This month’s blog post was contributed by Abbey K. Elder, Open Access & Scholarly Communication Librarian at Iowa State University.

As more scholars have moved away from Twitter as their social media of choice and new options have sprung up in response, it’s become difficult for some newcomers to the OER space to find connections with their peers. To help you navigate your options, this month’s blog post will highlight a few places online where you can connect with others doing open education work online!

Social Media and Networking Sites

You have a lot of options for connecting with peers on social media today, but a few have been highlighted below to get you started:

• BlueSky: a short-form social media site for sharing information, links, commentary, and generally connecting with people online. Closest in look and feel to Twitter, BlueSky is a popular social media app for scholars and members of the public alike.
• Mastodon: like BlueSky, mastodon is a short-form social media site that allows users to share information easily with their followers and peers. What sets Mastodon apart is its decentralized approach. You can join the base Masotodon.social server, or one of several other servers focused on a specific user group (e.g. scholar.social). Different servers have different moderation methods and plugins enabled, but you can still connect with and follow people on other servers, so you won’t be missing out if you choose one with less active users.
• Knowledge Commons: Previously known as Humanities Commons, Knowledge Commons is an academic networking site, a place to connect with scholars over shared research interests. Knowledge Commons allows users to create a public profile, join groups focused on a specific topic area, and share articles and conference presentations in their repository, KCWorks.
• LinkedIn: Yes, LinkedIn is technically a job networking site, but it’s also recently become more popular for sharing and discussing one’s work! This is particularly true for those who want a more professional space to discuss their interests.

Forums

Do you miss using forums to share resources, ask questions, and easily browse tagged posts from years ago that might help answer lingering questions you have about open education? Well, forums (and blogs) still exist! You can create a personal website, comment on other OER professionals’ blogs, or join a forum focused on OER to connect with the wider community. The one we recommend is Open Ed Global Connect:

• Open Ed Global Connect: OE Global hosts a forum where you can connect with peers, share tools and resources of interest, and explore new events and information with others engaged in open education!

Email Listservs

The easiest place to find people you can talk to about OER is email lists. In addition to our own Google Group, the Iowa OER Mailing List, there are several you can join today, but we recommend these two to start:

• Community College Consortium for OER Email List: By joining the CCCOER mailing list, you will… “have an opportunity to post questions about OER to the many expert practitioners in this group and also to answer questions in your area of expertise. We also use this group to share many online and some face-to-face meetups focused on open education including our free monthly webinars and advisory meetings.”
• SPARC Open Education Forum: “The listserv provides a dynamic space for members to connect, exchange ideas, and collaborate on projects related to open education. It offers a public email discussion list enabling individuals to engage in meaningful conversations and stay up-to-date on the latest news and trends in the field. While most of the audience is based in U.S. and Canadian higher education, participants from all countries and sectors are welcome.”

Conferences and Events

Finally, if you’re hoping to connect with more people who are knowledgeable about OER, there are several state, regional, national, and global conferences you can attend to learn more, a few of which are linked below. Many of these are available for virtual or hybrid attendance, making them more accessible for a broad audience:

• The Missouri A&OER Conference (March 6, 2025): “This year’s conference will focus on the importance of collaboration in developing and implementing affordable and/or Open Educational Resources and how these collaborative strategies can enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of OER initiatives, fostering a more inclusive and equitable learning environment.”
• Florida OER Summit (May 21-22, 2025): “The theme of this year’s Summit is “Engage and Empower.” Join librarians, educators, instructional designers, students, and OER professionals from across Florida and the U.S. as we explore existing trends, look towards innovative directions, and discover how OER positively impacts students, faculty, and institutions.”
• The Open Education Conference (October 28-30, 2025): “The Open Education Conference is an annual convening for sharing and learning about open educational resources, open pedagogy, and open education initiatives. This dynamic gathering celebrates the core values of open education that strive to realize education ecosystems that are accessible, affordable and inclusive to everyone, regardless of their background.”
• OE Global Conference: “The Open Education Global (OEGlobal) conference provides multiple opportunities for networking, learning, brainstorming, and openly-exploring opportunities and collaborations.”

…and of course, there are many, many others! Check for OER-related conferences in your area!

Conclusion

This has been a relatively short list, so please feel free to comment your favorite ways to connect with the OER community, or chat with us on our listserv to connect with our members directly!