Educational networking in the digital age

The emergence of the Web as a dynamic, user- centered platform for
interaction and congregation of social capital has been said to impact
different levels in our society (Ferlander, 2003; Rheingold, 2000;
Wellman, 2001). It is changing some of the fundamental aspects of
how people connect, interact, share, and work (Attwell, 2007; Cross,
2007), and a new networking culture seems to be evolving as a result.
Academia is not an exception in this respect. These days it is said to
be imperative to foster new forms of engagement with one’s field and
even beyond. For knowledge workers especially, keeping up with the
continuous advancements in their subject areas is not only important,
but necessary to survive in the competitive world. Engaging with the
possibilities the digital age offers beyond what institutions formally
provide in terms of collaboration and personal and professional development
is thus more crucial than ever. Understanding the implications
of one’s online presence as part of practice, learning, and life in general,
is a new skill to be acquired. This chapter will focus on learning and
networking online, with special emphasis on academic researchers’ professional
networking activity. Hence, we will explore the obstacles, as
well as the advantages and implications of adopting a Web 2.0 approach
in the context of academic research and practice. In this chapter we
will attempt to provide an holistic reference to what it means to be a
networked researcher in light of the network society (Castells, 2000)—
while approaching related themes such as networked learning, digital
literacy, digital identity, as well as the opportunities and challenges the
Web presents when it comes to the publication and dissemination of
research activity.