Social Networking--Contact Lists--Memory Loss--Communication and Pictures

Social Networking--Now the focus of multiple apps (iPhone/iPod Touch applications) and websites, used to be the exchange of business cards and numbers at a variety of informal "networking" meetings.

I have been involved in professional and volunteer organizations for more than 30 years.  Between 1998 and 2002, I was very active in such networking organizations as the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and several professional organizations.  I look at old resumes and remember the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD), the International Foundation of Action Learning (USA Chapter) (IFAL-USA), the American Red Cross (ARC), the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), the Organizational Development Network-Chicago (ODNC) and local chapters of the national associations.

In 2002 I became active in teaching K-12 (after 9-11-2001) and joined several professional education associations.  Depending on what I am doing, I am active in several and some drop out due to a change of focus in my activities.  (I'll give you a list of newer organizations later in this post.)  I also earned a post-doctoral Master of Arts in Teaching degree in 2008 and networked with colleagues and professors at several universities and colleges.

"In the old days" (2002) I would exchange business cards, e-mails, write down names and addresses and enter everything into my Yahoo Contact List--yes, I had fancy contact software and everything seemed to collect in the easy to use Yahoo Contact List.  Unfortunately I didn't have photos of the people I was entering in the list and I didn't make notes on where I knew everyone from.  I just tried to keep the contact information of name, telephone number, and e-mail.

Now we come to the "new days" (or today) with the Social Networking Sites.  I stayed clear of many for a variety of reasons.  I had been invited to LinkedIn a long time ago and had registered without doing anything more.  This summer I was invited to LinkedIn again and decided to create a profile.  One of the first things LinkedIn asked me to do was to import my contact lists to see who I knew already.  I had my trusty Yahoo Contact List (which I had also used to create my G-Mail contact list).  I imported the contact list, then checked-off to invite anyone on my Yahoo Contact List who was already a member of LinkedIn to join my network.  The first day I reconnected with several friends I had not seen in years and was very happy about the LinkedIn connection.  There are some good discussion groups there and I added a couple of my own.  The focus of LinkedIn seems to be professional and I enjoy having those connections and reconnecting with people I haven't touched base with in years.

As with many contact lists, some of my e-mails were outdated and some people had changed their names.  Some of my invitations "bounced" and others didn't remember that we had been connected. 

When I'm faced with someone trying to connect with me, I can honestly say, "I don't remember our connection.  Please remind me or tell me why you think we should connect now."

If people would do that with me on these social networking sites, I would really appreciate it.  It would allow me to connect "in the present" and to find even more value in the connection.
Some of the other organizations I have belonged to recently (some of which I still belong to) are the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), the National Middle School Association (NMSA), the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), the American Library Association (ALA) and several divisions and sections of the ALA--including the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) who have a group on LinkedIn.

The economy has an impact on the disposable income available for membership in professional associations.  Some of the contacts and friends made endure much longer than memberships.
I've posted a picture on this blog, so you can see who is writing.  You can also find pictures on my profiles at all of my Social Networking sites and on my own sites such as http://www.joelmonty.net, http://drm-resources.wikispaces.com, http://joelmonty.wikispaces.com.  I want people to know who they are connecting with.

I believe in social networking--and have for years.  "All of us are greater than some of us"--That's on the poster picture of a school of fish forming the image of a shark in the water.  It's probably copyrighted or I'd post a picture here.