What is important about a Professional Learning Network (PLN)?

One large central bubble with "Professional learning network" surrounded by 8 other bubbles, showing the components of a PLN
Image created by Gemini

What do I want my PLN to accomplish?

In this day and age of Social Media, you don't really think about what your social media network can do for you. You want to get a job? Build an audience on LinkedIn. You want to be an Influencer? Build your audience on social media. You want to build your business? Build a network of influence across social media platforms. But do you know what all of that is? All of what I mentioned is part of a Personal/Professional Learning Network.

According to TeachThought, in order to create, manage, and promote a Professional Learning Network (PLN) you have to become an expert at curating ideas and community, managing networks and information, and socializing - how you think and interact with the public. That is a lot to think about. It takes a lot of mental and emotional energy trying to wrap your head around all of that. But with how fast the world is moving, changing, and evolving, we are at the point where you really do have to develop a PLN if you want to advance in your career and endeavors. So let's talk about it.

What is most important in a PLN?

Socializing is the number one skill one must master. A network isn't a network unless you actually make those social connections to build your network. I've been a content creator on various platforms for over 10 years - TikTok being the most recent. Over that period of time, I've learned quite a bit, and what TeachThought recommends you do is exactly what you need to do as a content creator as well.
  • Know your audience.
    • Who knows who, who has what you need, and who can connect you to others with additional resources.
  • Know how to attract quality people.
    • Practice discernment to bring in only the best people for YOU into your circle.
  • Know the importance of quality content.
    • No slop, hook them in, be accurate, give them a reason to stay.
  • Know how to post to specific people.
    • Target the people who can provide the information you need (@mentions, DM).
    • Understand how to communicate with different people to achieve the desired effect.
  • Understand SEO (Search Engine Optimization.
    • What tags should you use? What keywords help the metadata to gain more exposure?
  • Know when to post.
    • Timing is key. You have to consider time zones, most common interaction times (morning, after work, evening?)
  • Be patient when creating contacts
    • Even though the world craves instant responses, save yourself some grief and give people time to respond.
  • Follow social media etiquette - know the trends.
  • Post for yourself and what makes you happy. Don't chase popularity.
  • Spend time to reflect on what you can learn from your network and how you can grow personally and professionally.
Can we mentally and emotionally accomplish these goals? If you take the time to plan things out, yes, you can. It goes against the entire fiber of my being, as someone who has ADHD. But if you work on it a little bit each day, take one step at a time, you can accomplish great things.

Comments

  1. Tyler MoserJanuary 30, 2026 at 9:31 AM

    I really liked your breakdown of what TeachThought recommends for a PLN to feel both achievable and worthwhile. Highlighting “socializing” as the #1 skill makes so much sense; without real connection, the rest (knowing your audience, attracting the right people, creating quality content, SEO, timing posts, and practicing patience) doesn’t stick. And what a great reminder to reflect and keep etiquette in our minds by knowing (and understanding) the trends. Posting for yourself rather than chasing popularity is also great advice.

    ReplyDelete
  2. WessamFebruary 1, 2026 at 2:45 PM

    I love reading your blog posts. Your content and tone are so engaging. I really appreciated how you framed a PLN through the lens of social media and content creation. Your point that “a network isn’t a network unless you actually make social connections” really stood out to me. It helped me see a PLN as something active and relationship-based, not just a list of connections. I also liked how you broke it down into practical skills like knowing your audience, being intentional about who you connect with, and creating quality content. That made the idea of building a PLN feel more realistic and actionable.
    I’m curious how you decide which platforms or connections are worth your time? Do you focus on just one or two, or try to maintain several at once?

    ReplyDelete

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