Networking…
How do we partake in networking in today’s society? Obviously the networking world has evolved with the introduction of the internet, but the question remains, what is the best way to approach a more professional network.
Obviously it’s questionable to use Facebook as a form of communication on a professional level, usually because Facebook has a more social format, as in, you will be looking at both the best and worst moments in a persons life. To counteract this, companies like Academia.Edu & ResearchGate were developed, to allow for the presentation of a more formal side of the users persona. It could also be said that a wordpress site or a LinkedIn profile allow for a similar appearance, however the latter two do not offer the chance to focus purely on research.
With regards to a professional profile, although the research and academia offer the opportunity to communicate with other doctoral candidates, they limit the chance to communicate with a larger range of people related to the field, a chance that is offered by LinkedIn.
It should be noted, all-in-all, that the use of all of the aforementioned professional methods of portraying yourself are better than colleagues in the professional world seeing your holiday to Ibiza, where you were so “Blitzed,” you got your eyebrows shaved off.