I teach several classes relating to social media. I’ve done so – in some manner – since 2003 when I was a lecturer at the University of Texas.
Still, I’ve been slow to participate in many online communities other than Facebook and Twitter. Sure I’ve joined a host of sites. I have to professionally. I need to keep up – as much as possible – with the world of technology. Otherwise I can’t credibly teach emerging technologies.
But I’ve failed to integrate some of the cooler participatory communities into my daily life. Until now.
I’ve finally – FINALLY – joined Yelp, a community-generated ratings and review site that enables me to check out reviews of places I may want to visit. You can find me here (http://thebradking.yelp.com for those who want to direct address), where I’ll post notes and reviews about the places I visit along my travels.
This is important to me for two reasons:
- I don’t do well walking into an environment I know nothing about. I get very anxious. Sometimes to the point of getting physically ill, a wonderful attribute that a few of my friends have witnessed over the years;
- I don’t like going in blind. I hate surprises. Loathe them. I prefer knowledge and this sites gives me, in some small respect, a glance into what I can expect.
I don’t just want to be a “free rider,” one of the denizens who never gives back. And I’ve been that for a long time.
The Web and all its communities depend upon active participation. When I was a teenager (re: before I knew anything about anything), I contributed to network and conversations all the time. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become far more passive, entering into these communities only when I needed something.
Ew.
So I’ve decided that this year I’m going to participate in these online communities more: Amazon, Good Reads, Yelp. Places where I lurk but should be active.
It’s not a huge time commitment either particularly with my new Android phone. The geo-location allows me to save the places I visit (and start draft notes on what I thought), which I can then finish whenever I get home. It’s a small commitment for helping the other strangers who wander the earth looking for things to do.
Of course this isn’t a world-changing idea. Participating in digital communities is not the end-all, beat-all, but it’s a start for me. The digital world has given me so much, helped me get through more than I can describe here. Starting to give back and share beyond these ramblings is the least I can do.
Viva La Digital Communities.
