NASW’s new Lunchtime and Specialty Practice Sections teleconferences will include a webinar format to expand the experience for those listening to a live teleconference.
“We are always looking for better ways to enhance our products and services and this will add new, interactive elements to our teleconferences,” said Yvette Mulkey, manager of NASW Specialty Practice Sections.
Participants in live teleconferences will continue to listen to the audio presentation by telephone, Mulkey explained. They will also have the opportunity to connect to an interactive website that will display multiple elements, including a slide presentation that will sync with the live teleconference.
Other enhancements include the ability to link to other websites or documents, participate in polls and converse with others via chat room. “The webinar has interactive capabilities,” Mulkey said.
Teleconferences will be available for review after they take place in audio and transcript formats, she said.
The April 27 Lunchtime Series teleconference featured the new webinar format. Titled “Managing Your Professional Image Online,” the series was presented by NASW staffers Brandon Maddox, Web manager, and Ebony Jackson, Web designer.
They explained the advantages and what to avoid with a professional and/or personal identity on popular social networking websites such as Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn.
Participants for the live teleconference were able to follow the presenters in the webinar format, which included slides and a chat room.
In the presentation, Jackson said professional and personal online identities have fused together thanks to social media in technology. “Statistics show that three out of four Americans use social technology,” Jackson said.
One advantage is the ability to instantly join an online community, she said.
However, in order to maintain a professional identity online, it’s important to separate personal and professional profiles and take advantage of privacy control settings, she said.
One suggestion that can help with the process, Maddox said, is creating separate e-mail accounts: one for personal and one for professional contacts. “Your e-mail address is your unique identity,” Maddox said.
For those searching for a way to promote their professional identity via a social network, LinkedIn is a popular option, Maddox pointed out. “This is used by job recruiters because of its ease of use,” he said.