Thing 12

• are there any other advantages to social networking in the context of professional development than those already outlined above?

 Meeting people I wouldn't had chance to meet in real life and sharing, would be two most important aspects of social networking for professional development. Almost immediate access to vast amount of knowledge, reflections from conferences I cannot attend, ideas that could be implemented is absolutely priceless.

• can you think of any disadvantages?

No, not in professional sense. You have to be able to assess and filter, so you don't spend too much time networking, but the same can be said generally about Internet.

• has CPD23 helped you to make contact with others that you would not have had contact with normally?

Yes, it has helped me, but I definitely should do more. I am going to put more pressure on networking, although I must say that it already had been great experience. Knowing that there are so many professionals, eager to learn and share their experience, knowledge and expertise is simply amazing.

• did you already use social media for your career development before starting CPD23? Will you keep using it after the programme has finished?

Before I was using it only in a passive way - reading blogs or wikis, now I really appreciate role of dialogue in professional development 

• in your opinion does social networking really help to foster a sense of community?

That is a difficult question, but I think in context of professional development my answer would be - YES! It definitely gives you a sense of participation in the professional community of specialists - global community.