Nuts and Bolts: Building a Personal Learning Network (PLN)

Since SocialMedia for Trainers was published I’ve fielded lots of questionsabout incorporating social media tools into workplace learningendeavors. Another question that comes up relates to thedevelopmental needs of trainers and instructional designers: What aresome strategies for building or extending your own Personal LearningNetwork (PLN) via social media tools? Here are a few ideas.

Who? Find the people you want to know.

My interests are in e-Learning,instructional design, social learning, and social media. In my worksetting, there is no one else who does what I do. It’s great if youcan structure your own PLN on a local scaffold, but I have no suchluxury. I tried a number of social media sites and found that, ingeneral, for me, most of the conversations I wanted to be partof were happening on Twitter. Searching terms like “e Learning”“instructional design” “ID” “social media” and “sociallearning” led me to interesting voices to follow. Some people sharewhat they’re reading, like interesting articles or blog posts.Others prompt, provoke, and encourage new thinking. The best do bothand the ones I choose to follow not only broadcast but also engage.You can also try searching blogs and browsing around Facebook andLinkedIn groups to see who’s talking about what.

Where? Find the conversations.

My best time investment all week is theTwitter-based #lrnchat, which happens twice each Thursday (11:30 amET with questions repeated at 8:30 pm ET). Seehttps://lrnchat.wordpress.com/for more information on #lrnchat; see the “Twitter chats” listfor spreadsheet listing hundreds of chats:https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AhisaMy5TGiwcnVhejNHWnZlT3NvWFVPT3Q4NkIzQVE&hl=en#gid=0).LinkedIn has dozens of groups for L&D professionals, many withhundreds of members who have raucous conversations that often go onfor days. Facebook likewise has a number of groups and pages worthexploring. Again, look at the individuals who participate there: Whosays things that align with your own thinking? Who makes you thinknew things? Who seems to always have something new to say? Who onlyrepeats what’s already been said?

What else? Expand your surface area.

Brown, Davison, & Hegel’s Powerof Pull stresses the importance of reaching outside your usualareas of interest and expertise. This stretches you and helps youavoid the insularity that can come from too much time spent in yourown box with only those who share your own particular interests.Reading in areas like cultural anthropology, social anthropology, andsocial psychology helps me participate in other conversations relatedto social learning. I’m not a Foursquare player, but I learned agreat deal about location-based learning from popping in on #4SqChatone evening, and made some connections that have lasted.

The value of the PLN?

It’s primarily about learning. I havefound many like-minded connections, yes, but I also have found somewho really challenge my thinking. In an age with so much information,I find that my PLN is wonderful in helping me filter importantcontent and directing me toward good new books, blogs, and otherresources. I’ve learned a great deal about what other folks do allday, what other jobs entail, and what challenges others face in theirroles. I find that often now my PLN is my go-to ahead of Google.(Google’s great if you know what you’re looking for, but that’snot always the case.) Example: One afternoon I got a call from ourVocational Rehab division with a question about how to accommodate aWebinar attendee with a visual impairment. Now, I’ve been doingvirtual classroom training for 7 years, but hadn’t run into thisissue and didn’t know anyone in my work world to ask. I could’vespent the afternoon Googling or trying to find someone local whoknew. Instead, I turned to my PLN and tweeted (Figure 1):

Figure 1: Tweet to PLN asking for help.

Within 90 seconds I had several answers, including this one (Figure 2):

Figure 2. Response from PLN within90 seconds. Screenshot used with permission of Faith Legendre.

I was able to go straight to thisdocument, it had the answer I needed, and I went back to work.

How? It’s about social, not just media.

Simply showing up is not enough. Aswith most things in life, you get back what you put in. If you wantto build a Personal Learning Network, then you must be an active partof that network; it’s not a spectator sport. Early on just trysharing some links, articles, or blog posts. Comment on blogs andFacebook pages updates. Participate in LinkedIn discussions. Don’tjust lurk in #lrnchat but throw something out there. The response Igot in the example above happened not because I tweeted a questionout to the world, but because I am an active participant in my PLN. Itweet a lot, I share articles and information, I am active in manyconversations, and I try to make some real connections from time totime. If you engage, people will engage back. So the real key tobuilding a strong PLN? Show up. Share. And participate.