My ABA Post-grad talk on using blogs for development of PLNs

1. Using Blogs to Develop a Personal
Learning Network
Amalia Cochran, MD, FACS, FCCM Burn Center at the University of Utah
@AmaliaCochranMD AmaliaCochranMD.com

2. Goals for the next 10 minutes
 Explain the idea of blogs
 Understand the spaces that blogs can occupy in
medicine
 Recognize the value of personal learning networks
@AmaliaCochranMD AmaliaCochranMD.com

3. What is a blog?
 Contraction of “Web log”
 Almost ubiquitous presence on the internet
 Can find blogs on almost any subject you are
interested in!
 “Spontaneous expression of instant thought.” -
Andrew Sullivan “Why I Blog” (The Atlantic,
November 2008)
@AmaliaCochranMD AmaliaCochranMD.com

4. Blog types in medicine
The personal…the professional…the personal AND professional
@AmaliaCochranMD AmaliaCochranMD.com

5. Personal Learning Network
 Definition: An informal community that allows for
reflection and collaboration as a life-long learning
exercise
 Types:
 Synchronous
 Asynchronous
 Semisynchronous
 Blogs fill semisynchronous/asynchronous spaces
because they can be almost real time…or when you have
time
@AmaliaCochranMD AmaliaCochranMD.com

6. Using a blog effectively
 Be consistent
 Decide what your posting frequency is, then stick with it! Readers
won’t “attach” to you unless you do so.
 Also…choose things that tend to be your “topics.” That also brings
reader loyalty and interest
 Be thoughtful
 It’s not a rant. Or if you do want to rant, find a way to make it
constructive/ thoughtful/ something others can learn from.
 It can be a great extension of your academic work and persona.
 Be authentic
 Unlike your professional writing, this is a place where people can
really “hear” your voice.
@AmaliaCochranMD AmaliaCochranMD.com

7. Have FUN!
@AmaliaCochranMD AmaliaCochranMD.com

8. Be aware
 Recognize your audience
 Do NOT commit a HIPAA violation. Please. I beg you.
 The Grandma C. Litmus Test: What would your Grandma
think if she read what you are sharing?
 Recognize your responsibilities
 PLNs are a two-way street; engage with your readers!
 Recognize if you are going down the rabbit hole
 See next slide…
@AmaliaCochranMD AmaliaCochranMD.com

9. Stages of PLNs
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2414/2384289406_e7ed48ae84.jpg
@AmaliaCochranMD AmaliaCochranMD.com

10. A closing thought
“Blogging, though, is where I have the most fun with [that] expertise,
and make it the most freely available. “- Rohan Maitzen, PhD
@AmaliaCochranMD AmaliaCochranMD.com