Experts and Gurus and Evangelists, Oh My!

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m sick to death of hearing people refer to themselves as “Social Media Guru” and “Social Media Expert”. Enough already. The fact is, that I don’t think it’s possible for anyone to actually claim those titles and have them be accurate. Our culture, this technology, and the amazing things people all over the world are doing with it – moves too fast.  One cannot be an expert if your field of expertise changes on a minute-by-minute basis. No can do, lovelies.

I really don’t care for the ‘evangelist’ title either, but at least I get that one and I feel it’s more accurate than others, even if it does conjure up images for me of religious fanatics that travel around in circus tents promising to cure people. Wait, maybe that’s exactly the point. Hm. Look at it this way though – if we’re reading and commenting on blogs, updating our status on Facebook, posting photos to Flickr, uploading videos to YouTube, and twittering like our lives depend on it – aren’t we ALL social media evangelists? I think so, even if it’s in a small way. If we’re doing these things, we obviously believe in these things and feel they’re worth our time to do. We may not be preaching the benefits of these things to conference rooms full of people, but we’re walking the walk and that’s the important part.

We’re not ‘experts’ – not any of us. We do the best we can and try to keep up as much as we’re able, but stuff changes fast these days and even if you know pretty much everything there is to know – someone else is doing something new that you’ve never heard about.

Do we call ourselves experts and gurus and evangelists to look cool? To try to stand out among the ever-growing crowd of people using social media? How much do you stand out when everyone and their uncle starts referring to themselves as an expert? Yeah, not much.

Maybe we should focus a little bit more on just doing our best at the things we really love doing. Not because it gets us a crowd of people following us, or worshipping us, but just because it makes *us* happy. Let’s not try to keep up with the Joneses, or the Brogan’s or the Scoble’s – let’s just do our thing and be all about it. It’s not a competition, peeps. Let’s just all do our best at being good people who love what we do.

This post inspired by the quote I’m about to get tattooed on my arm next month -
“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.” – Rumi

Connections

Technology is a wonderful, beautiful, amazingly powerful thing. I get crazy excited about the thought of getting a new computer, a fancy hot laptop or a new iPhone. I love iPods, flash drives, external hard-drives, etc. If it’s new and somehow related to technology.. I want it.

Using technology without people though.. is pointless. All of the technologies and tools that I love, are all about connecting people and learning from each other. Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Second Life, IRC, etc, etc, etc. Without the people.. there’s nothing.

The power of these tools is in the people it connects. If I can meet you and talk to you, I start to learn from you. I start to understand how someone can think differently or do things in a way I hadn’t thought of previously. We start to connect and learn from each other and then maybe there’s a personal connection. Maybe you look at my Flickr stream and see photos of my children or friends, or cupcakes I’ve made, and now that professional connection has stepped outside the lines into a personal connection. Now there’s a new level to the conversation and it continues to expand and grow.

I’ve been connecting with people online for many, many years now. It started in a BBS and IRC and has continued changing and adapting through the years. The technology keeps changing but one thing always remains constant.. the people.

Hesitation

In my position, I talk with a lot of people about social networking and new tools that have the potential to really change how we do things.  Most of the time the people that I’m speaking with are really excited about things, and eager to learn and participate – they just needed someone to show them. They needed someone to explain the tool, show how it can be beneficial, and then tell them how to get started.  If you’re passionate about what you’re telling them – then all the better because they can see how much it means to you and I think that excitement can be contagious.

Unless they don’t want to.

I won’t say that I run into a lot of these people, but it does happen. I think it’s happening less frequently lately, but it’s still there. People that already have the mindset that something is a waste of time, completely useless or won’t work.  Sometimes no amount of talking can convince them otherwise, and I’m learning – slowly – to accept the fact that I am not here to change everyone’s minds, I’m here to try and open them.  If someone is dead-set against using a technology then I am not the person to change that.  I can show them how to use it, I can get them started with it, and I can share my personal experiences with them, but I cannot make them use something they either don’t agree with, or have no interest in using.

I wonder if the resistance some people have to using new tools is truly a resistance to the tool, or a resistance to a much bigger idea of technology and connectedness. I completely understand the need to be ‘unconnected’ at times because at times our always-on lifestyle can be overwhelming and we just need to unplug for a bit to get back to our center and see things a bit more clearly. What I don’t understand is the unwillingness to experiment.

I know that we’re all busy in our lives and I understand that every day it feels as though we’re working harder and doing more, but just as Dana mentioned in her post, it’s about being connected and learning from each other and hopefully, over time, building a community of people helping each other and finding the tools that will help to make things easier for us.

Discussion

For those of you following my blog, I will be posting one post every weekday throughout the month of August.  One of my colleagues here at Penn State stated that he was going to do this and asked who was interested in joining and it turns out that a bunch of us were interested!

So, every weekday in August there will be a blog post from me – hopefully all worth reading.

Today’s topic is “Discussion”.

There are a lot of people discussing the same things related to social networking, social media and education these days, it seems. Everywhere I turn I see another paper, blog post or conversation all following these same ideas.  Sometimes it catches me by surprise when I see a post from someone that’s related to something that we’ve been discussing here on campus. I guess sometimes I forget that we don’t live in our little vacuum and things we’re talking about are things that are being talked about all over the world really.

And that’s the point.

Social media *IS* a discussion and it’s a discussion around a million different topics with a million different viewpoints, experiences and perspectives from a blajillion different people.  Not one of these viewpoints is better or more important than the other, and without all of them then there’s no discussion at all because it becomes a lecture.  When I was in college, ‘lecture’ was the thing to do.  To be taught  we had to sit down, shut up, take notes in our notebook and then spit that all back out on test day.  Did I learn anything? Eh, maybe.. but I certainly wasn’t passionate about it.

I don’t know about all of you, but I’ve learned more through technology, connections and discussions than I’ve learned at any conference, seminar or in any classroom. Why? Because it’s a discussion, not a lecture.  When I can participate, ask questions, have my eyes opened and see things differently – not only have I learned something, but I’ve changed my perceptions. I’ve changed who I am as a person every single time that happens.

That’s powerful stuff right there.

My Way or the Highway

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the approximately 80 glajillion social networking/social media applications out there these days and the amount of time it takes to be active in them.  Obviously I cannot actively participate in hundreds of networks – at least not with anything worthwhile, so I pick and choose and see what applications look helpful or interesting.  Sometimes I’ll try a new site or application because a friend recommends it, but not always. Sometimes I’ll read some tech blogs and see what they’re talking about and how they feel about something before I dive in.  I’ve found myself joining sites just so I can say “Yep, I have an account there, and yes I’ve tried it”, but what good is that doing? If you’re not actively participating in the site/network then how do you *really* know what the value is?

I tend to feel lately, that there’s so much of a rush to try the latest and greatest, up and coming “new thing” that it’s almost as though we’re stuck on the information super highway of social apps – speeding along, signing up for this thing and that thing without any real idea how it might help us. Just full speed ahead, packing more into every day, squeezing more “to-do” items into our lives.

As we were driving down the highway yesterday I started to think about how the internet really does feel like the “Information Super Highway” these days.  On long trips, I tend to be a person that avoids large highways even though I know they’re the fastest route from point A to point B.  I stress when traffic becomes heavy and claustrophobia sets in. I look for the nearest exit to get me to a small, quiet back road that will head in the same direction as the highway, but allow me time to see some scenery, some people, and smaller towns.  I can see how the people live in certain areas and get a feel of the community there.  The big highway doesn’t afford me that opportunity. I’m going as fast as is allowed, all in the desire to get to my destination as quickly as possible, but I’m missing all the good stuff along the way.

I’m starting to feel the same way about social networking. I am a geek, I love online communities, new gadgets, and the new shiny things that come our way on a daily basis.  That being said, none of those things matter if you never take the time to look around and see who’s living in your online communities.  If we continue burning gas, putting the pedal to the floor in the hopes that we’ll be the first to sign up and use every new thing that comes along, we’ll miss all the good stuff.

When I first joined my friend Syene’s BBS in my local town, my online community was all about the ‘local’ people.  We had picnics, we met together and played L.O.R.D. and got to know each other.  When the first internet provider showed up and we connected to the rest of the world, then the local community died down a bit for me because I was amazed at the idea of meeting people from all over the world.  I traveled all over the US, Canada and Europe meeting people in person that I’d met online and it truly changed my perspectives on many levels.  Now, interestingly, I find myself using my online communities to focus, once again, on my local community.  I’m certainly still keeping in touch with what people are doing outside my local area, but the most rewarding relationships I have these days are right here in my hometown.

It feels good to take the back roads again.

Time and Sanity

I’m not sure if it’s because I’m getting older or wiser, but I find that more and more of my time these days is spent putting things into perspective and making decisions about what is important to me. I started out this year telling myself that I would only spend time doing things that were ’soul-stirring’ for me. So far I think I’m doing a decent job of that, but I have to stop occasionally and reevaluate where I am.  I know that I’m the kind of person that can get very wrapped up in things. I’m really eager to participate and join new communities and make a difference.  I’m also the kind of person that has had trouble saying ‘no’ to things in the past.

I’m doing better with it though, and starting to make decisions based on how valuable my time is to me, and how much of an impact I think I can have on things I’m doing and.. here’s the big one – how IMPORTANT is this to me in the whole scheme of things.

I read an older post today on 43 Folders and the very last item on the list helped, once again, to bring things into perspective:
Get pickier – You are the sole person in your life who gets to decide where your time and attention can go. Take that responsibility seriously by not wasting time on junk. You know in your heart what’s really important to you — does the current direction of your time and attention reflect that? Is “kid hugging” time where it should be in proportion to “Blackberry checking” time? Be mindful at the highest level about where you focus your energy, and always strive not to squander it on undeserving activities.

And there it is. Perspective.  For me though, it’s not that activities are ‘undeserving’ – not at all, in fact. Most of the things I’m saying “no” to these days are very deserving and are things that I’d probably enjoy doing – *IF* I had unlimited time – but I don’t.

Social media and social networking are powerful amazing things. I thank my lucky stars every single day to be part of such wonderful online communities.  That being said, if I let myself get completely wrapped up in every single community, every single event, every single committee, every single meeting.. I have no time for me.  I need time for me. I’m better for everything else, when I take care of “me” first.

Participatory Learning – What’s your “Technoprofile”?

Saw this post this morning on one of my favorite blogs, The Bamboo Project Blog, by Michele Martin. I love her blog and find something valuable there on a daily basis. Truly.  Michele’s post refers to a post by Christine Martell that refers to a learning framework by Ray Jimenez on social media and learning.

In reading Michele’s post I was thinking about how this still relates to the discussion that we’ve been having in our local learning community recently about “open invitations” to participate and the desire to involve everyone.

As Michele points out, some of our learners might certainly be ready to participate, but perhaps not in the way we would want them to, or in the way we think they should.  I think this is really important.  We may feel that it’s easy and perfectly natural to comment on blogs, edit wikis, and take part in online conversations and even if we extend an invitation to others, it may not work.  We can open our arms as wide as we can, have snacks and refreshments waiting for them, and we may still not have anyone come to our party. Why? Not because they are refusing to participate.. they’re uncomfortable with the ways we’re asking them to participate.

Not only do we need to think about inviting people to be part of our community, discussions, and learning but we need to be aware of the different levels and know where our co-workers are.

I think most of us agree that we want our learners and co-workers to be creators and contributors, but they may not be ready for that. They may not feel comfortable starting a blog, creating virtual content or even editing your wiki. In fact, I feel completely comfortable as a content creator and even I’m intimidated by editing a wiki. No idea what it is, but I’m always a little hesitant to do it.

That being said, these are all things to think about as we think more about “Open Content” and invitations to participate.  Not everyone’s ready for the four-course meal. We might need to just offer some appetizers at first. At least that way, everyone’s at the party.

Social Networking Podcast

When I attended the TLT Symposium a few weeks ago,  we had the good fortune of being interviewed by the roaming podcast team.  They asked our opinions on how we liked it, what we thought about some speakers and what we were getting out of it. It was just posted online today so give it a listen if you get a chance.

Podcast here.

Classroom 2.0

One of my feeds (academhack) led me to this fantastic post about Classroom 2.0 and the use of twitter in class. I’m an avid user of twitter, but I must say that when I was first introduced to it I didn’t “get it”.  I gave it some time and when I came back, I realized that twitter did serve a purpose. Not only did it allow me to connect with and meet new friends, but it gave me the opportunity to hear perspectives from people that I’d never hear from otherwise.  I can follow along as the President visits Africa (thanks @newmediajim!) and I can read where Barack Obama’s headed next on his campaign.  This is what twitter does for *me* but you can make it work for you as well.

The blog post I was reading today talked about participatory learning and using twitter, YouTube and blogs in the classroom. I especially loved this section of the post:

“And then it struck me that since I was showing Howard Rheingold’s vlogpost, we might actually be able to FIND Howard on Twitter and, perhaps, use Twitter to allow the students to ask him about his video. To do so would, in my view, convey the immediacy of social and participatory media in a way that nothing else would.

To my delight, Howard was not only available but sent a message to our class! It was very cool to move from the recorded Howard to the live-virtual Howard. So I said to the class, “That was Howard Rheingold. And here he is in our Twitter! Do you have anything to ask him about that video we just watched – or about Twitter?” … a couple of the students took the plunge and Howard graciously replied (one had even read his Virtual Community book for a prior course). This was a very generous gift of time from a guy who is teaching three courses and functioning as a human server for a most inhuman volume of requests for time, insight and connection. Thank you Howard!”

I *love* this. This is exactly what makes Web 2.0 in the classroom and in education so exciting and amazing. To think that we still have our children sitting in front of textbooks reading things that were probably already outdated decades ago and yet we still continue to teach them in the same way, from the same materials.  When I think back on my days in middle school and high school I remember certain moments from my classes and any and all of them involved participatory learning. Whether it was making up my own version of the “12 Days of Christmas” that involved tossing Barbie Dolls off a filing cabinet, or acting out scenes from Hamlet in a Fisher-Price Little People Castle while “King For Just One Day” by the Thompson Twins blared in the background, they stuck with me – they had an impact.

I’m not saying that I think every teacher or every subject is best taught using Web 2.0 technologies, I just think that we’re doing a disservice to our students if we don’t at least learn about and try to incorporate participatory learning into our classes to make things a little more relevant.

politics and social media

From an article today on ReadWriteWeb -

Obama’s campaign is using wikis and social media to motivate and engage voters. According to Josh Catone, Obama has “run one of the most comprehensive online campaigns in recent memory — perhaps ever — generally outperforming opponents on nearly every social network or social media site…”.

When you think about community building and engaging people with social media, this is what I’m talking about. Has Obama stopped having people knock on doors or make phone calls this primary season? Absolutely not, because they know that works and makes a difference.. BUT… taking advantage of these new technologies has also made a difference. By using things like wikis, blogs, twitter, etc.. you can reach people, change thinking and build a community of people that support your cause. I do know that Hillary Clinton is also using these sorts of things in her campaign but I’m not sure that she’s using them to the extent that Barack Obama is.

Another quote from the article that I found really interesting was, ‘”The Web-based collaboration platform combined with a strong organized grass-roots effort, created unprecedented public involvement that is revitalizing politics in America,” said Patrick DeTemple, the California Data & Systems Manager for the Obama campaign.”.

Grassroots effort, and collaboration.

Where else have we recently heard these terms? In the New Media Consortium’s Horizon Report for 2008. See how it all comes together, people?