Over the past decades, Internet and mobile communication have spread dramatically at a global scale. In 2013, over 2.7 billion people are using the Internet, which corresponds to 39 % of the world’s population. In the developing world, 31 % of the population is online, compared with 77 % in the developed world (Del Giudice, 2014). Considering how massive the internet has become, having an engaging PLN can be used to help professional development. A PLN can not only allow you to create a network with people around you in real life, but also with people thousands of miles away. As mentioned by Amber, although she primarily resides in the US, she has many liaises within the Canadian health industry who she works very closely with.

Platforms such as LinkedIn are likely to attract the most professional opportunities because this platform is meant for professional uses. However, in recent times, Twitter has also been a great platform to expand on your network and get exposure to other individuals who may or may not be in the same field of work but are active voices online. Both of these PLN platforms can be relied on to open professional opportunities as they both allow people to create new connections and provide a learning opportunity for life.

In one’s professional life, we all need the help of others to reach significant milestones. Although many of us like to think that we are “self-made” this is not entirely true, at least in my point of view. In every step of the way, we take away experiences, positive or negative, through every individual we meet. No matter how little time we spend together, a part of them will always remain within us. These experiences taken from every individual we interact with create who we are as a whole. Their impact on us may last a few weeks, or even a lifetime. Similarly, the connections you make online can influence your decision making, your goals, and future successes. When connecting online with people who you look up to and are at senior positions in their career, you can gain a lot of advice and insight on the hard work they have done to get to where they are. Having such role models can be quite beneficial to one’s career, and the wonderful thing about being connected online, is that you can interact with anyone from around the world.

In order expand a PLN using social media platforms, it’s very important to create content that is relatable to many people. The more people that engage with your platform, the more recognition you will receive. However, sometimes expanding your PLN that is outside your comfort zone can be a challenge especially if you are new to a platform. I personally struggle with expanding my LinkedIn PLN, because I am hesitant to comment on a post I like or start a conversation with another person whose career path I am interested in learning more about. However, because technology has become such a significant part of our lives, most of the communication has to be done online. Therefore, one has to take a leap and begin to make connections. From my personal experience I have noticed that majority of the people love their work and they love talking about it with others as well. And the worst-case scenario would be that they don’t reply back!

 

References:

Del Giudice M. (2014). From Information Society to Network Society: The Challenge. In: Social Media and Emerging Economies. Springer-Briefs in Business. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02490-5_5

EDCI_338. (2020, November 15). EDCI 338 A01 – GLAUSER, Amber. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiWaXNfnHAg&feature=youtu.be