't look at your activity in isolation. Link to your other social media activity. Tweet links to your answers and content, bookmark information discovered and re-tweet it on twitter, share it on Linkedin and above all, blog post and comment. Follow your new contacts if they are on other networks and increase your PLN. Create more contacts, and just as importantly, a bigger audience of prospective clients !


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Linked in has a particular niche for networking, in that it's primarily a business to business tool, however, this is not always the case and to pigeon- hole this particular platform might be making a big mistake. Careful posting and judicious selection of group membership can allow you to position yourself as an expert or guru in your field, amongst other professionals with similar interest portfolio's. It can also be a valuable tool for increasing your professional learning network (PLN).

There are a few blog posts offering practical advice on using Linkedin. Have a look at Fiona Godsman's blog for some useful advice. Also, lawyer Michelle Hynes has Some useful advice

So, have another look at Linkedin. After all, 100 million users can't be all wrong can they ?

I'm on Linkedin. You can find me here




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad