Social Media & Social Networking for
LibrariansSandbox lessons before "the
real thing"
Stephanie (Sara Leah) Gross
Librarian, Electronic Reserves
Yeshiva University
Social media
Media that promotes the sharing of thoughts, material (including print and electronic sources) First well-received s.m. were web pages, wikis and blogs of the Web1.0 technology.
Research on Internet use:Pew Research Center--American Life Project
Nielsen Company time spent online Nielsen Company S/N rankings
Most popular: Chat/Text
IM (SMS, MMS)--Text Google Talk, Yahoo!IM Conference: DimDim.com Variety of devices: PC, Handheld (e.g. Blackberry, cellphones, ultraportable notebooks)
Some examples:
http://www.ajlnyma.org http://www.newyorklibraryclub.org At best: Have moved at least to Web2.0 (interactive) presence. Minimally: Anarchronistic, but still useful. Web presence means findable. BUT: Face-to-Face still vital(e.g. SLA-NY monthlyHappy hours)
Tutorial? Help?
Association of Jewish Libraries-- Hidden wealth of resources: FAQs, bibliographies, links, expert advice http://www.jewishlibraries.org
Bookmarlets
Portable, Mozilla Firefox XMarks (formerly Clipmarks) Some bookmarking systems (e.g. Google) integrate personal bookmarking with Delicious Delicious---Favorite for librarians (also Magnolia). Made "tag cloud" popular. Based on folksonomy (interactive people generated descriptors)
Organization: URLs, tags, share or not, bundles Search within network: Hashtags: recent convention to facilitate finding pertinent material, esp. conventions, symposiums, etc. (e.g. #NEAJL09, #AJLChicago2009)
Delicious.com
Other popular Sharing sites
Facebook--USA #1 (c Jennifer Freer, business reference librarian (Fan page) YouTube--clips, channels, instruction, DIY Flickr--pictures, now vids Twitter--microblogging, marketing LibraryThing--Library2.0
Twitter conventions:
Follow someone with whom you wish to have a conversation. SLG--Personally follow or subscribe to RSS feeds in order to keep abreast of IT/KM. Many feel only converse if have something to say, or questions to ask. NOISE--Big negative phenomenon that threatens to destroy beauty of Twitter.
Twitter : microblogging
Short postings of 140 characters, often including link or "ReTweet" of information. Links shorts via TinyUrl, Bit.ly (metrics), tr.im Expert advice: mashable.com, WikiHow, Wikipedia, YouTube
When to use Twitter:
Email: For correspondence (individual or community [blast]). Contacts good starting point for networking. Twitter: for bulletins, oftentimes subject-specific, e.g. Calendar, blog, updates Problem: Difficulty getting community to adopt system if getting bad rap or seems too difficult. (But: integrated w/FB)
Great for:Keeping in touch with valuable contacts Events (announcing, inviting) sharing Clubs (now Fan Pages) Fundraising Outreach "friending" Controversial: Library where students are (jury still out). Even Twitter (kids text)
Facebook apps
Visual bookshelf weRead ReelSocial YouTube Flickr (Picnik) Apps often available as Widgets (e.g. IM, Skype)
Other valuable e-groups
Google Groups: Librarians without Boundaries Yahoo! groups--free of charge, have moderator (e.g. AJL-NYMA, Sara Marcus) NEW (Do not need to be a member: ALAConnect Google offline: Meetup.com BUT: online presence supports & complements group.
NY Librarians Meetup
Must request to join Very findable on the Web Once registered, get to other groups, e.g. NY Hebrew Language Profile filters for each group. Oftentimes personal v. professional persona need to be kept separate Organizing events (share venues, memberships), emailing, posting pictures, promoting. IMHO superior to FB, integrated and group-focused.
Most professional social media venue for promoting yourself, esp. SILS students with second careers. NYLM hosting LearnIn with InfoCurrent recruiter rep who "stalks" potential librarians through LI. Discussion groups, often through alum association or library association.
Bibliography
Morvile, Peter. Ambient Findability: What We Find Changes Who We Become. O'Reilly Media, 2005. Anderson, Chris. The Long Tale. Hyperion, 2006. Ellyssa Kroski Web 2.0 for Librarians and Information Professionals. Neal-Schuman, 2008. Twitter by CommonCraft (online tutorials) SmartComputing-- (monthly popular mag for intermediate IT/KM) Subscription provides Technical Support account, email alerts, reviews, DIY, and online Q&A usergroup. Liz Lynch Social Networking website, booklets, books, seminars Job Hunters Bible (Dick Bolles) Val Forrestal (Twitter maven)
Bibliography (cont'd)
SmartComputing-- (monthly popular mag for intermediate IT/KM) Subscription provides Technical Support account, email alerts, reviews, DIY, and online Q&A usergroup. Liz Lynch Social Networking website, booklets, books, seminars Job Hunters Bible (Dick Bolles) Val Forrestal (Twitter maven)