Connectedness, engagement and learning through Social Work communities on LinkedIn
Joaquín Castillo de Mesa, Luis Gómez Jacinto, Paula Méndez Domínguez
Social networking sites have enabled a high connectedness leading to unprecedented
interactive dynamics. Social workers are using these digital means and they are
generating communities of practice through which they cooperate and share
information. Through netnography and analysis of social networking sites we have
observed the presence, identity and connectedness and interaction patterns on LinkedIn
of 170 social workers who work at 41 organizations from specific contexts. Implicit
communities were identified through various algorithms, thus analyzing leadership and
cohesion of their members. Results show connectedness and interaction patterns that
lead to the creation of communities of practice on LinkedIn based on social work
domains and practices. The possibility of establishing and maintaining relationships on
LinkedIn and applying social networking sites to social intervention as an innovative
strategy to improve information exchange and cooperation between professionals and
organizations is addressed in the discussion.← Schedule