Community communications go beyond blogs and social media shares, how does a PLN help and hinder the development of thoughts and ideas in public discourse – especially when addressing our differences?

A PLN helps in the development of thoughts and ideas through sharing of relevant information on social media platforms such as Facebook, Reddit and Twitter. The communication that takes place between individuals who share the same knowledge also allows for diverse opinions which enhances development of thoughts and ideas. However, the issue on privacy might hinder the development of thoughts as only unreliable information becomes available for engagement by the public.

How can a PLN be curated to minimize bias and expand knowledge of the lives of others?

A PLN can be curated to allow for sharing which enables the knowledge of lives of others and to allow for privacy which minimizes the risks of bias of trying to find meanings of content while linking to the personal identities of an individual. Besides a PLN can be curated to reflect a rich diversity of the minds and opinions of the community through active engagement.

How does the identity of who you are, fit into your PLN?

In a community that is constantly interacting and networking, it becomes integral that one indicates their personal identity of who they are and what they are doing to establish a digital presence. Identity therefore fits in one’s PLN as a reflection of their personal and professional life as researchers. It is through this identity that another individual will identify the owner of certain perspectives in a type of media, more precisely the author of a message conveyed to the public.

Do you include professional and personal boundaries?

It is important to create professional and personal boundaries as one may accidentally post personal message to a professional account that could cost them their job or ruin the brand of a company. Besides having professional and personal boundaries help us manage our emotions and ourselves thus making us to avoid incorporating emotion and stresses that may drain work.