Thursday, 27 November 2008

Networks... can they be designed?

Are useful networks really only emergent? Can we design them? And how does a network emerge?
The NING communities I mentioned last month are not really emerging. Medical Education Evolution hasn't had a post for months. Is it because the function isn't clear enough?

I still haven't really found an online network of medical educators. But maybe it will find me first!
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6 comments:

  1. Sarah Stewart27 November 2008 at 20:02

    I don't like NIng, I find it very fragmented. I'd rather use a blog network or even email discussion group.

    I haven't found many blogs/networks in medical/midwifery/health education. Most sites and blogs seem to be focused on clinical practice. I think it's probably up to us to network individually and slowly build up a blogging network.

    I really enjoy the Salford University Occupational Therapy blog -


    And then there are my mates at Otago Polytechnic, who blog about education:

    David McQuillam. - massage therapy.
    Carolyn McIntosh - midwifery
    Merrolee Penman - OT

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  2. Sarah Stewart27 November 2008 at 20:03

    Here's the Salford University OT blog.

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  3. Anne Marie Cunningham27 November 2008 at 20:09

    Thank you. I had found the Salford blog through your site and am catching up with it. It looks really good.
    I will check out your other recommendations:)

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  4. David McQuillan28 November 2008 at 01:36

    Thanks for your comments Anne Marie, I can relate to your post. I've been having some trouble trying to set up a network of massage educators who are interested in education (granted I haven't spent a lot of time on this).

    I have noticed however that over time a network is emerging through the fortuitous contacts like this one, where you posted on my blog seemingly out of the blue. (Although now that I'm here I see that I've got my friend Sarah Stewart to thank for that.)

    My experience does seem to suggest that networks are emergent, although I still cling to hope that I can help to facilitate the construction of a network of massage educators....one day.

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  5. Sarah Stewart28 November 2008 at 01:42

    But I am wondering if we are being too narrow by sticking to our particular disciplines - when it comes to our online worlds, should we not be better off trying to build networks in health as opposed to massage, medicine, midwifery etc? Atfer all, we have many of the same issues facing us in terms of employment, education etc

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  6. Charles Nelson22 February 2009 at 19:25

    Networks do not easily emerge, as non-participation is the rule of community life. See Jakob Nielsen's article at http://www.useit.com/alertbox/participation_inequality.html

    ReplyDelete

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