Are you using Twitter - or another micro-blogging service - for formal or informal learning purposes - within your organisation? Do you use it for relationship building or information sharing or socialising? Please share your experiences here.
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I truly enjoy and benefit from micro-blogs as a learner, employee, and human being. Be it twitter, my yammer integration with Cisco WebEx Connect, or on the various social platforms that have micro-blogging capabilities. Here are a few ways that I have benefitted:
Keeping abreast of new technologies by following the top recommended tech people.
Learning about what's hot and not in select industries by running columns for the various key words in my tweetdeck.
Learning what projects folks are working on in my organization. Just last week I replied to a post with my suggestion which the designer said helped them add in a feature they weren't thinking about but could work and be valuable to others.
I also get answers to questions faster and thus am more productive during my day. In addition to getting the answer you also gain helpful hints such as here's the link to the form you were looking for and don't forget to fill in section C or it will get kicked back.
I have used micro-blogging during speeches and also wrapped around formal virtual classroom sessions. It truly enhances the learning.
As location and SME based micro-blogging becomes more prevalent you will find these types of tools even more useful.
Kindest Regards,
Faith Legendre
I can't see this slowing down either.....
Article on social networks overtaking email
But it's not just that. I recently had a few problems with an application I was using. I sent out a wail (no other word will suffice) on Twitter. On both occasions, people came back with offers of assistance.
I also needed to meet with a client in the Victoria area (London) and wanted a free wifi connection. I twittered that, too. Two twits came back with useful suggestions.
People often include links in their tweets, and I see things I might otherwise have missed.
I haven't yet used it for formal learning, myself, but I reckon it has potential. For example, I suggested to a friend who teaches languages that he should get his students to sign up and follow one another, tweeting in the language they're learning, gradually engaging with other twits who tweet in that language. So it would be like an immersion, but without the stress of feeling on the spot.
Oops can't stay here long I have to teach soon