One of the good things about the 23 things for professional development programme is that we are all being encouraged to build a community and to learn from one another. That is the focus of thing 2. We’ve been asked to look at some of the other participating blogs, comment on them, and then write up our impressions.
This sounds easy but there are now over 600 people taking part. Simply deciding who to read was quite tricky. Fortunately I’m a trained information professional so I was able to develop a sophisticated research strategy. I started off by reading blogs from my sector. Then I started looking at the blogs of people who’d taken the time to comment on blogs that I was looking at. Finally I ended up looking at blogs that had eye-catching names.
To the untrained eye that might sound like an incoherent, almost random strategy but actually…ok yes it was pretty random.
On the plus side this approach did mean that I think I’ve looked at a reasonable cross section of this new community. I know I’ve only read a tiny proportion but I think I have wandered across the sectors, across the nations and across different levels of experience.
The interesting thing for me is that we all seem to have a lot in common. The most obvious common feature is that we all have the same goal. We want to improve our skills and to develop professionally. There also seems to be a shared sense of enthusiasm for what we do. I guess that too is implied by our decision to join the scheme but it is still nice to see. Everyone seems very supportive and friendly.
One of the factors that seems to divide the cpd23 bloggers is their attitude towards blogging. Some are already experienced bloggers. However a lot of people were more hesitant. Perhaps everyone who sets up a blog finds themselves wondering who is going to read it. I’m glad so many people overcame their hesitation because the truth is that we are interested in what each other have to say. I’m looking forward to reading about your experiences. This project creates a readership for each one of us. It puts us all in touch with people who are interested in the things that we are writing about.
One week in the scheme seems to be going really well. I’m looking forward to the other 21 tasks. Bit wary of this personal brand thing we’ve got coming up next week though…
Hi Alan. Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog. As you say in your post. I think us newbies are a bit nervous about blogging, thinking no-one will be interested in anythinig we have to say. It's quite exciting though to find you have some comments and followers, and has certainly encouraged me to keep going!
ReplyDeleteI think you hit the nail on the head when you write "Perhaps everyone who sets up a blog finds themselves wondering who is going to read it"! It's seems to be such a common worry (though one you definitely shouldn't have, I've found your posts to be very engaging!). I'm pleased, however, that you think we're all supportive and friendly--I agree! Librarians and info pros ARE such a nice bunch! :)
ReplyDeleteMuch like you, I've been exploring the cpd23 blogs mostly based on who has commented on my posts (that's how I ended up here - thanks!) and who those people recommend. I agree that this is a really great opportunity to grow a blog, in that we have a built-in audience. I've found that librarians are some of the most friendly and interesting people you can meet, and the cpd23 group is no exception.
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