The social networking software Ning contributed greatly to our projects success.  We wanted to create an online community that would connect librarians and MLIS students from the Midwest, and we succeeded.  We had people from Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan join our More Than Books Ning community.  Although many people joined, most people became lurkers, and participation in the site was minimal beyond the core four of Eric, Danielle, Chris and me.

This non-participation problem was not the fault of Ning.  We contributed to this problem by making some mistakes in our design of the site.  According to “The Perfect Social Network,” a Ning tutorial, trying to kick start a social network by starting discussion threads is wrong headed.  We did that and ended up with no user participation and an empty site. Ning recommends using pictures and videos to greet users on the main page at the start up of your social network.  We eventually did arrange the main page to highlight pictures and it seemed more appealing.

Our presentation went well.  We concentrated on the process of using Ning in creating a social network for Midwest librarians to get connected.  Eric introduced our project.  Danielle talked about the back end in creating the layout, I talked about Marc Andresseen, compared the site to the Ning tutorial “The Perfect Social Network,” and skimmed the content. Lastly, Chris talked about taking Ning into the future.

Overall, the project provided a first-rate learning experience.  We found Ning to be a nifty tool in creating a social network for Midwest librarians.  With some tweaking of our site based on trial and error, we are optimistic More Than Books can sustain itself as a vibrant, sleek, and practical connection promoter.

My brand monitoring research flattered the Arlington Heights Memorial Library (AHML). Regarding blogs, the comments concerning AHML were positive. To illustrate, Morgan Mandel’s “Double M’s Take on Books, Blogs, Dogs, Networking, & Life”  blog commented on AHML’s film program “In The Libary, No One Can Hear You Scream” as a great way to spend a Thursday night. I found a blog in German that when translated found the video AHML made about new possiblities with catalogs and Library Thing as useful and informative. The “Minds Wide Open” blog was ga ga over AHML’s unique graphic mission statement shaped as three overlapping leaves with “personal  service” in the intersecting middle and “information,” “reader,” and “community” on the outside of the leaves. The blog felt that the organic feel of the graphic mission statement supported the idea of AHML as the lifeblood of its community. Moreover another blog, “My Library Ideas,” was excited (me too) about AHML’s ability to put a hard number on the library’s worth for the fiscal year 2008 to its community. The figure was $59,551,714 and you could link to see how they arrived at this number. One blog was also impressed with a YouTube video AHML made about the work cycle of the technical services department made in terms of an episode of ER.

Some of the blog posts that mentioned AHML were promotional in nature. For instance, Waltzing Australia author Cynthia Clampitt in her blog promoted her visit to AHML. She hoped to sell some books.

In looking at the tweets on Twitter, they were used primarily to orientate the reader as to where the tweeter was, is, or would be, in relation to the Arlington Heights Memorial Library.

The MySpace page for AHML, a 36 year-old single male, was quite accomplished. Geared to a younger audience, the profile was complete and current. The admiring Friends Comments about AHML were mostly from other libraries, and appreciative authors and muscians. They were grateful over being added to the library’s collection or MySpace page and its hospitality.  AHML had a simpler presence on Facebook with fewer Friends and no comments. Finally, AHML did  have an official Flickr page with 10 sets of photo streams, but with few if any illuminating user comments. Additionally, “miriella” and “anthonylibrarian” posted three pages of pictures that honored the library.

Overall, the brand monitoring experience was noteworthy in two respects. I became much more aware of how libraries can research themselves through all the library 2.0 technologies and social networking communities. What an invaluable insight that can be for a librarian. By eavesdropping on all the different venues creating an online presence, you can certainly get a sense of how patrons view your library.

Lastly, brand monitoring reiterated just how commercialized all the Library 2.0 technologies and social networks have become. Blogs and Twitter are used by authors and musicians to promote their books and music. The AHML MySpace Friends lists were dominated by authors and musicians populated throughout the library’s collection. Advertisers are ubiquitous throughout most everything Library 2.0. Nevertheless, it becomes imperative that libraries use 2.0 tools just to keep up with the accelerating pace of people’s desire to network online and through technology – plus, the 2.0 tools are fun!

Twitter has been all over the news this week with articles in Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly.  Twitter was recently in Time as well. Twitter has posted a 900% increase in active users since last year.  What is the appeal? In a scary, alienated, and economicly depressed world, Twitter seems to allow people to feel some intimacy with others. When people get home instead of turning on the TV, they they can now look at their Twitter feed to assuage their sense of isolation.

Neil Gaiman says in Entertainment Weekly (March 13), “I am fascinated by the immediacy and power of Twitter. I love the idea of unmediated interactions.” Thousands of others also love unmediated interactions as they flock to Twitter to get a glimpse into the life of a celebrity without publicist interference. Our celebrity obsessed culture is feasting on the Twitter feeds of celebs. Britney Spears has about 275, 700 followers and Ashton Krutcher about 227,200. There is no denying the appeal of knowing when musician John Mayer takes a poop, or that he will wait for public opinion to form regarding the new U2 CD, so he can take the opposite view in fashioning his stance on their new music. There is a certain comfort to be found in scouring through the mundane details of day-to-day living that the famous endure like the rest of us.

As for its use in a library, I can think of a few ideas for using Twitter that don’t involve a running commentary on the library director’s poop schedule. Time sensitive announcements like emergency closings could be posted to Twitter. Collection developers in some of the more popular areas of the collection could Twitter new purchase orders they have placed for DVDs, CDs, videogames, and fiction titles. This alerts the early-bird-gets-the-worm set to place their holds. Twitter can also drum up some interest for anticipated library materials, programs, and services by publicizing them on Twitter. Libraries could even create Twitter “teasers” to get patrons actively hunting for more information on forthcoming materials and services.

Lastly, book and film discussion groups in libraries could use Twitter as a tool in their dialogue and enjoyment of a reading or viewing item. For example, a book group reading Duma Key might decide to Twitter their reactions and make predictions after every chapter. This  may lead to a surprisingly fresh reading experience as books and movies could be shared not through the great collective unconscious, but through a radical new “Twitterconscious” level.

I HOPE THE REVIEW IS BRIEF!

This post aims to offer up a brief literature review regarding the topic of social networking sites and their advantages and disadvantages.

Danah Boyd in “Social Network Sites: Public, Private, or What?” explores the social dynamics of social networking sites. They are “mediated publics” where people congregate publicly through mediating technology.  Boyd gives a good review of social networking sites (profiles, Friends lists, and comments). Boyd concludes by giving some wise advice for educators and their roles in dealing with the young and their social networking sites.

Ralph Gross and Alessandro Acquisti in ”Information Revelation and Privacy in Online Social Networks (The Facebook Case),” examine the behavior of about 4,000 Carnegie Mellon University students and their interactions with Facebook. The two surmise that the perceived protection of privacy in which personal data is provided to only the members of an online university community may expand the Facebook users willingness to actually reveal more personal information. The authors also document privacy implications such as stalking and re-identification.

“Facebook and the Social Dynamics of Privacy” by James Grimmelmann gives a good general overview of the whole issue of privacy and social network sites. He provides incisive examples of privacy lost, and goes into detail about people and their social reasons for participating in social networking sites (basicly humans are social beings).

“Discussion: MySpace and Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA)” by Danah Boyd and Henry Jenkins, covers some of the benefits of social network sites, such as the facilitating of networking skills which are becoming important in all areas of our lives. Additionally, the discussion explains DOPA and advocates for teens engaging with MySpace to do so under the oversight of informed adults.

Susan Barnes in “A Privacy Paradox: Social Networking in the United States,” discusses the privacy paradox in which adults are concerned about corporations and the government collecting personal data about us. Yet, teenagers voluntarily provide personal information online. Specific examples of privacy losses are given as well as some solutions, namely, educating social site users.

“To Catch a Predator? The MySpace Moral Panic” authored by Alice Marwick, looks at moral panics related to technology – technopanics. She comments on incidents of teenagers having sex with adults after meeting them on MySpace. The government’s reaction to the MySpace technopanic, DOPA, is described as misguided.

Felt, Hooimeijer, Evans, and Weimer chronicle a problem with content integration into Facebook in their paper, “Talking to Strangers Without Taking Their Candy: Isolating Proxied Content.” There is an increased risk of user impersonation and data exposure because browsers don’t differentiate between trusted and untrusted embedded content.

Dwyer, Hiltz, and Passerini in “Trust and Privacy Concerns Within Social Networking Sites: A Comparison of Facebook and MySpace,” relate how in a comparison with MySpace, Facebook users were more trusting of their site and its members, and they were more willing to include identifying data in their profile. However, the MySpace users were more active in the forming of fresh relationships than Facebook users.

LIBRARIES NEED A PRESENCE IN THIS SOCIAL WEB!

It is important that the library meet users wherever they are.  If they are on Facebook or MySpace, that is where the library must go.  Information movement is so fluid that a library can’t afford to wait at the scenic corner of First Street and Maple Avenue for users to walk in the door.  The library must get as close to users and potential users as possible to remain relevant in a world where Google is just a click away.  Moreover, the more eye appeal, functionality, and interactivity the library’s social networking site creates, the more enticing visitors will find it, especially the gaming generation.  What follows are a few examples of Facebook library sites and my comments:

Palatine Public Library

I found The Wall posts dated, but the Mini-Feed was current.  Connections to WorldCat and the library’s pictures on Flickr were useful and interesting.  Relevant links to different blog posts (library, teen, and nonfiction blogs) were especially fitting.  

Seattle Public Library

This Facebook site was disappointing considering their hefty reputation. I was expecting more.  There was no WorldCat or Flickr link. However, I did like their use of a discussion forum. 

Arlington Heights Memorial Library

A commendable Facebook site.  The library thoughtfully provided an Ask a Librarian Live Online reference widget for the convenience of their users. The Mini-Feed and The Wall were up-to-date.  WorldCat and library photo albums were supplied. Also, the library provided practical RSS feeds and a community events section with links to smartly facilitate their interactions with the social networking set.

New York Public Library

A comprehensive and current Facebook site that provides more information than the aforementioned sites, probably due to the vast extent of  library offerings.  An interactive map,  videos, and a handsome listing of current exhibitions with photos is furnished.  A cool February profile of crime novelist, Linda Fairstein, is provided in which she gives recommendations for her favorite items to read, watch, and listen to at the library.  Also, invitations to comment on videos and participate in discussions are given in what is a model social networking site for libraries to emulate.

What is going on with social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace? I have never been a member of these sites. Therefore, doing a research paper on these sites for our class assignment seems appealing. More specifically, a topic that interests me is social networking sites and the issue of privacy.  I have heard about people losing out on jobs because future employers have seen their embarrassing party photos, or maybe they wrote something that did not reflect too kindly upon them.  Furthermore, I have heard about college admissions officers cruising social networking sites to investigate potential students.  Supposedly, some students have been denied admission because once again something they wrote or did (which was photographed) ended up being seen by an admissions officer.  This admissions officer felt such a student had no place at their university.

It follows that other considerations concerning social networking sites become relevant.  For instance, are these social networking sites providing many benefits to compensate for the privacy risks out there? Exactly what are the advantages of Facebook and MySpace that make them so appealing to young people that they will risk divulging personal information to the world? These young people will even risk disclosing personal information to their parents, which seems rather chancy considering how much young people want to separate from their parents and become independent.

Malcolm Gladwell in Blink asserts that decisions made quickly and without much analysis can be just as good, if not better than carefully researched decisions.  Many of us look at things and are able to deduce that things are not quite right based on our experience and innate intelligence.  The unconscious mind can filter out superfluous data and focus on the essential truth – thin slicing – but too much time or data can confuse and blind the unconscious mind.  Blink has some interesting implications for librarians.

User participation becomes extremely important to libraries that value thin slicing.  User comments and suggestions become especially important as they are presumably more seat-of-the-pants.  Comments and suggestions provided by users would seem to be thin sliced.  Better informed, more thoughtful librarian decisions can become muddled with too much data and time spent mulling over many facts.  Patron snap judgments can possibly see the essential truth of circumstances, where we can’t.  It follows that librarians can save time and money by deemphasizing market research, such as focus groups. If librarians have good ideas they should just implement them.  Don’t subject your ideas to the numbing effect of too much market research, which probably endorses the status quo anyway.  Go with your instincts. Filter out irrelevant information and focus on the meaningful. 

Lastly, library administrators need to rely on the good judgment of their staff and frontline people. These workers are dealing with the public all day.  Presumably, they have a sense of what the public wants.  Library staff can thin slice situations.  They don’t have a lot of time and information to consider when making quick decisions.  Their instincts should be valued by library supervisors and administrators.