Last week I had the opportunity to sit in on a talk with Robyn Hrivnatz, a marketing and educator programs manager at Microsoft. The talk primarily consisted of the topic of using social media as a professional. By now I probably sound like a broken record, however I personally manage to find new and interesting information on this topic. One of the important points Hrivnatz mentions is using social media to find out what your competition is doing. I always like to remember Sun Tzu in situations like this with his famous “know your enemy” quote. It’s kinda hard to put copyright on a tactic, right? If you find yourself lacking options, may be “borrowing” some of their ideas might not be a bad idea. 
On the flip side, social media can also be used to communicate and connect with the group giving you the most direct feedback on your work: customers. Whether or not something is working in your company can be quickly found by customers. They serve as the audience that you have to understand.
Hrivnatz also briefly mentions some helpful tips about LinkedIn. This site is one of the most professional social media sites out there, which i’m sure many people know. Linkedin provides users with digital profiles which can act as a resume in many cases, however Hrivnatz believes this is an extremely poor way to portray yourself. By turning your profile into a resume, you lose what little information you can provide about your personality. Instead, she suggests to let your profile be a summary of your strengths and your private and professional life; this way a personality is built.
On a loosely related note, Sheyl Nussbaum-Beach discusses the four core components of learning in the final chapter of her Connected Educator. The components are as follows:
Knowledge - Due to being able to access a plethora of information through the web, it’s impossible to take in all knowledge. Instead, Nussbaum-Beach suggests creating a connection of minds that are able to branch out to different sources of knowledge.
Pedagogy- This one applies more for teachers. Instead of being a students only teacher, they will show and encourage students to create their own learning connections.
Connections -This is where innovation really begins to show. Connected groups experiment, brainstorm, discuss, reach out to professionals, and analyze the subject of their passion.
Capacity - essentially, by building a connection, people are able to broaden their perspectives and keep an open-mind; this allows for curiosity, exploration, and ultimately discovery. People are simply more independent and can learn at their own pace.
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