Very few people that read tweets respond to them, and even fewer leave comments on websites. If your professional development goal is to connect with other educators, then it’s time to get away from simply reading people’s content and begin engaging in conversations.
When you first begin following teachers on Twitter, it’s ok to lurk. Observe, and see how people communicate. Likewise, if you read an interesting post from a random educator, it’s ok to read the post and move on. Most teachers only read. Don’t get stuck there, though. It’s important to engage. Otherwise, you might as well read a book or memo. Our media is meant to be shared, not just consumed. That’s probably why they call it social media. So, reply. It’s not only warmly welcomed, it’s beginning to be expected. Most teachers using social media want to engage with other teachers, and want to get to know other teachers. Their goal is to develop a professional learning network. As Yoda might say,
Reading does not a PLN make.
By simply leaving a comment on a website, you separate yourself from 99% of all other website readers. As someone who has a website, I take particular interest when someone takes the time to leave a comment. I take the time to figure out who this person is, and try to respond in-kind. It’s not only a great way to get to know other educators on a global scale, but it’s just a nice thing to do.
When people comment on your content (videos, blog posts, tweets), respond. It might not be, “Thanks for the comment,” but it should be some gesture to connect with that person. Even responding with “;)” is engaging. That’s one of the reasons that it’s online. And please, don’t ignore them. I tend to unfollow people if I consistently leave comments for them, and they always ignore my comments. Flickr is a website full of great photos, but few conversations. Instagram is a community full of many conversations. Guess which one I spend my time on?
This is not a “squeaky wheel gets the oil” kind of philosophy. The goal is not to be the loudest or most obnoxious participant. Rather, by genuinely engaging with others, you make the content more meaningful for you and for those you’re connecting with.
When I’m at a conference, I no longer take notes. I write down important ideas and useful websites, but… I write them on Twitter. If my tweet is important or meaningful, someone will respond or retweet it. We have a conversation, and I remember it. My notes from the past are completely ignored, but the connections I make with others is immediately applied.
