‘Web 2.0′ is an umbrella term that encompasses a variety of websites and applications that allow users to create and share information/content they have created (Thompson, 2008). Colloquially, these applications and websites are referred to as ‘social network sites’, and what you do when engaging is called ‘social networking’.

In a professional sense, however, I believe that ‘social networking’ is perhaps too simple a phrase to comprise the entirety of my actions with and on social media. Although social in nature, my actions are not simply social. Thus, I am more comfortable with defining professional ‘social networks’ as ‘social learning networks‘, as this indicates a clear difference in the purpose of engagement. As a professional employed in the library and education industries, I use social learning networks to connect with and learn alongside people who share my passions or are employed in similar fields.

As such, I like to keep these spaces — one for learning, one for social communication — separate. For instance, I use Facebook as a means of communicating with family and friends, while I use Twitter to engage in learning with and from colleagues and other professionals. I do blur the lines, however, by using Instagram for both professional and personal purposes because the visual nature makes it easy to consume and mentally categorise the content.

It is abundantly clear that Web 2.0 technologies have transformed the manner in which we consume, share, and create information — not only with local or national scale but also on a global one. In INF506, I expect that I will gain a better understanding of this transformation, particularly in the context of libraries. I also sincerely hope that by engaging in this social learning network, I am able to apply the developed theoretical knowledge in my own context.

(EdTechTeam, 2020)

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Reference List

EdTechTeam (2020). Personal learning networks [Image]. Retrieved 11 March, 2020 from https://www.edtechteam.com/blog/2012/02/personal-learning-networks-for/.

Thompson, H. (2008). Wikis, Blogs & Web 2.0 technology. Retrieved 11 March, 2020 from https://copyright.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/1773830/wikisblogsweb2blue.pdf