About me

I have a background as irrigation engineer, working to help organise farmers and design irrigation systems which fit their farming reality, but currently I work to help professionals use social media. Though it may seem very different- it's still the combination of helping people to use technology to improve their lives. For 10 years I worked in various countries (Kenya, Ghana, Ethiopia and Mali) as trainer in particpatory processes and organisational change facilitator. Since 2003 I'm back in the Netherlands and since 2007 I am a freelance consultant. I started this blog in 2005 when I was fascinated by communities of practice. I'm still fascinated by them, though I'm now seeing more clearly that communities may not work or be the best solution in all situations and other (more structured) interventions may be worthwhile too.

I am fascinated by social media and believe social media can be very powerful in learning processes. Social media may improve the quality of training and learning trajectories because of their potential to provide just- in-time and continuous support while people are 'on-the-actual-job'. I currently blog a lot about social media, not so much about the tools themselves but on how you to introduce social media in organisations and how to use them as trainer/facilitator in learning trajectories.

Together with Sibrenne Wagenaar I wrote "En nu online...". It is a Dutch book and you may order it here. Or simply like our facebook page. In the book we outline how professionals, organisations and facilitators might use social media, all based on our own experiences and practices, complemented with theory, research and interviews. (Joitske Hulsebosch en Sibrenne Wagenaar 9789031386079 Bohn Stafleu van Loghum, Nederlands, 1e druk, 2010)