Task 1B - Professional Communication Technologies

Task 1B – Professional communication technologies

 

Reader 1 discusses the use of Web 2.0 in our professional communications technologies. I personally use Web 2.0 in various forms on a daily basis in my professional and personal life. However, this is the first time I have heard of these outlets being described as Web 2.0 and having to think about defining this concept.

I understand Web 2.0 to be sites that are interactive, the person visiting the site can leave comments or send messages. Not just read the content, like Web 1.0. In this blog I will be discussing the key points in Reader 1 that stuck out to me and relating them to my own experiences.

 

How I use Web 2.0

The ideas discussed in Reader 1 made me think more in depth about how I use social media. I began using social media as a teenager purely as a way to keep in contact with friends and family. As time has passed it has come to play a bigger role in our work lives also. Most businesses will have a Facebook or T Twitter profile on which they can interact with customers or clients. This enables them to advertise and build relationships with the people their business is aimed at.

In recent years I have started to post about work. Although maybe not as often  as I could. I often worry about what others will think. Now I am asking myself should I? You hear people moaning about people being too active online, but as it says in the reader Web 2.0, ‘encourages and enables participation’. That is what it was designed for. So maybe instead of worrying about what others will think I should think about the benefits. When I see others posting good things about their business or their career I would think, ‘that looks great’. Maybe others would think the same for me. I often find myself writing posts and then deleting them because I think, is this relevant? Who would want to read this? So using Web 2.0 is a skill because you have to be able to post effectively, not just any old waffle.

After going through Reader 1 and making some initial notes it made me want to go through what sites I am already signed up for. Some I am very active on such as Facebook and Twitter, however other profiles I have like IdeasTap I rarely sign onto. I think after this I will make decisions as to what sites are worth keeping. For example, IdeasTap is actually a great site and I have attended a few good workshops from it; one with the RSC and gotten some free headshots. I should look into the other learning and networking opportunities on it. I know there is also a teaching network on their but I have never used it. The reader has prompted me to actually evaluate how well I use Web 2.0, at the moment I would say I use it often but maybe not quite as effectively as I could. I hope that this is something I can improve through the course, even by starting this blog. Reading others blogs has shown me what works and how they use social media to promote themselves and keep connected.

 Ethical Considerations

When I started teaching I had to go back over my online presence and ensure there was nothing inappropriate that parents or children could see.

 ‘Teachers are probably the most vulnerable group in danger from violations of boundary crossing between one’s personal and professional lives’ (Kuehn, 2010, p.86)

 I googled myself to see what comes up. I have made my Facebook profile as private as possible, as I view it as more for personal use and fun. I think it’s just as important that my privacy as a person is respected by students and parents. However, I do know that parents will check you out online because let’s be honest it’s natural as a parent to want to know who is spending time with your child. One of my private students showed me how her mum had found my Casting Call Pro profile by googling me. I was pleased that my efforts to monitor what people see of me had worked. Only professional sites that I was happy for people to see had come up. This left me feeling happy and also the client satisfied that she has hired a professional person.

 At the theatre school I work for we like to be able to share news with parents and students online, this often includes photos or videos of performances or student success stories. We have to be aware about what is being posted if it involves about others. Would they want that to be seen? The school cannot post any photos or videos without the permission of the parents. Their consent is asked for when the children initially sign up to the classes.

 As an actress I can be wary of posting critical opinions of things I have seen or bad experiences at auditions etc because you never know who might read it. While it’s great to have strong opinions you have to be aware of who you might hurt. It can be easy for people to type things that they might not have the confidence to say face to face, but just because its online doesn’t mean that it stays in the virtual world. People still talk, and you may gain a reputation for being hard to work with or untrustworthy. That would come under the ‘netiquette’. We have had to learn how to conduct ourselves professionally in life and this should extend to your online networks.  

 Using Web 2.0 for learning

 Using Web 2.0  for learning is not new to me. Coming up through school we were encouraged to use sites online for research and sharing. However using it to the extent that this course does I would say was new to me. The course I did at drama school was extremely practical and so there was almost no emphasis on how you're online presence affects your work. (Other that some tutors sharing their personal experiences). Although since graduating in 2011 the use of the internet in my profession has increased dramatically. I remember it being a huge deal that we had to have headshots printed at all times to be prepared for auditions. Now I rarely hand over a hard copy.

 

When first reading the course handbook I was daunted at how much of the course was online. I have found that I am a visual and practical learner who is stimulated through conversations with others. After going through the reader and seeing other peoples blogs it is slowly starting to make sense to me. I can still have those same stimulating conversations online through various media outlets. I think that this kind of learning experience will be great for me as it will encourage me to extend online networks. Sometimes we forget how lucky we are to have this wealth of information at our fingertips. I want to ensure that I don’t take it for granted and use it to continue my development as a professional.