I have been enjoying an extended conversation with Jane Mitchinson regarding the process of participating in social media. The conversation has wandered between conversations over coffee, to Twitter, to connecting face to face at Ed Camp Hamilton and back online, most recently in the comments section of my  Ed Camp Hamilton  post. Now that is a great example of keeping the learning going and leveraging different tools.

The last comment, raises a number of points and questions about whether or not Twitter becomes in echo chamber.  While I do understand that concept, and have seen it happen, there is also the idea of reach – communication reach through social media tools. Reach, and the notion of the 6 degrees of separation make explain some of this.  None the less, there are some solid points to consider when navigating this space.

1. Given the number of your followers, and the number you follow, how do you best get traction in important conversations?
2. Although Twitter arguably represents only a ‘slice of society’ what strategies yield the best diversity for enriching your experience
3. Engagement styles:  depth vs skimming – how do you keep your learning rich? and your contributions worthwhile?
4. Finally, I believe it is important to contribute by contributing content through blogging etc.  and asking good questions.  I wonder what percentage of Twitter users are also actively contributing?

Please join this conversation.  How are you maximizing your Twitter experience?

~Mark