Giving yourself an aquatic profile with My Page

In my recent role as moderator of this Network, I've enjoyed welcoming a flurry new members and meeting some of the existing ones. In the virtual world, you don't get to see, hear and sense other people as you might in person. Your first impression is made on the basis of their online profile.

That means the 'My Page' profiles on AquaticNet's Ning. So in this post I'm going to be addressing the questions: 'What is a profile for?' and 'How can I make the most of it?'

My Page is for getting to know and getting known by others who share our particular group's interest - in this case aquatic therapy. Professional social networks like this one are designed to be like a virtual coffee break or other informal gathering. You get to know each other by talking about things that matter to you, sharing problems, and seeking information or insights. It starts with sharing yourself on your own profile page.

Profile requirements reflect the focus of an online group (aquatics for us) but there is plenty of scope for self-expression. For example, you can customize the appearance of your profile page on the format we use, 'Ning', by choosing a Theme (see left below your profile photo on My Page). The more you are willing to share your aquatic self - honestly, openly and generously - the more you're likely to get out of that sharing.

At one end of the scale, cautious or rushed types may at first give themselves a code name, put only the minimum in the information boxes, and don't upload a photo or choose something a little obscure. The more flamboyant or keen among us are happy to write our life story and maybe add a photo that depicts our last achievement or adventure. In all cases, the newcomer is 'testing the water' to see what it feels like.

You want to know if the water is warm - meaning friendly and interesting - or cold - meaning nothing doing. Obviously, though, we'll all need to go a bit further if we're going to energize the water, making our sharing vibrant and valuable. Eventually, I hope we'll want to come away from the poolside, and join in to whatever degree is comfortable or feasible for each of us. And to feel welcomed.

Part of my job has been to encourage the development of a group dynamic and to get people mingling. So, let's create the most interesting profiles known to any professional social network group! Delightful pictures of ourselves in or near water. Full details of what we do aquatically and where we do it. Lot's of background on how we came to be doing aquatic therapy and why, and where we dream of taking that.

Everyone's profile page has it's own blog and comments spaces. Update the group about yourself and your work on your blog, and comment on other people's page updates. Enhance your page by uploading photos and videos of your aquatic work. Make sure you add interesting and informative descriptions to all these. The more you move around the site and interact by commenting, the more people will get to know you.

The Groups you join (or create) and the discussions you take part in will all show up on your profile page, making it a more lively place to visit. You can also make the network more intimate by forming your own group of Friends with whom you can share special messages or photo albums, and you can send private messages through the group email system. All this can be done from your personal profile page, My Page.

Keep up with what's going on in the network by making sure you've signed up to get email updates (see your Settings page). Whenever you're Signed-in, look at the right-hand column to see the Latest Activity or click on the tabs at the top of the page to see what has been added to each of those items (e.g. new photos or members), or visit the Main page for yet more updates.

So, how about diving in and making a splash by adding something new to your My Page profile today? Just click on the tab at the top of this page.