Posts Tagged ‘social networking

12
Mar

the death of personal communicaiton. long live personal communication

By Site Admin 0 Comments
Categories: professional development
Tags: , ,

I’ve been thinking. I know it’s dangerous when that happens, but sometimes it just can’t be helped. These virtual social networks invade our lives or perhaps as our lives invade these virtual social networks. Every now and again it’s good to examine what that means. What’s happening to us? How are we affected

I’ve had discussions with several people on different occasions about how these social networks, I’m personally speaking on Facebook and Twitter because they’re currently the largest part of my community, bleed all these aspects of our lives. Our friends join them. Our families join them. Our Coworkers join them. All together in one spot our lives conjoin.

They’re social spaces by their nature, these places. We communicate informally, share our stories. Our status updates tell alot about who we are, not just what we’re doing. This is one of the things that I love about these tools.

I’m a social creature. I’m an informal creature. Yes, I know the importance of business and formality. I know when it’s time to put on a tie and shave. I’d say comb my hair, but if you know me, you know what a futile effort that would be. But by my nature, I prefer the laid back social interactions. This is where we get to know the people. This is how regular people become our people.

As I let my colleagues lives into my social networks I know more about them.  I can see them at play, making sly (not rude, mind you) remarks about their day, their lives, their work. You learn that they have days they don’t want to be there just like you do. It humanizes them. And they get to see mine. They hear about my disdain for my car. My excitement for my job. My driving my wife to Indiana. I can relate to them on a deeper level.

And that changes our relationship. That changes our relationship in a good way.

So where’s the hitch?

You have to watch what you say. Especially with Twitter, which I feel is the most informal of all simply by its play by play, moment by moment nature. The balance can be tough. And we may not realize it in the moment we tweet. And with Twitter, it’s generally there for all the world to see, even the people not following you. If they search the right word, they might find you.

What am I talking about? I’m not talking about walking around on your tiptoes every time you type something, wondering how it might be construed or misconstrued. You do have to do that some, but if you maintain a level of civility, I think you’ll be okay. I think that most people that use these features get it. But you still have to be careful.

So what am I talking about? Well, for example a few days ago I submitted my CV to my current employer for a promotion to the vacant professional position above me. I want the job, and when I did it, I let my tweeps know. Their outpouring of support for me was pretty awesome. I really appreciated it. I still do.

And then I got to thinking. This could be the last time I get to tweet about my job hunting experience. What if I some future day go searching for another job? We know it happens. I couldn’t really advertise that through my social networks. That couldn’t be good if it got back to my employer… and it could. It probably would in one way or another.

While this medium is so ripe for these sorts of exhanges, mass exchanges, I guess we have to let some things go. I’m willing to let that one go. The benifits outway the costs. We just need to be aware of the costs.

11
Mar

Twine

By Site Admin 0 Comments
Categories: tools
Tags: , , , , ,

Between social networking sites, like the everpresent Facebook, and social bookmarking sites, like Del.icio.us, lies Twine.

It seems to share the tagging and bookmarking sensibilities of Del.icio.us but adds in the social aspect, forming groups that all contribute to a specific twine topic, helping you as a member of the community discover items they otherwise might have missed. Pretty cool, as long as the commuity is pulling those resources into the twine

from the What is  Twine page:

People all around the globe who are also interested in this topic will contribute relevant content from different sources around the web – into this twine. You can add bookmarks, notes, videos and pictures. Discuss the topics or content with those who share your passions.

Keep track through an email digest that tells you the latest on what’s going on in your twines. You can also keep track through the interest feed or through RSS.

How is Twine different from Facebook or other social media?

Facebook is for tracking what’s happening with your friends.
Twine is for tracking what’s happening with topics, hobbies or people that interest you.

With Twine, you can create a twine of any topic you’d like to track. It can be broad or niche. It can be popular or bizarre. Others who are also really into this topic will join the twine. You can share and exchange information with like-minded people who’s into what you’re into.

I’ve joined a few twines – now what?

You’ll receive an email digest with updates on what’s going on in the Twines you’ve joined. You can keep track through the digest or through the interest feed. You can also keep track through RSS.

What’s next? Start contributing! Add bookmarks or other media to the twine and share what you’ve found. Give your take by leaving your comments.

I’m still getting my fingers into it, but it seems worth sharing. Check it out for yourself.

01
Mar

More Than Books

By Site Admin 0 Comments
Categories: class posts
Tags: ,

As librarians, our tribe extends far beyond the walls of our library. ALA alone holds conferences for us to meet up, mingle, and share our ideas. We’ve always been a community that thrived on our interactions with one another.

More Than Books offers the opportunity for Librarians in the midwest to continue to make those connections instantly and whenever needed, instead of when the next conference is held. A point of need virtual community for librarians! Interested in gaming? Instruction? Archiving? Come by and create the community you need.

MTB is still a young community, raring to go, but we believe it’s got the potential to become a valued resource. All it needs is you.

28
Feb

Social Networking

By Site Admin 0 Comments
Categories: class posts
Tags: , ,

web refractions I’ve grown rather fond of social networking. The things that they can accomplish is quite impressive. The way sites like MySpace and Facebook have exploded you can’t deny their power and influence. FB CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted earlier this year that if it were a country it would be the 8th most populus in the world. In. The. World. 150 million denizens. At it’s current growth rate it could reach up to 300 million next year (Slate). That’s a whole lot of people. It makes you wonder. Where’s your library?

A lot of my personal experience with social networking has been directly related to my experience with virtual communities. I won’t rehash that here.

I joined the FaceBook Legion a few months back. Even in just such a short period of time I can see some of the challenges that can arise out of such a social Network. Do I add old friends? acquaintances? Co-workers? Bosses? My mother? In an environment where people generally have the freedom to post any sort of comments to your Wall, or attach your name/account to photos, as a user you really need to make choices about what you are going to use these networks for. I’ve struggled with that myself.

I’ve seen great benefits from some of these social networks. They’ve really changed a lot of my perspectives on ‘identity’ and ‘openness’ in the internet culture. Where I used to use the veil of pseudonym, the relationships and  interactions through these networks have really brought me to the front. Part of the benefit to everybody involved is the open. Through these networks, like FaceBook and Twitter I’ve built stronger relationships with people. With Twitter, I’ve reconnected with people I lost contact with  in a real-time way that makes the distance seem insignificant. I’ve also connected with classmates that otherwise, I probably wouldn’t have been able to. I think these are awesome things.

So… Libraries. Putting your face, somehow, into these environments is absolutely necessary. I have to imagine that the 8th most populous country in the world needs some library interface. Not everybody needs to do what UIUC has done, but that would be pretty cool. Imagine as a user being to jump from your Facebook wall over to a library search. But even having a page that kept patrons up to date on events and activities in the library is a quick and easy way to meet the user where the user is. And, thanks to FB’s simple layout you don’t need to worry about making your mark that way, this means fast and easy implementation. Much easier than designing and updating your website, don’t you think?

(editorial note: the author does not necessarily support the notion of replacing your library website with a Facebook group…)

image: Web Refractions by ecstaticist

14
Feb

Virtual Communities: my long road from lurker to leader.

By Site Admin 0 Comments
Categories: class posts and self
Tags: , ,

Ever have one of those moments where you think you know exactly what you’re going to do, then something throws you and you have to rethink everything?

I had one of those moments the other night.

Totally ready to write my reflection on virtual communities, I read Tracie’s post about the mailing list/listserv experience she had. Crap. I did partake in a listserv. Or maybe it was a discussion list? Hell if I can remember. I barely remember being a part of it, but when I thought about it, it ended up being an important part of what I remembered my first experience being.

kAos, by jazzalnero @ flickr.com I’ll keep it brief.

I was in college. Sometime in the mid 90’s I joined a, lets call it a mailing group for the band Barenaked Ladies. I was a big fan, still am really, just not as active of one as I was back then. The group was just fans sending emails to the group, mostly about the band, concerts, stories. Some people found themselves living in the same area, and I think met up for shows. Not bad, all in all. Definitely a virtual community. and it grew. Alot. I couldn’t tell you how big, or how many folks there were, but it was alot.

I was what you, or Jonn Seely Brown, would call a lurker. I got the messages. I read them, most of them anyway. And that was it. I sent maybe a couple responses, but I never really added to the community. The internet at this period was a pretty fresh tool to me, email included. My first email address was in 1995. Even so, I felt this mode pretty limiting.

There was this “internet” thing… why weren’t we using that? I didn’t know if there was the actual capabilities of it, but it just seemed a better medium to me. My interst wanned. I stopped reading them. I can’t remember if I unsubscribed or just abandonned the account.

It wasn’t until 2000 when I started having satisfying experiences with virtual communities. Living in a new state, I was keeping contact with my friends back in Detroit through Yahoo Messenger. As a comic fan, I spent of my down time perusing the DC Comics Message Boards. Again, I was a lurker, but I participated more and more.

I was a writer in college, but work and what not afforded me little time for writing. At the DCMB I followed a request for people looking to participate in some collaborative fan fiction. That’s how I ended up on the EZBoards, which don’t appear to exist anymore.

I started just participating in writing for one message board. I can’t remember what it was called. “I can’t remember” is a phrase that I use often enough that I’m qualified to be attorney general of the United States. Anyway, the more I wrote with these people the more my posting spilled out over all the forums their board had, meeting and intereacting with the other posters on a more socal level. I became a pretty prevalent poster. Even though I was just one of the masses, I became a “Leader”. I was adding lots of content to the community as a whole, adding to the discussions, bringing up topics, enganging the new people, bringing lurkers out of the dark to post. It was nice. That board was part of a circle of 3 or 4 other boards on the EZboard community. I spread my wings, joining the others and getting to know lots of new people very well. Eventually I became a “mod” for one board. Then Two. Then all of them. The better we all got to know each other, especially the board mods, the more our contact spread beyond the board into instant messaging.

These people who I’d never met had become some of my best friends. It seemed weird… but it was true. We shared a lot of common interests. Comics. Games. Writing. Interests my local friends and I just didn’t have. And because of the interaction through the board and IM, I spent so much time with these people.

Compared to some places, these boards weren’t huge. But they had a great influence on the people that were part of them. It was a dedicated Tribe, as Seth Godin would say. Several years ago when 4 of us migrated away from the EZboard community to our own place. The users moved with us. 4+ years later EZboard is gone and Superbuddies is still a thriving community for people to talk about comics, movies, produce and display art, produce collaborative fan fiction. I’m quite proud.

As for my virtual tribe… I’ve actually met a number of the people who are part of the community several times. I guess a lot of them have become part of my personal Tribe…

Photo: kAos, c/o flickr and jazzalnero

shelfless

the internet is just another library. rich, diverse, and incomplete. we create shelflists and catalogs to discover and rediscover.

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