Of the tools I’m already familiar with, I think I would choose Facebook©, LinkedIn©, YouTube©, and groups.io©, all of which are either free services or have a free access tier. Facebook© has an intuitive interface, and includes both sharing of media files and its own Messenger app. FB also includes a groups feature, allowing users to establish private groups for sharing information. I already use FB to not only stay in touch with friends and family, but to follow groups that strike my interest. Most organizations will have a FB page, and I already follow groups such as ProLiteracy as part of my AET learning. LinkedIn© is valuable for the same reasons and has a much stronger focus on professional development. It also includes LinkedIn Learning, which contains online courses and video tutorials. YouTube is useful for its vast archive of instructional videos. Users can also subscribe to channels that strike their interest, so as to be always up to date on the latest content. Finally, I like groups.io for its similarity to the now-defunct Yahoogroups. “Groups.io provides an expansive set of web-based group communication tools, including a calendar, wiki, file and photo sharing areas, and chats. What’s unique about us is that all of these features are built around the core email group system.” (Why Email Groups? The Groups.io Philosophy, 2021) While I’ve primarily used groups.io as a hobbyist, the system does include a vast array of professional and educational groups. It’s also easy to establish and maintain a group on nearly any topic you can imagine. While membership is free, establishing your own groups requires a paid account.
References
Jashik, S. (2021). The Professor and the Post. Retrieved from Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/07/08/east-carolina-professor-quits-over-facebook-post-he-says-he-didnt-make
Why Email Groups? The Groups.io Philosophy. (2021). Retrieved from Groups.io: https://groups.io/static/why
Mallory Jones 