Building a Professional Learning Network With Social Media

Introduction: The Power of Connection

For my Personal Learning Network (PLN), I will primarily use social media platforms — LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube — to develop my network. LinkedIn is great for connecting with professionals in your field. Twitter brings together people from all walks of life who share ideas and insights throughout the day. Facebook offers many groups that professionals can join, and YouTube gives people an opportunity to connect with others interested in viewing or posting content.

Information that I will post in my professional profile will include my name, title, field of expertise, educational background, years of experience, and current work status. I will also post hobbies and extracurricular activities that allow others to quickly and easily identify my areas of interest. For instance, specific text I would include: "manager, five years of experience, working on doctorate in business management, hobbies include astronomy and leadership studies."

Building a Professional Profile

It is helpful to post a moderate amount of information in one's PLN because it helps show others who you are and what you are interested in, facilitating the formation and growth of professional relationships. It also contributes to one's professional credibility (Park et al., 2014).

1. Dave Collum — Twitter

Dave is a Professor of Organic Chemistry at Cornell University and a proponent of the Austrian business cycle theory. He is an outspoken critic and commentator on market cycles and provides insight into business and economics. I would add him to my PLN because he has a strong following of innovative people from many walks of life, and his views are often thought-provoking and spark great debate. As Davis (2013) points out, PLNs are ways to make connections, and this works best when people gather to exchange ideas on exciting and timely topics.

Annotated List of PLN Additions

2. Stephen Moore — Twitter

Stephen Moore is an important voice on small business matters with a large following, particularly due to his commentary on economics. He writes for The Wall Street Journal and is an economist at the Heritage Foundation. I would include Stephen in my PLN because of his background, experience, and understanding of what makes businesses succeed in today's economy.

3. TEDx Talks — YouTube

TEDx Talks are followed by millions of people and consistently surface great ideas in the worlds of business management and leadership. It is a great way to stay current on what leading thinkers have to say, as well as to connect with like-minded leaders and managers in the field. I would include this channel in my PLN because of the insight it offers and the valuable advice that can often be found among its community of viewers.

4. MotivationHub — YouTube

MotivationHub has over a million subscribers who come to the channel to hear inspiring motivational thoughts and speeches from some of the most successful people alive today. It is a great resource for understanding the mindset of highly accomplished individuals. I would include this in my PLN because it helps keep one's perspective focused and connects viewers with people who share similar aspirations to become great leaders.

Conclusion: The Value of a Diverse PLN

The more that one enriches a PLN with connections from diverse walks of life, the richer it becomes, because you never know when a network connection might spark and lead to a great flourishing of collaborative work. In my experience, unexpected connections have formed because of a shared interest or a stimulating debate over how to approach an issue. Being open to new ideas and different people is what makes the PLN so effective, and that is the principle that guided my process of adding these individuals and groups to my network.