facebook for libraries
DESCRIPTION
Facebook for Libraries training given by Mandy Boyle to the Young Adult librarians of the Northeast Library District.TRANSCRIPT
Facebook for LibrariesA Best Practices Guide
Start Here
Why: Why are we doing this?Who: Who are we trying to reach?
Who will do the work? What: What’s our strategy?
Once these questions are answered, it’s time to choose the platform.
Facebook at a Glance
More than 600 million users Nearly half of those users log in every day One of the most-trafficked sites in the world Each user is connected to an average of 130
other users People spend over 700 billion minutes per month Average user creates 90 pieces of content per
month More than 30 billion pieces of content shared
each month About 70% of Facebook users are outside the US 200 million active users access via mobile
devices
The Elements of Facebook
The Home Page▪ News Feed – personalized feed of friends’ updates▪ Application and messaging controls: Wall posts, Pokes,
Status Updates, private messages, Chat The Profile▪ Information user has chosen to share▪ Interests, education, work background, etc.
Applications▪ Photos▪ Events▪ Videos▪ Groups▪ Pages
The Home Page
The Profile
Applications
What Users Can Do
Create personal profiles Add other users as friends Exchange messages Send automatic notifications when
they update their profile Join common interest groups Enjoy applications Create and share media
What Organizations Can Do Create organization profiles Create and promote events Communicate with users Connect with other organizations Update profiles and send notifications Send messages to organization “likers”
Users must opt-in to your page by clicking “Like” Track interactions Feature discussions Create and share media
The Difference: Profile vs. Page
Profiles are focused more on the individual.
Pages are focused on organizations or communities.
Libraries should utilize the Facebook page.
Facebook & Libraries
Facebook & Libraries
Most librarians first joined Facebook when it was limited to colleges and universities.
Experiment in engagement “Be where the students were” Considered to be low cost, minimal
effort
Facebook & Libraries
Strengths and Weaknesses Ruth Sara Connell, Libraries and the
Academy▪ Academic Libraries, Facebook and MySpace, and
Student Outreach: A Survey of Student Opinion, 2009
Most respondents indicated they would be accepting of library contact
Concerns about privacy Recommended librarians proceed with
caution when implementing social networking profiles
Facebook & Libraries
Things have changed Active users have grown by more than
4000% Millions of business websites Facebook users get personalized content Facebook encourages users to change
expectations on what should (and shouldn’t) be on Facebook.
Redefining relationships, shift to user-resource interactions rather than student-t0-student
Shifting Spaces
Libraries are becoming more social, both physically and virtually.
Overlap between physical space and virtual space, as well as academic spaces and social spaces
A Case Study
Do you Facebook? Networking with students online by Brian S. Mathews. C&RL News, May 2006
Outreach via Facebook to engineering students at Georgia Tech
Answering patron questions▪ Which software was available? ▪ How to renew items online▪ Recent building changes▪ Information about library spaces
Facebook Page Creation
What You Need to Know First You need to have an account on Facebook to create a
Facebook Page
Your Facebook page will be tied to your personal profile as the admin of your Facebook page; however, only you and Facebook know the connection exists.
You can have an unlimited number of fans (Facebook users who “Like” your page).
Facebook Pages are public—anyone can find and view your page whether they are logged into Facebook or not.
All content posted on your Facebook page gets indexed on Google.
What You Need to Know First You can target your posts by location and language.
You can add applications to your page, including your own custom content—video, rich text, graphics, opt-in box and more.
You can add additional admins (highly recommended).
All admins have equal rights to administer your page, including adding and removing other admins (choose with care!).
Select your page title and category carefully as they cannot be changed once set.
Many patrons are using Facebook as a primary source for library news.
Facebook Pages
The place to house all pertinent information about your library Overview of library Website & contact info Press releases Blog RSS Videos Twitter Updates News and status Community interactions Events
Facebook Pages
http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php
Now what? I have a Facebook page.
Utilizing Your Facebook Page
Reach new audiences Engage with users more effectively Enhance services by allowing greater
interaction and feedback Three C’s
▪ Community▪ Collaboration▪ Communication
Community
Connect with patrons and constituents
Participate in discussions Start conversations Share opinions (advocacy)
Approach with caution
Collaboration
Not just with other librarians. Your community too!
▪ Research and academic projects▪ Fundraisers▪ Surveys & polls▪ Source quotations/feedback▪ Events
Communication
Free Marketing Starting and sharing conversations Answering patron questions Breaking down barriers to
information Serving as an interactive resource LISTEN!
Growing Your Facebook Page “Like” other local organizations “Like” interests common with your patrons Link to the Facebook page on your
library’s website Link to the Facebook page in email
newsletters Cross promote on other platforms, such as
Twitter, blogs, etc. Share on your personal profile and
“Suggest” Hand out business cards with your
Facebook page URL on it Custom URL – how to get one
Library Related Applications
CiteMe Books iRead BookShare Catalog searches: COPAC, Worldcat Electronic resources: JSTOR LibGuides Internal catalog searches
Advanced Use of Facebook
Stay up-to-date on domain-specific research
Learn about changes to publishers’ content
Leverage social plugins to tap into a user’s likes and dislikes to offer up personalized content Eg. The Open Library Environment
project
Sources
Davis, Hilary. 2011. “Reconsidering Facebook.” In the Library with the Lead Pipe blog posting January 26, 2011: http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2011/reconsidering-facebook/ (last accessed on March 16, 2011).
"Factsheet." Facebook. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. <http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?factsheet#!/press/info.php?statistics>.
Karesten Wenzlaff. Echologist.com: The Science of Making Social Networks Resonate. Web. 17 March 2011. <http://www.karsten-wenzlaff.de/category/echologist/>.
King, David Lee. DavidLeeKing.com. Web. 15 Mar. 2011. <http://www.davidleeking.com>.
Smith, Mari. "Facebook 101 Business Guide." Social Media Examiner: Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle. 10 Aug. 2010. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. <http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/facebook-101-business-guide/>.
Questions? Thank you!
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linkedin.com/in/mandyboyle
@mandyboyle
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