Week 12 — Art Activity — New Friends
I met her through Instagram and I only knew basic information about her. We were going to be roommates this semester, but with COVID19 around, we couldn’t dorm.
I think I know her a bit better now and I know what she likes!
It doesn’t feel natural still because I like to get to know what people like and dislike over time by natural conversation and hanging out. An online or over-the-screen personality is also very different from knowing someone in person.
I think another way to make new connections with someone in a time of isolation is to try to call each other and physically talk, although I’m not sure how much that would improve the situation, as personalities are still a bit different virtually.
I used regular text (IM) to talk to Megan. It worked really well, especially with our different schedules. I think this way of communicating was perfect given our situations so I don’t think another platform would’ve been better.
Padlet was actually kind of fun to use. It was simple and I liked using the “wall” template. That was aesthetically pleasing to me. I think it does communicate well because it breaks up different sections by topics and pictures and whatnot. I think this platform was just fine and there isn’t necessarily a better platform to use.
I think in a time of pandemic isolation connecting with professional connections is a bit difficult due to not really being able to show your (again) your personality. Part of the way you get hired is by how well you can communicate and how you act in the workplace. There’s only so much you can impress your employer through words and statistics. I think that, currently, the best way to connect in situations like this is through Linked-In.
