Thing 3- Online Presence

Online Name

I blog and tweet with my full name, although uncreative it does mean that by doing a quick google search, you can find my LinkedIn account, my Twitter account and my Blogger account, (plus a little more from a past-life). The benefit of this is that the platforms I use to present my professional identity are consolidated and really easy to find. On the other hand, it means I have to be careful about balancing the professional and the personal as this doesn't allow for much separation between the two.

Photograph

I envy those with 'head shot' photographs on their blogs. Not being the most photogenic lady around ( think Chandler in that episode of friends) I thought hard about whether to put a photo on my blog and then which one to use. I ended up deciding on my current work ID photo! Nice and simple and its up to date. It has come in handy, especially meeting other trainees at library events as it makes your blog memorable and makes you more recognisable, which it turn makes it easier for lots of lovely, interesting people to talk to you.

Professional/personal identity 

I use Facebook for catching up with friends and family, in a personal capacity. Apart from Facebook, which I use very little now anyway, the majority of my online presence is in a professional capacity. 

I set up Twitter for networking, keeping updated with news and following interesting people (mainly information professionals). However, I don't censor my Twitter usage to be purely 'professional'. The people and organisations I follow reflect my personality as a whole. I think it's beneficial to have a balance between the two and I think it makes you seem more approachable as an individual. I think I've found a balance that feels natural to me. I set up my blog to document my graduate traineeship, so from the from the outset it was a professional blog. I'd like to set up an additional blog where I can muse endlessly about cooking and health and all the other things that fill my head; but perhaps another day.

Visual brand 

Although I like playing around with my blog and tweaking the aesthetics, the design is a customised template at present and I'd really like to do some more work on making it more distinguishable and unique. My twitter profile doesn't look vaguely similar to my blog, so I definitely think more consistency would be a good thing. This is something I would like to work on over the coming months.

So, I Googled myself (not the first time either, sorry) and the top seven results refer to me personally. Downfall/benefit to having an unusual name. There is nothing I wouldn't want a potential employer etc. to see, apart from a few embarrassingly young photographs of me which I would rather were not there. This 'thing' has made me much more aware of the impact that branding and online presence can have and I will certainly taking this awareness with me in to the future!

Thing 2- Investigate some other blogs

So I have a blog, I have another blog for CPD23, what's next?

Thing 2, suggests I investigate other CPD23 blogs, so I'm writing a post about my experiences seeking out other information related blogs, CPD23 or otherwise. I'll talk a little about the tools I find useful for keeping track of the blogs I'm interested in and how I plan to interact with blogs in general.

I've just started using Google reader to keep track of the blogs and websites I'm interested in. I'll only talk briefly about my use of Google Reader here as I'm aware that a later 'thing' does go in to using reader in more detail. I started off collecting RSS feeds in outlook, so I could keep up to date with the latest library news and developments whilst managing my work email account. My manager however recommended that I take a look at reader and now It's now my preferred way of collecting RSS feeds. The interface is really user-friendly and there is always an option to subscribe to blogs and webpages by atom feed through Google. I use blogger, so it's also nice to when I find a blog I like, I can easily follow it and it will appear in my list on reader. I'm currently following five or six library blogs, alongside the RSS feeds for RCS publications, but up to this point I have not commented on many. This will be a task I will be setting myself, as I know the conversations I have through integrating with other bloggers will open me up to a wider learning opportunities.

The second tool I've found great for finding interesting blogs is CILIP communities 'blog landscape'. It is fantastic for keeping up to date with developments in the library world and for gaining a better insight in to the wider profession. The website compiles a selection of blogs, authored by CILIP members and staff in order to bring CILIP blogs together in one place. I've recently had my blog linked to the site, so now as well as gaining a readership for my blog, I can investigate other members blogs and follow them on twitter for relevant updates and information. You can also access the blog landscape by clicking on the 'CILIP Blogger' logo on my page. If you are already a member of CILIP and you think you would like your blog uploaded to the landscape, you should check your blog against the required criteria and then contact CILIP who will be more than happy to help. Further information is provided the CILIP website.

The blogs I currently follow are;

The Wikiman
The Neon Librarian
Bethan's Information Professional Blog
Letters to a Young Librarian
Organising Chaos
EmKay
In Pursuit of History

Since starting CPD 23 I have come across a number of really interesting blogs, I've listed a few here but there are a number of great CPD blogs out there; But I do like Cardigans, Lisa in the Health Library and Her Slant Finely.

Thing 1 - Blogging

I wanted to write a blog for a long time before I began this one about my library experiences, but what  finally got me started was the requirement of a learning log or blog in the job description for my graduate trainee position. It has taken me a little while to gain confidence sharing my thoughts with others through the medium of blog, but the more feedback and interaction I get from other professionals and trainees makes it all worthwhile. The basis of my blog started out as a 'diary' of my traineeship, a blog which I could use as a reminder of my experiences and an opportunity to discuss topics with others. When I was researching graduate traineeships and library assistant posts, I found it really helpful to read through the blogs and forum posts of current trainees, especially with regards to how they entered the profession, secured their trainee/ assistant posts and what they then did from there. I try to keep this in the back of my mind when I write posts, as I want them to be helpful not only for my personal development, but to be insightful and informative to other new entrants to the profession.

I thought in the spirit of sharing information, I would give a few examples of the resources I used when setting up my blog and finding out information about traineeships.

1)The LIS New Professionals Network is a great place to start. On this wiki you can find out loads of information, ranging from downloadable resources, forum discussions, links to relevant events and blog posts. You need to register to take part in forum discussions and to use some of the sites resources, which I would definately recommend doing. The network allows a platform for past, current and future 'new professionals' to discuss all things Library and Information.
One resource that really helped my blogging experience was thewikiman's How to: Set up a blog which can be found on the downloadable resources page. Here I learnt what sites you should add your blog to, to promote it and gain feedback and other technical things to get the most out of your blog.
You can follow the network on Twitter at @LISNPN

2)The resources I found useful for general library and information sector information and for seeking out trainee opportunities was CILIP's website. They have a section on their website for Graduate Training Opportunities which lists CILIP accredited trainee schemes for graduates interested in getting their first post. You can interact with CILIP Graduate Training Opportunities on facebook, where there is always interesting discussion about the advertised posts.

So to summarise my thoughts for 'Thing 1', I plan for my blog to be a place for ideas, conversation, documentation and learning.

 'Thing 2' will summarise my experiences finding and following other library and information blogs.

CPD 23: Better Late Than Never!

I'm hugely late on the 23 things bandwagon, after only finding out about the course in September, at the start of my traineeship. As there are no plans to repeat the course at a later date, I thought it would be productive for me to undertake the tasks independently, in order to explore the new technology that the 'things' introduce and complement my learning during my traineeship. The premise of CPD 23 is to introduce you to a range of web 2.0 technologies, to help you in your career and professional development as a library and information professional. Each week, participants undertake a new task, aimed to help you interact with and reflect upon a variety of different areas. I will be working on the '23 things' alongside blogging about my graduate traineeship.

Some of the 'things' I have already had some experience with and others I will be experiencing for the first time. I'm looking forward to expanding my knowledge of web 2.0 technologies during my time exploring each of the 'things'. As a new entrant in to the information profession, I think it's really important to seize every opportunity to learn that you can, I see this as a way of updating my knowledge and finding out about other peoples experiences with new technology through their own CPD23 blogs.