Cyber Bullies?

This class focuses on a lot of benefits associated with Web 2.0 and the power of social media to enhance learning, but an incident this week made me think about some of the possible drawbacks of social media - cyber bullying.  My first grade son was pinched by a fourth grader this week to the point it broke his skin and was teased on his bus ride to school.  My husband and I had to go to the school to address the issue with the principal, who assured us that bullying is not acceptable at school.  This is the type of bullying I witnessed when I was a child as well, but there is a new type of bullying that exist in Web 2.0.

This article provides some statistics about cyber bullying Internet Safety 101 - Cyberbullying Statistics.  These statistics show that bullying occurs through social media everyday.  Several teens have even committed suicide because of cyber bullying. 

High school is hard for almost every teenager and harder for some than others.  I had my share of embarrassments and false rumors, so I can't imagine what the impact of social media may have been in those situations.  What are your thoughts on the impact of social media on today's teenagers?  Does it make teens more prone to bullying?  More prone to embarrassment? 

Communities of Practice

I was first introduced to the term "Communities of Practice" a few semesters ago when I was discussing my membership in several professional groups on LinkedIn.  I realized these professional groups were Communities of Practice.  We are touching on Communities of Practice this week in this class, as well as my other course, EME5608.  Here is an article from my other course that defines Communities of Practice and the three criteria which must be present.

Communities of Practice Article

I agree with the three criteria presented and believe it's a pretty straight forward way to distinguish a Community of Practice from other groups:

1. The Domain - there must be a shared domain of interest
2. The Community - members engage in joint activities, discussions, help each other, and share information
3. The Practice - member don't just share a common interest, but are practitioners and have a repertoire of resources.

All of these must be present for a Community of Practice, but I believe #3 really distinguishes the difference between a group or some other community where things such as movies, hobbies, or shopping per se are discussed.  A Community of Practice is a group of doers - people who are doing what they are talking about and sharing best practices and lessons learned to help other doers.

Save the World Gangnam Style

I spent a little more time researching and exploring the power of Collective Action and I ran across this little gem http://ecowatch.com/2012/12/28/collective-action-gangnam-style/

The article discusses how the pop culture song "Gangman Style" had over one billion views...yes, one billion!  Imagine if one billion people came together to solve the problems of the world "Gangnam Style."  The article explores the idea of people using their talents and coming together through collective action to solve problems of the world.  What a concept!  Also, how powerful could that be?

Today, I was finishing the reading about "collective action"  in the Shirky book where it pondered the question - why 2002?  Why did VOTF form and collective action come together to call for reform in the Catholic Church in 2002 when the abuse of young boys had been occurring since the 1960s?  The book discusses the ease to share information and how it was easier to post blogs, send emails, and share newspaper articles in 2002 versus just ten years earlier in 1992 when another priest was accused and stood trial.

I absolutely agree with the logic, but it also made me think about another statement I often hear about the world being so much more violent now as opposed to 50 years ago.  I don't agree with this statement and I've often argued with people who've said it that we are only more aware of violence now because of the constant stream of news and information.  People were not subjected to the same amount of information 50 years ago so they did not know the extent of violence that was occurring.  The Civil Rights movement was happening 50 years ago and look at the violence that existed then.  I believe this is the same case as the example provided by Shirky above.  Our society has more information flowing now than ever before.  It doesn't mean the acts occurring the world are happening with more frequency, it's just means we are more aware of them.

Yelp for Physicians

Okay, so I think this blogging thing is starting to sink in.  I was reading my company newsletter today when there was a link to an article that caught my eye and I immediately thought about this class and my blog.  http://www.mhealthnews.com/news/new-platform-offers-yelp-doctors

This article talks about a new social media based community that was created by physicians to share information on best practices for treatment and provide opinions and expertise.  It was related to Yelp reviews because people place value in the opinion of people who have tried restaurants or businesses.  This is similar in that physicians should place value in the experience of other physicians who have treated the same or similar cases. 

I think it's a cool example of the growing reach of Web 2.0 and the potential it has as a knowledge sharing tool!

Week 1 Reflection

It's only been one week, but I have already learned a lot in #EME6414!  I came into this class having never written a blog and I learned how to set one up and actually post!  I'll admit, I still stumble through it at times but it seems to be coming easier and I can see how people claim it to be an almost therapeutic activity.  I also learned more about Web 2.0, the participatory web.  I ran across some interesting ideas and concepts.  One that really stuck out to me was the idea of building a community versus an audience.  An audience only consumes and does not produce.

Although I'm still nervous about the challenge of using different tools and methods, I'm looking forward to what else is in store for the rest of the semester.  Bring it on!

Audience vs. community

Today, I thought about one of the questions that was posed on the discussion board about building successful communities.  Shirky states elements such as sharing common interests, good communication, and good timing helps build communities...but I was curious what else helps build a good community?  I ran across this blog http://www.therisetothetop.com/davids-blog/12-keys-building-online-community/ and it talks about how to build a community and not just an audience.  An audience is not interactive.  I had not really thought about that distinction before, but it makes sense.  The blog also talks about being active on social media, making your content shareable, asking and answering questions, and so on.  I believe it's an interesting read...

Preparing for Launch!

I started this semester excited because...it's my LAST semester!!  I graduate this summer and although I've loved my experience in the PIHRD program, I'm ready to have more free time back in my life :)  I took EME 6414 because I worked on some social media and collaboration projects as a consultant at State Farm's corporate headquarters last year.  I moved on from that job and project after only 6 months, but the work peaked my interest.  I certainly believe Web 2.0 and collaborative technologies are the wave of the future.  I don't want to be one of those people who only know how to use Facebook and get confused by all the other tools and capabilities that exist.  So...I jumped in!

Holy cow!  I will admit that at first I was thinking "what have I got myself into?"  I was definitely concerned in my ability to figure everything out and I'm still a little nervous.  However, I take comfort in Dr. Dennen's reassurance that many others have felt the same and made it through the class successfully.  Ultimately, I want to learn more about Communities of Practice that can be beneficial in my professional development.  I am the lone change management practitioner on my project and one of the only consultants of my kind in the company.  Therefore, I have very few co-workers who can share information.  I want to engage and build networks that share similar interests and I figured this was a great place to learn!

I'm looking forward to a great semester and who knows...I may actually find that I have a blogger within! :)