Get Social: How Reading Blogs Gets You Connected

Abstract

You have accessThe ASHA LeaderGet Social1 Mar 2014Get Social: How Reading Blogs Gets You ConnectedThink cruising blogs is passive? Think again. Reading and commenting can help you build a rich professional network. Aubrey Taylor KlingensmithMS, CF-SLP Aubrey Taylor Klingensmith Google Scholar More articles by this author , MS, CF-SLP https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.GS.19032014.np SectionsAbout ToolsAdd to favorites ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In As I write this article, I've got screen tabs open for posts I'm also working on for three different blogs: Research Tuesday, Yapp Guru and my own Speechie Apps blog. I think it's safe to say I love blogging! More than that, however, I enjoy reading and interacting with other blogs and bloggers. Many professionals seem to view blogs as passive reading material, but that's far from true. Blogs are actually the perfect conduit for active engagement with other professionals. They have the benefit of being full-length articles (unlike many other abbreviated, stream-of-thought forms of social media), while also allowing the reader to interact directly with the writer and with other readers. These interactions can help you build a diverse learning network. But where to start? It's a big, burgeoning world of blogs out there, and your time is limited. As a speech-language pathologist or audiologist, it's important to know where and how to get involved. Find the right blogs. ASHAsphere offers an excellent compilation of the best SLP blogs. It was written almost two years ago, but most of the bloggers are still active, and the list is still solid. I suggest seeking blogs related to your specific clinical interests. If you want to learn more about using your iPad in therapy, for example, there are a number of bloggers who write specifically about that, as well as others who incorporate it into their general blogs. Start with SpeechTechie, Speaking of Apps, The Speech Guy, TiPS: Technology In Practice for S-LPs, and Consonantly Speaking. Work with dysphagia? Try Dysphagia Café and Dysphagia Ramblings. Love discussions of controversial issues and current research? Try Speech Adventures and Gray Matter Therapy. If you are an SLP student or a clinician looking for new therapy ideas, SLP_Echo and Sublime Speech are must-reads. The audiologists (and audiology students) among us should definitely check out The Aud Blog, Galster, and The Audiologist To Be. And anyone in need of a little (OK, a lot of) motivation for themselves or their students should be reading Erik X. Raj. Leave comments. Once you've found some great blogs, comment on your favorite articles to start engaging. Share your opinions or experiences. Respond to other commenters. Direct other readers to similar resources or ask them to do the same. Share. Chances are, you know people who would benefit from the same resources! When you read something great, share it with your Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter friends. Blogs can be very layperson-friendly, so print them out for distribution or e-mail them to parents, clients or professionals who aren't SLPs or audiologists. Bloggers always appreciate the publicity and, more importantly, your colleagues and clients will appreciate the information. Contribute. This step might not be for you, especially not right away, but you might be surprised! Once you've interacted a bit, you will likely starting developing professional and even personal relationships with bloggers and other commenters. Eventually, you may want to consider writing a guest post on a blog in your area of interest. You might be interested in writing a review for your favorite app on one of the more technology-related blogs. Or perhaps you are passionate about a controversial new research article that came out, or a new material that has thoroughly engaged your students. Many bloggers are thrilled to have guest posters share a unique perspective or add their expert advice. And, of course, you can always consider starting your own blog (www.theminimalists.com/blog/) as well! Author Notes Aubrey Taylor Klingensmith, MS, CF-SLP, blogs at Speechie Apps and works with adults in an inpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing and long-term care facility in Phoenix, Ariz. She is a founding partner and director of website content development for YappGuru. ·[email protected] Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Additional Resources FiguresSourcesRelatedDetails Volume 19Issue 3March 2014 Get Permissions Add to your Mendeley library History Published in print: Mar 1, 2014 Metrics Current downloads: 121 Topicsasha-topicsleader_do_tagasha-article-typesleader-topicsCopyright & Permissions© 2014 American Speech-Language-Hearing AssociationLoading ...