Escaping the Echo-Chamber

Can you hear me? Hellooooo? No, no, not you guys. Everyone else.

This darn echo-chamber, walled gardens, the bleeding edge, the next big thing, WHATEVER! Guess what? Most people aren't hearing it. They either don't know, don't get it, or don't care. I love being a first adopter of all things tech, but sometimes I feel like a space cadet, especially when I'm talking about something I learned from my PLN (personal learning network). I always start by saying something like, "This academic I follow on Twitter shared a story about..." or, "A friend of mine...". I think most of my close friends and family have gotten used to me using the word "friend" interchangeably with "person I know from the internet", but I'm sure I still get strange looks every once in awhile.

I think things like CNN mentioning Twitter, CSI:NY basing an episode on Second Life, and wedding photographers using Flickr help bring social media out of the echo chamber, and into peoples' everyday lives, but I'm not doing my part. Today, I asked myself:

1. "Why do I use social media?"
2. "What would [insert family member, friend, colleague, etc] get out of social media?"
3. "How could I show [insert (one of above)] social media without seeming pushy, dorky, etc?"

Another post will be forthcoming in the next few days...because I honestly can't answer all of my own questions yet. I can create examples of productive socmed use, but I realize there's always that extra noise that comes with it. All of this will hopefully round up some thoughts before Harrisburg's (Central PA's) first-ever Podcamp.

photo credit: Plamen Stoev