Most of my Personal Learning Network (PLN) resides in Twitter and therefore it is here that I find the most value in my networks. Over the years I have done well to streamline and focus my PLN so that much of my time within is efficient and deliberate. However, I do subscribe to serendipity. I think it’s critical to venture away from your focused interests even if that departure is only a mere step away as opposed to a mile – there is much value to be gained.
Recently I had a meta-cognitive moment as I scrolled my Twitter lists. I wondered, after the fact, “why” I clicked on a particular Tweet over others in my more serendipitous streams. With only 140 characters to work with there’s not too much about the link can be revealed but something makes you take action.
The Tweet below serves as a pretty good example of a one I selected that’s a step away from my focus and bit about why.
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| Tozier, Bill, Twitter post, January 5, 2014, 7:08 a.m., http://twitter.com/vaguery |
I was able to boil my triggers down to 3 as I retraced my steps. In the tweets I tend to explore beyond the surface I find they must be:
1. Relevant – connects to my current focus based on subject or author
2. Resonant – added context piques my interest
3. Reliable – historically trustworthy source of curation or creation
I’m sure this is not unusual however I wonder what triggers you to take action and further explore?
