From Seeking to Sharing: a story about PLNs and Curation

This is a story about my curation and my PLN [Personal Learning Network].

Most days, I end up filing the cornucopia of blog posts, listserv and RSS feeds that come across my browser or email inbox into folders. Occasionally, they ‘grab’ me, lure me into actually reading them and following their breadcrumbs. And, since I am currently engaged in the the free Curatr Digital Curation mini MOOC (Massive Online Open Course), put together by Sam Burrough and Martin Couzins,  I decided that this blog post would represent my ‘call to action’ – my ‘ah ha’ moment.

The post was an insightful analysis by Harold Jarche, a man I consider to be a PLN ‘guru’. Jarche’s visuals curate his Seek>Sense>Share continuum by placing these three elements into a grid comprised of sense-making and sharing:

http://www.jarche.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PKM-quadrants-520x390.jpg

Jarche then takes Patrick Lambe’s 6 PKM roles[i] and plots them on the same coordinate grid based upon each role’s levels of sense-making and sharing:

http://www.jarche.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PKM-6C-520x390.jpg

Being intrigued, I decided to further investigate Lambe’s 6C’s  to learn more about my own curation push ↔ pull tendencies. And, after answering his self-assessment questions, found that I was a ‘collector’. [No news there!] Reading Tan’s introduction, I was (only somewhat) mollified by his observation: “different people have different personality types, and different personality profiles in relation to their personal knowledge affinities and capabilities.” I tallied my ‘tendencies’ to visualize my profile:

How I Scored on Lambe's scale

Looks like I’m doing OK on Jarche’s SEEK and SENSE. My goal, however, is the upper right quadrant: to be actively sharing. Here, then, are the goals I derived from this exercise:

• relationship-building to enhance the ‘connection’ (especially with my audience) and
• packaging and presentation to be a more consistent ‘creator’

Mike Fisher did a nice job of visualizing the Collection/Curation dichotomy as a continuum. So I'll leave you with one more image to ponder:

and challenge you to think about where you’re spending your time and how to move your own efforts to the right-hand side. Try taking Lambe’s assessment and share what you learned about your own style and what you intend to do to modify it.

RESOURCES:

Fisher, Mike. "Collection or Curation?" Digigogy. N.p., 11 June 2012. Web. 17 Jan. 2014. <http://digigogy.blogspot.com/2012/06/collection-or-curation.html>.

Jarche, Harold. "PKM Roles." Harold Jarche: Seek > Sense > Share. N.p., 12 Jan. 2014. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. <http://www.jarche.com/2014/01/pkm-roles/>.

Taylor, Donald H. "Skills for 21st Century L&D Professionals." N.p., 13 Dec. 2013. Web. 17 Jan. 2014. <http://donaldhtaylor.wordpress.com/2013/12/13/skills-for-21st-century-ld-professionals/>.

Lambe, Patrick. "Personal Knowledge Management: A DIY Guide to Knowledge Management - Part 2." Green Chameleon. Straits Knowledge, 2002. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. <www.greenchameleon.com/thoughtpieces/pkm.pdf>.

Tan, Edgar. "Personal KM: a DIY Guide to Knowledge Management - Part 2." Green Chameleon. N.p., 23 Apr. 2003. Web. 17 Jan. 2014. <http://www.greenchameleon.com/gc/guide_detail/personal_km_a_diy_guide_to_knowledge_management_part_2/>.

Zierten, Charity. "What Is 'Content Curation' Anyway?" Socially Engaged Marketing, 18 Apr. 2012. Web. 17 Jan. 2014. <http://www.sociallyengagedmarketing.com/2012/04/content-curation/>.

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[i] Notes on Lambe's types:

• Collector – mind-mapper, knowledge organizer
• Connector – conversation, relationship-builder
• Communicator – storyteller, targets audience
• Creator – originator, translator
• Critic – analytical, authenticity, reality-check
• Consumer - passive