What digital platforms are students currently using to develop their professional network?

Currently, I am mainly using email, zoom, and online banking to further develop my professional network. I use email as my formal way of communication. For example, when I need to contact my landlord, I use email rather than text. Email allows a proper subject line so the receiver can see what the email is about before reading it. However, when I connect with my friends and family, I would use snapchat or imessage as it is more convenient. 

Moreover, ever since Covid-19, zoom has been a major part of my professional learning network. Zoom allows a more professional face to face connection than facetime. Facetime tends to be more personal as one would need the other person’s phone number or apple ID. Zoom allows work and school to host meetings on a professional level. One person can create a Zoom link for a group of people and send the link to everyone’s emails. Also, Zoom is a new modern way of having face-to-face interviews with further employers while reducing interactions from Covid-19. 

In addition, my RBC online banking has been a part of my professional learning network since my first job in grade ten. Online banking has allowed my pay checks to go directly into my bank account. This helps my employers by not having to write a pay check every two weeks. Moreover, I use online banking to pay my tuition, pay rent and use apple pay with my daily interactions. Online banking has become easy to track money and pay from my phone. 

What could the student consider in expanding their professional learning network?

There are still many platforms to further expand my professional learning network. For instance, this blog. My blog posts are more professional than personal because I know who my viewers are. If my blog viewers were close friends only, I would use more personal stories and names to deepen my blog posts. However, my blog would be unprofessional to my viewers if I started using names assuming everyone knows my friends and family. 

Another way in expanding my professional learning network would be to create social media accounts if creating or launching a new business or idea. Right now, my instagram account is personal. I have pictures with my friends and I and updates of my life. If I were to start a new business, I would open a new page. The page would be simple and easy to find hours, prices, and guidelines. By following this procedure, my page would become  professional to viewers. I would still use my personal account for my lifestyle as well as promoting my business page. I can share stories or posts that tag my professional account to allow my friends and family to see and support the page. However, I would not use my professional page to promote my personal page. It would seem unprofessional to my business only viewers. 

How does data privacy and security limit and/or promote a PLN?
In your network how can you create a digital identity/ reputation? Find out what a local employer would do if you applied for a job with them? 

After completing  the “Privacy, Ethics & Security in Digital Spaces Developing Awareness of Privacy” survey, I realized how unsafe the internet can be. I did not realize that using public wi-fi can be a risk factor in privacy. When using public wi-fi, it is important not to log into personal banking to keep information away from whoever has access to the public wi-fi. Before the quiz, I was unaware of the consequence and I will be more aware about everything I do on public wi-fi. The internet allows access to almost anything, thus an individual’s digital identity is important to maintain for one’s reputation. A further employer would google search the name of the applicant before or after the interview. It gives them a sense of who they are and what they do in their spare time. This is why I have all my personal pages private. This means only my approved followers can see my posts and stories. I do not like the idea of random people looking at my pictures and a private page blocks that.  However, my professional digital identity would not have to be hidden. A good professional identity would not have much personal traits.