Sept. 3 - Getting Involved 

Chapter 3 of Design to Thrive details the various reasons for building communities online.  It lists ten different reasons before describing each one of them in detail, but the main point I took away from the chapter as a whole is that they all relate to interconnectedness.  For instance, the first point, which I feel is the most valuable of the ten as it applies in some way to each one of them except reducing costs, talks about "intellectual capital."  This concept is perhaps one of the most fundamentally useful aspects of social media: through open communication available only through online communities such as blogs and forums, members and visitors alike are able to draw from information posted by others while contributing their own input to what I like to call a sort of collective hive.  The "hive mind" resulting from these unique media can quickly become loaded with information put forth by not one, but every individual who contributes, creating a single entity of collected data.  This, I feel, is the basis of why social media has become such a powerful force in the digital age.

Gillin's chapter on social media engagement discusses the value in tapping into what he calls various "conversations" online, and gets into specific ways one might go about accessing such information.  The first step, he explains, is simply realizing that there now exists a vastly more diverse and extensive network of information online than ever before.  To increase one's social media awareness is to involve oneself in social networks and become exposed to new opportunities and resources online.  Another way to uncover information through social media is to use search engines and websites, as well as the various features available through those resources.  For instance, one little-known Google feature which I've used throughout my college career narrows search results to include only those resources available through academic institutions; simply typing "site:.edu" before a search phrase will yield results coming only from sites ending in ".edu".  One wonders how, without references such as Gillin's text, anyone might go about learning the extensive features of such resources as Google, but it seems the best way to do so is to simply get involved in social media.  In drawing from and contributing to intellectual capital available through those media, it's often surprising how easily one can find useful information online.