Consider our guest and their steps in building a podcast relying on a PLN.

From the interview with Mo Amir we learned how he built and expanded his PLN while using a podcast to connect and to engage with them. Mo started building his PLN through Twitter and connected with people from the same field also through online and offline networks. When building your PLN, as Jesse shared, consistency and reliability are important because those can lead to further benefits such as career advancement and valuable connections. I found it interesting when Mo mentioned that Twitter is the channel that really helps him to meet new people and connect with communities while Facebook and Instagram is for connecting with people who you already know. I haven’t thought of this and will definitely be more active on Twitter.

Can your PLN be used to help professional development post-course? If yes, how? If no, what limitations exist?

Our PLN can definitely be used to help professional development even after the course in many ways. During the course we connected and expanded our PLN by opening up our blogs to each other and anyone online so that we can share our ideas with not only like-minded people but also with anyone who is interested in learning about these topics. We welcomed comments from many backgrounds and gave space to questions to challenge our thinking which created opportunities to practice critical thinking and to learn from each other. We created a learning community within the course, and if and how this community will keep growing, is up to each of us when the course is over.

Can your PLN be relied on to open professional opportunities?

PLNs can open many professional opportunities, at times even if they are undervalued. Many speakers from this course mentioned that while they were expanding their networks sometimes not knowing the value of that connection, they led to opportunities that helped their career. When connecting with people in our PLN, we create communities that we can rely on for support, not only on a professional but on a personal level as well. Through our engagement with our community, people get to know our expertise and it could easily connect us with professional opportunities.

M. Guidice, M. Peruta. E. Caravannis (2014). Social Media and Emerging Economies. ISBN : 978-3-319-02489-9

A Global PLN – Supporting One Another – Course YouTube Channel