My latest entry on the STC Notebook is now up! It addresses a question that seems to me to be a hot topic of discussion at all the events I’ve been to so far, as well as in social media discussions and articles.
Here’s the link:
Villegas Views: Mobile First or Content First? Yes.
What do you think? Feel free to weigh-in on the topic below.
It occurred to me that while I haven’t been writing or curating as much as I usually do, I still make sure that I’m reading my various social media feeds, so I can see what the latest trends and conversations are about these days.
The thought popped into my mind–what’s wrong with being a lurker, who is someone who reads but doesn’t comment online? After all, not everyone likes or wants to be writing all the time. I personally have a big mouth that translates here into writing, but that doesn’t mean that everyone likes to talk as much as I do. There is no requirement in social media that one needs to be posting or re-posting tweets or other information that they read every five minutes, after all. Even so, what’s the advantage of being a lurker online?
The way I see it, being a lurker is similar to being the person in the room who obviously isn’t saying a word, but is absorbing all the information that’s going on in the room. The lurker can read, observe and learn a lot just by staying still and not saying anything, and in the process, acquires a vast amount of information being given through comments made and by reading articles posted. This is not a bad way to learn a lot about any given topic, while learning about the people who shape those thoughts or trends.
In the end, however, the lurker loses out. Social media is not only about communicating information, but it’s also about the connections made through this kind of communications. Communication with each other is the key to why we can have discussions or debates on issues. The person who writes those posts or tweets those tweets appreciates it when you retweet, or even make a brief comment of, “I agree!” or “That was a great article.” It validates the position of the author, but it also shows your competence in the subject matter too–that you understand the concept being presented. By respectfully responding with your own commentary, it allows others to see YOUR perspective as well. You automatically become part of the conversation and the process.
Don’t be a lurker and sit back for too long. Feel free to participate! You might be surprised to find that your original perspective might be enjoyed and respected by others.
Anyone who knows me and has been with this blog for the long haul knows that I really like what m-learning is all about. Even though I haven’t been able to steer my career in that direction as much as I’d like (or at least, not yet), I’ve always been a big advocate for m-learning and what it can accomplish. For a while now, I’ve been a great follower of RJ Jacquez, and while he and I don’t talk as much as we used to online anymore, I still consider him my number one mentor on m-learning. He’s always been a very early supporter of the TechCommGeekMom cause!
RJ recently gave a keynote speech for the 2013 ASTD Houston Conference. While I would have loved to have attended this event, especially for RJ’s keynote address, I wasn’t able to go. (I do have to work, and I went to the 2013 STC Summit, after all!) For that reason, I’m so glad that RJ shared his SlideShare file for the keynote address online.
His talk was called, “The Time to Mobilize Learning is Now!” Here is his SlideShare slideshow:
RJ has been a prominent leader in promoting mobile, not just m-learning, for a while now, and even without his accompanying talk to go along with the slides, you can get a fairly clear idea of where he’s going with this. Mobile is change, and in so many ways, we have already started to embrace the changes. We need to adapt in order to move forward. His demonstration of the evolution of how we have come to the point of using mobile as prolifically as we do now, and of all the many benefits of using mobile seem fairly clear from this slideshow.
I’m still a big believer in mobile, and this slideshow reminded me of this. It helped to reinforce again my belief that mobile is an important part of our integrated technology going forward. If we don’t adapt, we fall behind, not just with m-learning–which seems to be leading the way, but also with mobile content itself.
Nice job as always, RJ!
Adobe Day at the 2013 STC Summit was really great. It took me a while to digest all my own notes and relive the moments promoting the rock stars of tech comm. But like all good music festivals, the “Coachella” of tech comm had to end, but with great memories of fantastic information that will stay with me for a long time. Hopefully you enjoyed this “magical mystery tour” as well!
There were several people from Adobe that were truly instrumental in making this event a success, but I have to “give it up” for the two Masters of Ceremony of the event, Saibal Bhatacharjee and Maxwell Hoffmann.
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So many people know them from the Adobe TCS webinars, blogs, and other social media outlets. I know they’ve been two of my greatest supporters, so I want to thank them for inviting me to the event, and as always, making me feel welcome both during Adobe Day, as well as during the STC Summit.
If you missed my series for this Adobe Day event, here’s a recap, so you can relive the day yourself:
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How does that jagged little pill of content strategy go down? |
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I hope you’ve enjoyed all the articles. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to comment below!
The next time there is an Adobe Day near you, or if you have the opportunity to go to one, I strongly encourage you to go! I’ve now been to two of them, and both were different. It’s amazing to see how perspectives change on the “hot” issues of tech comm in a mere few months! I was glad to hear from leading experts on the pressing topics of the day. And I have to say, I’ve learned so much from both visits. I can honestly say, as well, that both provided information that were applicable to my job, even as a new technical communicator. Keeping up with current trends in technical communication is important, because technology is changing fast, and technical communicators need to keep up with not only the technology itself, but the needs that new technology presents. Adobe does a nice job of bringing the best thought leadership from around the globe to talk about these issues for free. How can you pass that up?
Thanks again, Adobe, for an amazing opportunity to attend this free event!
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