The Good Far Outweighs the Bad

I've been practicing connected leadership for over a year now. I've also been reaping the benefits of what becoming connected brings. I've expanded my PLN. I've met some incredible and inspiring educators! I've had new opportunities come my way. It's been such a rewarding and affirming experience.

Up until just recently, being connected and using social media as part of my leadership practice was nearly all positive. I hadn't really understood why anyone would be apprehensive about becoming a connected educator.

Until recently...

When you have a social media presence, it opens you up to scrutiny. It also opens you up to more information and feedback than you likely could ever really digest.  I became aware of a negative post about my work earlier this Fall. That was difficult but I reminded myself that was part of the "price to pay" when you assume a leadership position and also when you actively use social media in your practice. I did not agree with the comment circulating but had resolved myself to accepting there was no changing that perception. Truth be told, that did not happen overnight. It took a lot of internal processing to see both sides of the post.

I've been thinking more about this as I've watched some tweets and Facebook posts over the last few weeks. It's made me think about why and how I use twitter to enhance my practice and how I use Facebook to enhance my connections with friends and families. In both arenas, it's made me think about how I can better model digital citizenship.

For me, tweets and Facebook posts are not about hurting someone's feelings. It's not a forum for arguing. However, it can be a forum for debate. I can agree to disagree. I believe people have their right to post what they want. If I really don't agree with the person or the post, I can ignore it. No one is forcing me to read their posts. I choose whom I follow and whom I do not.

But, we can post our opinion without being mean.
We can post our opinion without making it personal.
We can post our opinion without anger or hate being woven within.

For a couple of days, I downsized my access to Twitter and Facebook. I took a digital break. Yet I soon realized  I was missing the inspiration, ideas, and support I found on Twitter and Facebook. The positivity became my internal fuel to do and be better. I realized that what I gained from social media far outweighed what a negative post could take away. I realized the gifts were far greater than the risks.