Reflecting and Correcting

Today, I’d like to issue some corrections.

While reading Chapter 16 of Empower Others by Erik Qualman, I was reminded of a few incomplete points I made in my posts this term.

Using three quotes from that chapter, I will highlight those missing pieces and attempt to fill them in, thereby showcasing the way my perspective on PLNs has grown and changed throughout the semester.

“…you can’t act like Moses on the mountaintop delivering your commandments and expect everyone to follow… Children learn more from what you are than what you teach.”

Of all my posts this term, the most actionable/instructional/preachy was Like Minds and Mindful Liking.

After a discussion on echo chambers and information cocoons, I provided the reader with instructions and justifications for turning off their YouTube algorithm.

That’s a big ask, though, especially for an action which only addresses a single slice of PLNs. And am I teaching by example? Yes, that blank screen is my real YouTube front page… But that’s just YouTube. Let’s take a look at the others:

In the highlighted version of my VR map, you can see that a huge chunk of my PLN is still “hand”-delivered to me via a personalized algorithm. Even outside of this map, I’m bombarded with algorithm-fueled content on reddit. I didn’t include reddit in my PLN because I don’t generally use it as a learning tool… But I’m still learning things there!

The takeaway is that if I want to lead the “exert control over what your PLN delivers you” charge by example, I need to widen the scope of how I exert that control myself. In the coming days, I’ll be taking a look at my privacy and personalization settings across all of my core PLN apps and websites.

“…if you want to be successful, you have to be willing to use every connection you’ve got.”

Speaking of my VR map post and my discussion on personal vs. professional social media use, I think I glossed over a huge aspect of my PLN: helping and being helped by friends.

Of the eight major jobs I’ve had in my life, six were the result of a friend helping me to get my foot in the door. On the flipside, I’ve done this for friends about five times. The majority of these connections were built and maintained via my PLN, especially from the perspective of learning each others’ strengths and being on the lookout for opportunities.

From chatting about jobs on Discord, to browsing each others’ GitHub pages, to sharing YouTube tutorials, to simple emailing back-and-forth of draft resumes… My PLN is the medium by which my friends and I help each other into more successful careers.

In a world where “who you know” is at least as important as “what you know”, this may very well be the #1 most meaningful aspect of my PLN.

“A better place to focus our efforts is to proactively post all the good things we are doing, or have someone else post them for us—our digital shadow.”

Going back to my post about the development (and whitewashing) of my online presence, I think this quote is a great expansion of my final point.

Over the past few years, I have made an effort to curate a more professional online presence. I post my most impressive work and achievements to my GitHub and LinkedIn… But perhaps this effort has been too careful.

Two weeks ago, I had a discussion with a former co-op employer regarding what I’ve been up to. Some of the things they were most impressed by were projects I didn’t showcase on my professional social media presence, for fear that they were too niche or not impressive enough.

I think I need to be more forthcoming with the individual things I’m passionate about, and trust that my online presence as a whole will cast a positive digital shadow.

In that spirit, I will end this post with a photo from a recent LAN party I hosted. I planned and executed this irresponsible activity (assembling a list of supplies, helping a dozen friends set up their hardware and software, etc), resulting in a fantastic time from 6 PM to 7 AM.

I hope you enjoy this glimpse into the life of some near-30-year-old nerds, who care too much about tech and too little (or perhaps just the right amount) about what other people think.