Critical Reflection on Reader 3: The Networked Professional

What is a networked professional? Are they paramount to a professional network? This was something I really felt was key in first establishing, before being able to completely understand the concepts and perspectives that follow. So where better to begin than defining:

Professional Network

‘A professional network service (or, in an internet context, simply professional network) is a type of social network service that is focused solely on interactions and relationships of a business nature rather than including personal, nonbusiness interactions.’

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_network

‘The network of contacts a job developer can refer to when trying to help an individual find a job.’

realworkstories.org/glossary

Networked Professional 

This is a ‘term’ of which I found very limited search results when trying to find a ‘text book’ definition. Despite this I gained a greater understanding of this concept simply by being able to state clearly what a professional network entails. I feel that although a networked professional is a concept that has derived from the ‘professional network’, it is not something compulsory to the term. A networked professional is someone who I feel is in complete control and management of their differing and connective networks, benefiting them both professionally and socially.

Much like these ‘ideas’ detailed above, the concepts and perspectives that follow are of a completely knew territory to me. To be able to completely define and identify all prospects in relation to ‘networks’ is of great interest and of greatly gained knowledge to me. I found the idea of ‘affiliation’ most enthralling. It is a concept of which we can all relate to in the fact that we socialize and essentially ‘network’ with someone who we either have, or an affiliation has derived from. I truly believe we tend to initially network with people who grasp our interest, unlock our subconscious as well as provide us: 

‘with a network of support that will help us when we are in need’. 

Crisp & Turner 2007 pp266 

It is the social/psychological concept of survival, without even realizing we network with others, which potentially can benefit us. To co-inside this prospect with ‘professional networks’ it details our innate ability to connect over vast borders and tandems within a ‘networking community’, whereby in each situation it is a ‘win-win’ situation.

Another concept that really grasped me was that of ‘Connectivism’, whereby we are unknowingly networking to learn. An idea that really captures this idea is as stated by Siemens, G. (2004):

‘Informal learning is a significant aspect of our learning experience. Formal education no longer comprises the majority of our learning. Learning now occurs in a variety of ways – through communities of practice, personal networks, and through completion of work-related tasks’. 

Siemens depicts the influence of education and learning within in the nature of our network groups as well as techniques. A keen idea is that we as the individual are the beginning of the theory of connvectivism; our knowledge span alone is a network in itself. I found this concept very enlightening and particularly useful to understand, in the sense that the way we learn can be applied to how we establish and exploit our own network growth both outwards and upwards. This can be seen to be, much like learning in itself, another process that is an ever growing, endless journey.