One of the articles we are reading this week targets the importance of having a professional web presence . The article by Lowenthal, Dunlap, & Stitson, Creating an Intentional Web Presence: Strategies for Every Educational Technology Professional offers strategies for creating a digital presence.
One such strategy is to create a “personally controlled website”. The authors define a personally controlled website as “one that is under the full purview of the individual whose work the site is showcasing.” There are advantages to this strategy to showcase professionally activity, ensure consistency and reliability, and allow for sharing of thoughts and ideas through integrated tools, such as blogs.
Another approach for developing a strong digital presence is to engage in social networking with tools such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Regardless of which tool/s is used it is important to participate in reputable organizations related to the field. It is also useful to contribute and network with the larger professional community.
Lowenthal, P. R., Dunlap, J. C., & Stitson, P. (2016). Creating an Intentional Web Presence: Strategies for Every Educational Technology Professional. TechTrends, 60(4), 320-329.
Web Learning 2.0 
Hi Mia,
Thank you for sharing! Personally, I always had an issue trying to establish a personal-professional divide. While a blog may be ‘easy’ to control, because you are its sole author, I run into some issues with social media. I’ll be the first to admit that I have vastly different habits in and out of my military uniform. So, when I first started my Facebook page, I wanted to keep it completely personal, with no connections to colleagues. But increasingly, I found it difficult — how do you say no to a Facebook invite by a superior? I haven’t figured it out yet. So now, I am obliged to be aware of what I post, so as to maintain that “professional web presence”.
Do you face similar issues?
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Hi Joshua, yes, I do! I also use Facebook as my most personal platform, however, I too ended up connecting with work colleagues and so keep my presence there in the realm of professional as well. I consider all other social media strictly professional and targeting development of a professional profile.
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