image: sociallab.com

Most of my online presence, up to this point,  has been on Facebook and Instagram. I dabbled a bit in the worlds of Twitter and Linkedin but did not spend any time or effort on either platform.  As I am learning the importance of creating a digital presence and using different platforms for different purposes, I am now spending more time curating my Linkedin and Twitter accounts for my professional digital presence.  

Social Lab

As I connected my Linkedin account to social lab, I was very curious as to how it would look.  I had never really thought much about my digital network up to this point. I found it interesting when the image uploaded.  I am an Electrical Instructor at BCIT, and as is seen in the above picture, I have two very distinct industries. I have a strong presence in the educational and electrical sectors.  What I found fascinating was the “bridge” between the two. While I understood that there would be some connection between the two industries, I discovered that there were people who linked that I would never have considered as having relationships.  On reflection it made me realize that while I can have intentionality with my network, there will be an unpredictability as well that I will have no control over.

So what?

After the shine had worn off, I thought to myself “So what?”  What does this show me? Upon reflection I found a few things:

  • Whether we mean to or not we are setting up digital networks in our lives.
  • Using a tool like social lab helped me realize where my most robust connections were.  Seeing my networks and their relationships helps me to be more intentional about building links in the industries that I work. Looking at the image, you can see that there is a strong bridge between my profession as an electrician and an educator.  While was expected, I had no idea how secure the connection would be. Seeing the strength of the bridges in the image reflects my passion for both trades and education. I am interested in strengthening the bridge between the two as both networks benefit from each other.
  • Linkedin is a lot more useful than I have given it credit for in the past.  I will continue to grow my interaction with this social media platform.

As I continue through my MALAT and my career, I will continue to build stronger networks, and I hope that by being more intentional I will create a powerful tool and resource with my digital network.