Task 3a - Current Networks

I am feel confidently proficient in my professional network tools within my school and business having designed and introduced a website which I maintain. I introduced this some years ago as I felt my business needed to move forward and recognise that we live in a world of technology and the internet is a valued and integral part of our daily lives. I myself look to the internet if I want to find information on a local service rather than the yellow pages or similar material, as not only do I want to find a contact number or email but I want to find and see further information/pictures before I make the decision to follow it up. A website with little or no information does not serve its purpose, therefore I have endeavoured to fulfill this criteria within my own website so as to offer as much to the viewer as possible. www.heatherlea-dance.org

 

We also have a Facebook page which is  actively used by myself and members of staff to post information; pictures taken in class; create events or just to socialise. As many people are part of a social network and have access to these through their smartphones it seemed a easy decision to make when deciding if we should have a page dedicated to Heatherlea Dance. We currently have a good number of followers who are associated with the school as well as other people connected with them or students and so this provides us with a great advertising space.  

 

Texting and emailing plays a significant role in my professional network and gives me the opportunity to update customers and students alike quickly and effectively, whether it be to make changes to a class time on the last minute as a result of weather conditions or to send them an invoice for lessons scheduled, this enables me to cut down on paperwork and the expense it can carry in relation to resources and printing costs. Like Facebook most people can access their email from their phone and so this provides me with an instant message service.

I put great thought and efforts into designing and producing leaflets as I recognise that not everyone is computer literate and so may not access a technology based tool but may prefer to see a visual aid. Whilst these provide me with a cost implication they have to be part of my network so as not to loose a possible audience market. An example of a recent leaflet designed to generate interest in additional classes we offer is below.

 

 

Since beginning the BAPP programme I have been introduced to Blogging. I have grown to like it and will continue to blog after the programme has been completed but would like it to be on a professional level not personal. I envisage that we could use it as a way of bringing  the parents of our students into the lesson, allowing them to have an insight into the classes routine and progression. 

In relation to other providers of dance education who deliver to the same audience market, I feel I am well established within my network tools and although I appreciate you can always learn and further develop, my competitors locally do not offer me any ideas or tools to inspire me to follow or introduce to my business. 

Personally I use Facebook confidently and enjoy the socialising opportunities it provides me, with friends of recent times and those who were part of my younger days who I have been reunited with.  

I would however like to better understand and appreciate Twitter so I feel part of the Tweet gang that seems to have evolved over recent years. I don't quite understand the relevance of it and talking in hash tag terms !! Plus as I understand, the security of the site is questionable as you can see everyone's business from

a Superstar to the boy or girl next door, if they so wish to share it ! If I were to introduce this social network to my professional practise it would raise questions of appropriateness as I work with children and young adults and their safeguarding is paramount. 

I also feel very wary of Flickr and Instagram as a professional network as a concern of security and the potential it has to circulate, taking into account they are image related tools. I feel happy to use them in a personal setting, allowing those invited by myself to have viewing ability. 

I have of recent, become part of Linkedin, a professional networking tool. To be perfectly honest I do not interact with it as regularly as I could, but use it on occasion when I am notified of a change on my account. I'm not sure if it is of great benefit to my profession currently but more useful to those who work in a larger networked profession. 

My ideal network would predominantly amalgamate all the tools I currently use as individual tools including :
 

* information on the services provided from schedule of classes to party information

* order facility for uniform via an online shop

* ability to register for classes online

* pay for invoices online

* post information and accompanying pictures

* allow others to make further comment on the posts

* create events and invitations
* examination information and results/statistics

Whilst there are many more possibilities of an ideal network that would lend itself to my professional uses, I have tried to list the key points that dominate my network choices. Ethical consideration has to take centre stage as my workplace is predominently child based and so I have to pay attention to their needs and what is deemed appropriate. With regards to not knowing, there is always opportunity for learning and by keeping a vigilent eye on how the professional, larger establishments within my network field, will enable me to grow and in turn utilise these attributes to further develop my effectiveness as a provider of dance education.