As digital learner and consumer, I can confidently say that podcast is not a new thing for me. I listen to podcast when travelling and sometimes when waiting in line. It keeps me entertained and for me, listening to podcasts is another learning opportunity. However, I have never really considered the idea that I could create my own podcast. It is true that am interested in creating blogs and I actually considered the idea that maybe I could also try creating vlogs or educational videos, but podcast? It never really occurred to me. For this reason, I really enjoyed watching the conversation between Professor Jesse and Mo Amir of Vancolour. The video made me realize that creating networks is necessary whenever you wanted to put a content in the digital world. I also found this week’s readings helpful for it allowed me to discover how I can specifically build my own PLN.
If I were to create a PLN prior to building a podcast, the first thing that I will do is to create a Twitter account that is exclusively created for my podcast’s PLN. In the video, Mo Amir mentioned that Twitter allowed him to directly connect with local journalists and media people (EDCI 338, 2020). In the same manner, I will use Twitter to connect with people who also created their independent podcast. Once I am connected with them, I will ask them questions with regard to putting up an independent podcast and how I could maintain it. Just as Woods (2013) explained, “PLN is an informal group of people who you learn things from on a regular basis.” This means that in creating my PLN, I would like to create a network of people who could help me learn the ins and outs of podcast. I will not jump into promoting my podcast right away especially that I have not aired any episodes yet. Once I learned the ins and outs of podcasts, the next thing that I will do is check the trending topics and follow Mo Amir’s advice to choose a topic that is close to my heart (EDCI 338, 2020). Once I have decided the topic of my podcast episode, I will check Twitter’s L&D community. Woods (2013) explained that through this community, I will be able to connect with various experts. Correspondingly, I could ask for the experts’ help in developing the content of my podcast. Lastly, I will use Twitter to follow people who might be interested in the content of my podcast through searching my topic in Twitter.
With regard to privacy/security concerns, I will make it a point to not follow the people who provided little to no information about themselves. If they are experts or professionals, they could at least provide the organization or institution that they are affiliated with. On the other hand, if the Twitter account is verified, the institutions that a certain Twitter user was affiliated with is indicated in the Twitter user’s profile, and the Twitter user is not following a shady group of people, then that means that it is safe to follow those Twitter accounts. It is necessary to double check the legitimacy of Twitter accounts because a lot of people use the names of famous people so they could have a lot of followers.
References
EDCI 338. (2020, October 10). EDCI 338 – A01 building a podcast [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyODAhviQyA
Woods, B. (2013). Building your own PLN: seeking new insights and ideas? Expand your personal learning network. T+D, 67(11). https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A348998538/ITBC?u=uvictoria&sid=ITBC&xid=9daf4a31
Hi there,
You shared some great points in your blog this week. Like you, I too never realized the necessity of creating a network to benefit a blog or podcast. Often we only see the final product, and forget all the hard work that goes into the production. I think you could definitely apply the same techniques we learned about this week into creating vlogs or educational videos! And as Mo said, you should choose to do something close to your heart, and it sounds like you have knowledge you would like to share! I think creating a vlog or educational videos would be awesome.
Great blog this week,
Erica
Hello Xiaoqi,
I really enjoy reading your post! Same as you, I had heard podcast before and it is not a new thing for me, but I have never created a podcast for myself and realized how important it is. I agree that creating a Twitter account will be a useful and effective way for people before building a podcast. In my post, I also explain the importance of exploring different online communities on Twitter in order to connect with the public. In my opinion, your ideas about how to use Twitter effectively before building a podcast are clear and informative. Also, the points that you shared about the privacy concerns are important. In my opinion, it’s worth and necessary for us to notice potential risks of privacy to us, such as our IP addresses, which can be mapped to a specific location. I really like your post and thank you for sharing your ideas.
Chunlin