First Campus Session.

It's been over a week since the first campus session and I've been so busy up until now that I haven't written anything about it, but the time has come.

We were faced with the question "Do Web Based Technologies Enhance Professional Practice?" I thought the presentations that worked best on the day were the ones that managed to define what they meant by certain terms first. Within my group we discussed different definitions but concluded that the term "professional practice" has a different meaning for each person. The following definitions therefore are personal to me.

Web based technologies - sites and tools that are accessed via the Internet.
Enhance - to support and improve upon a foundation that is already in place.
Professional Practice - encompassing all aspects of my career. What I do, how I behave, how I learn and try to improve myself. It is not only about where I am now but where I hope to be. What my goals are, what my idea of success is and how I want to achieve these.

One of the things the session clarified for me was the distinction between web 1.0 and 2.0. There were a few sites that I initially believed to be web 2.0 but now realise are web 1.0 (for example Spotlight). On this site you post your professional CV and other promotional tools such as voice clips, showreels and photographs but then (other than the occasional update) it is left to serve its function. There is no interaction and the information isn't constantly evolving with others input.  Other examples of these are emails, Skype, other CV sharing sites, and traditional web pages.

Web 2.0 contains sites like Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Wikis (such as Wikipedia) and many more. These allow for collaboration and interaction. They are never finished, and constantly evolving, Ulrich et al (2008) uses the term 'perpetual beta' to describe it, and if you want to get the most out of the site you need to continually return to it and participate.

All groups seemed to decide that the easiest way to determine if these technologies enhanced their professional practice was by drawing a list of pros and cons. If the pros out weigh the cons then the technologies could be seen to have a positive impact and vice versa. The lists below detail what I think the specific pros and cons are for my professional practice.

Pros. 

• Vast amounts of information are now accessible to assist improved learning. Sites like Google help to direct you towards the information you need to make sure your knowledge remains current within your industry.
• There are more opportunities available. Sites like Equity, Spotlight, and Casting Call Pro give detailed lists of auditions and other related jobs that previously you may not have had access to. 
• There is also increased opportunity globally. Nicholas mentioned that he got a job in Bollywood just by looking on the Internet. This idea of globalisation is assisted by the speed of contact that email and Skype give us. It is possible to now audition for someone in America on the Internet, either on a site like Skype or MSN or by emailing a showreel or audition tape. Before these technologies this process would have taken much longer (perhaps too long).
• In relation to the above point there is also the reduction in cost that these services enable. By sending electronic version of CVs, photographs and showreels you are saving on the cost of production and postage.
• It is much easier to build a reputation for yourself and market yourself (read Paula's Blog on reputation and my response). Facebook, Blogs, CV sharing sites like Linkedin, and photo sharing sites like Flickr allow you to present an image of yourself to the world.
• Relating to the previous point, there is reduced hierarchy. You have access to people who are further up the professional ladder and they have access to you. It is possible to form relationships with experienced actors, directors, producers etc. who would previously have been beyond your sphere of acquaintance.
• In relation specifically to web 2.0 there is the possibility of collaborating with large groups of people who share your interests. Discussions and interaction allow you to stretch your thinking. I think it is an ideal way to learn because we challenge each other and act as each others guides (see my blog on Constructivism). At the campus session Sandy and his group talked about communities that have always been there now having access to each other. Sites like Whatsonstage allow the theatre community to discuss productions and inform their practice.

It is worth saying now that the campus session made me think about the negative aspects of web technologies more than I ever had before. I think because I knew we would be using these technologies on this course I looked at them through rose coloured glasses. The campus session made me aware of the importance of being much more critical and cautious.

Cons. 

•  Due to there being so much information available it can be extremely difficult to find what you need. It is possible to go round and round in the same pool of information and never progress any further. Although Google does filter answers for you it has a vested interest in the answers it places at the top. Are you therefore getting all the information you need? Is there more to the picture? Is the information unbiased? Also is the information accurate? Unlike in a book there is no editor guaranteeing the accuracy of the information. O'Reilly. T. (2006) talks about the idea of 'Radical Trust' in relation to sites like Wikipedia where the information can be changed by anyone. Read Adesola's blog on Validity, it's really interesting.
• Although you have the ability to create  a strong reputation for yourself, there is also the potential for others to impact this reputation. Sites like Facebook for example have the potential to inform people's professional opinion of you so what happens if an inappropriate photo is put on there against your will, or even an inappropriate comment. Several people have mentioned the idea of having two separate profiles, one for professional contacts and one for personal. Although I'm not sure within my professional practice I have two such black and white categories it is definitely worth considering.
• Something that has concerned me and again relates to the first point on this list is the idea that all opinions are equally valid. Web technologies seem to have downgraded the role of the expert by allowing everyone's opinions whether informed or not to carry equal weight. Read Natalie's blog and my response and see what you think. There are a couple of particularly interesting quotes near the beginning by Andrew Keen and John Flintoff.

Reflecting on both the positive and negative aspects of web based technologies, as I have done over the last week, has led me to conclude that they definitely enhance my own professional practice. I am just grateful than I am now aware of the possible pitfalls. In searching for information it is so important to be aware of the validity of your source and to not give undue weight to uniformed opinions. It is also important to keep firm control over the state of your online reputation. A term that one of the groups used at the campus session that has really stuck with me was 'Personal Professional Management'. I think it ideally sums up what is needed when using these technologies in relation to your professional practice. The use of the tools can be incredibly rewarding as long as you use them in a controlled and thoughtful way.