Web 2.0 – Going Back to School
Are you familiar with many of these logos?
This doesn’t have to be overwhelming…ever consider going back to school?
Leadership is about learning. Some of the best leaders I know, in business, at church, and throughout the non-profit sector have created a lifetime habit of learning. They read books and blogs, listen to podcasts, attend conferences, participate in professional discussion groups, & more. They are active learners.
For over a year now I’ve been actively learning about web 2.0. Not by taking any official evening classes at a local university, but rather by spending hours in self-guided exploration and the testing of the proverbial social media waters. Perhaps you’re also interested in this recent tidal wave of web interactivity. In web 1.0 you surfed the web, got information, and sent email. If you choose to engage in web 2.0, you might be doing things like: connecting with friends on Facebook, Uploading Photos & Videos to share, publishing your thoughts on a blog, using Skype like a video phone to talk with someone over seas for Free!, following your friends daily activity on a site like Twitter, and even utilizing your mobile phone to keep up with all of this.
In the last 9 months I’ve intentionally established accounts on sites like Facebook, Flickr, Del.icio.us, Digg, LinkedIn, and others with the sole intent being, “to see what the big deal is” and “to see if there was enough value in this web 2.0 technology to warrant my time and participation” My answer – absolutely! -Â web 2.0 is here to stay and there is huge value in participating. There’s nothing like checking it out for yourself though.
So, come on in, the water is warm and there’s a lifeguard on duty. If you’re interested in learning how social media can enhance your personal and business relationships, why not give it the old college try? Choose a site, set up your User ID and Password and dive in. Be sure to drop me a line and let me know how it’s going from time to time. Maybe start your own blog. Share you thoughts about web 2.0 here.
October 7th, 2008 at 1:04 am
Hey Joe!
OK…I have a Family Web-site, a facebook and orkut account and those I established as a way of keeping in touch! (Actually, I joined facebook because one of my friends kept asking again and again and Orkut because it was a way for friends of our Brazilian exchange student to get to know us!)
Anyway, after reading your posts and Scotts, I decided to try out a blog spot open to the public…as I share my journey a bit….
always felt like I was called to write and I am somehow feeling like this might be where to begin!
Keep writing! It is encouraging!
Callico
October 9th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
I do quite a bit of interviewing up here at Rosetta. One question I always ask, and gets the most blank stares and stuttering is “What books are you reading right now”. I love the question – because it’s not on any interview preparation web site, and most of the time the answers are either blatent lies and an attempt to think on their feet, or I get an honest answer that gives me insight into their personality.
I got an answer lately from a new college graduate – “Nobody in my generation reads anymore”. I said, “And?? So??” He stuttered around for a little while. We actually hired him and about 2 weeks ago, he came up to me and said ask me that question again. I was a little confused and didn’t remember our exact exchange. He asked me to ask him what books he was reading. I did and he went on to proudly talk about the books he was reading. Interestingly enough, because he had started to become educated, we had lots of things to talk about – ideas, theories, what not.
Love that your journey through Web 2.0. You know I’m right with you on the learning thing. Facebook & LinkedIN are all I can muster…
October 12th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Justin –
Interestingly, I was asked this very question during my recent interview at Innis Maggiore. The good news: I had plenty to share – as I’ve been an avid reader for many years now. Of course, if you’re interested in what’s on my “coffee table” right now – just check out my “What’s Brewing” page on this blog, and scroll down to the “Books on Joe’s Coffee Table” section.
Any “must reads’ you’d like to pass along?