CTS 033: Community

Have you thought about joining the wireless community but aren’t sure how to get started? You want to help educate others but can’t decide on a platform to use. Giving back to the wireless community is one of the reasons why we have a great group of people. We like to share and discuss topics with passion. In this episode, I list out some ways you can participate in the wireless industry. Create A Blog You can start off by guest blogging on someone else’s blog. It’s a great way to get started and share your content with the community. The next best thing is to start your own blog for free using WordPress or Blogger. This is a place to write about your experiences, provide tutorials on how to do something, or even a place to keep your notes for the certification you are studying for. Twitter Probably the least required effort to get involved. Only requires 140 characters or less to get your thoughts out there. Many wireless professionals are on Twitter participating in a lot of great wifi discussions. Twitter has become the go-to method of communicating with other professionals. Many conversations get heated and it can be interesting to watch and learn from those discussions if you feel that you are unable to provide any other value. Additionally, the wireless community is very supportive in sharing others’ blog posts with their followers. Conferences If there’s any place where you can meet those you communicate with on social media in person. Put a name and a voice to the person behind the avatar. The most valuable part of a conference are the tabletop discussions that occur over a couple of drinks. That’s in addition to the presentations scheduled throughout a conference. Videos Video tutorials are a great way to contribute back to the community in a learning way. Many people, including myself, are visual learners. Reading how to do something sometimes isn’t the best way to learn but with the support of a video it can become a powerful duo. Podcast This is the route I took, obviously. A podcast enables you to fully participate in the community in meaningful ways. Audio is an easy way for a listener to consume content. It can be listened to anywhere. Doing a podcast also forces you to learn subjects to create content. All you need is a microphone and a voice. This Week in Wireless * Join my upcoming webinar with Ekahau on Challenges & Solitons in Higher-Ed. * Mobility Field Day 1 is coming soon and yours truly is a delegate. * Brocade Aquires Ruckus