Building Your Connected Community

• You can start by using one of the tools from the previous chapter. Don’t feel like you have to use them all. Go to some blogs and subscribe to those that fit with your interests. Twitter is also a good place to start. Look for a mentor in your school to help. It is vital that you vet contacts before you add them to your network. Read their profiles, blogs, tweets or whatever they have left in the way of a digital footprint. Be sure to leave comments on blogs you read. For most, community growth will be part intentional and part organic. If you are selective, you are less likely to have your network grow beyond what you can handle. You can participate as an expert voice, a leader who organizes others, or just as a fellow practitioner. Remember that it is all about people and relationships, not the tools. Also, technology can amplify and accelerate learning and understanding. It is not an elixir. This chapter ends with a Twitter exercise. Be sure to try it if you aren’t already using Twitter.

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