Visitors and Residents: A new typology for online engagement
by David S. White and Alison Le Cornu
Link to Video
I am a visitor being forced into residency!
This video discussed a continuum of people using the internet. The visitor group tends to go online to accomplish a goal and leave without a trace. While the resident will leave a record behind, these people are usually members of social networking sites and enjoy the visibility that the internet can give them.
I agree with almost every descriptor about the visitor group. I use the internet to achieve a particular goal, whether it be research or online shopping, then when I'm done I shut it off and no one else knows the difference. This is not because I am concerned with privacy, I do all my banking on line and I do have a facebook account, however it is mostly used to cyber-stalk old friends. :-) I also thought that sites like Twitter and facebook were a little bit narcissistic and flippant. I don't really need to make a status update, and I don't care if you just that you 'checked in' at a restaurant, or are feeling sleepy, or whatever other useless crap you think other have to know.
But when the speaker showed the difference between being a visitor with your personal life but a resident with your professional life, I could begin to see some value in it. I have had a traditional view of education where all you need is the content and an expert to help you understand, but I am beginning to see how becoming a resident can enrich help your profession. Now that I have been working on developing a personal learning network (PLN) online I am getting really useful sites, tips, and info. I still am sitting back and observing more than I am participating but I think it is a step in the right direction. So here I go, I will continue to develop my residency status on the internet even if I drag my feet and complain along the way
