Connect, develop, contribute

“Social media has enabled me to feel ahead, not behind as I return to work after 2nd baby.”
 – Serena Joyner (on Twitter) 

While preparing for my workshop for Key Forums on Friday – Using social media to harness knowledge within an organisation: Addressing the challenges – (breathe in now) I read this great tweet from Serena Joyner on the benefit she has found in Social Networking tools as she returns to work after her second baby.

Serena then directed me to a longer blog post that she has written on this topic, which was inspired by a similar blog post from “wonderwebby” (Jasmin Tragas), who I have only met recently via Twitter.

They each have a number of points to make about the the benefits of social networking, and wonderwebby has a number of additional ones from others as comments on her post.  In brief summary, these points (which I have now added to Friday’s slide pack) are:

• Personal development.
• Providing a “virtual water-cooler” – a looser network than the face-to-face one, but a network that includes thought leaders, and is “warmer” than the community provided on a (more traditional technology) listserve.
• “Tool transparency” – the feeling of being “in” a network, rather than just “on” a platform.
• A meeting of minds – online meetings that have led to rich personal meetings.
• Mentoring and skill development, in a situation where the mentors (within the same company) have been located in other countries.  This connection has been both within and outside the company firewall.
• Building confidence in writing, leading to contributing to a book.
• Career development leading to advancement within an organisation, or a new job in a new organisation.
• A change in mind-set from hoarding knowledge to sharing, leading to greater success for an organisation.