How I use Flipboard, Twitter, and Diigo to advance my professional development

Last night, I was reflecting on how I find new tools, ideas, and methods to help me and my Cooperative Extension colleagues. As I thought about it, one process seemed to jump out, I would like to share it.

The most predominate method I use to gather new ideas is using Flipboard. Flipboard is an iPad application that allows you to view Twitter, Facebook, and other feeds in a friendlier format. Each tweet for example expands to show images and parts of the article it is linked to; this expanded view has a tendency to grab my interest more than the 140 character tweet. If I think the article is beneficial to my professional development, I will used the application’s e-mail feature to send it to myself. I also have the ability to share it with others by retweeting it. I have noticed one downside using Flipboard, I do not retweet as often as I do with Tweetdeck.

First thing in the morning as I am reviewing my e-mail, I take a closer look at the items I sent to myself. If I believe they will be useful and worthy of saving, I will bookmark them with Diigo. If the link is relevant for a friend, I will typically forward it to them.

At the end of the month, I put together a newsletter for the Wyoming’s Cooperative Extension called Geeks and Speaks. This newsletter is a collection of useful resources, methods, and ideas that I gleaned throughout the month. I build the newsletter based on the gems I find and save in Diigo.

While I still review my Twitter feeds in Tweetdeck, I have found Flipboard to be more useful for me. Check it out, I think you will also enjoy it.