Starting from Scratch

Having recently taken the plunge into social media for professional purposes, it has been an interesting experience starting from scratch when I have been used to my own fair share of exposure on the Internet. With a completely new identity it has been fascinating to watch connections come into shape, something I did not pay attention to as I added one tool after another in a random fashion with my personal profiles.

Earlier this week, I read an article that talked about not being afraid of zero because that is where we all begin with any type of connection. As a blogger for over eight years, I am used to having over 100 visitors a day check out the two blogs I have long had going. Fewer than 40 hits in two weeks with this, my “new” blog, has taken a bit of getting used to for a person obsessed with checking statistics. I keep reminding myself that it took five years before my first blog began getting a significant number of readers daily.

Statistics provide guidance in meeting the needs of audiences. Knowing a post has been read by many people gives a sense of satisfaction and encouragement for future compositions in my personal writing. For my professional blog, knowing which posts have been read by many other educators lets me know what topics I am reflecting on that connect to fellow educators, thus guiding me to work more on similar topics.

After making the connections, the next step involves building dialogue. Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ all afford the opportunity for interaction through comments. By successfully encouraging commentary with each post, all participants learn from one another. The more active discussion, the better the online community thrives. I welcome everyone to comment on my posts on whichever media they find them. I make them public for a purpose.

My goal in creating the personal connections through the various media is to foster an online learning community which will benefit me as much as it benefits the participants. The staff with whom I have communicated have largely been enthusiastic about the opportunities. My regular mantra has been that educators want to do the best they can for their students and we are our own best teachers. So far, my hunch is proving true.

Starting from scratch may not offer the immediate gratification we have become used to, but it does not take long before it begins to grow exponentially. The learning that occurs may be unpredicted, but isn’t that the most exciting?