I created a simple Myspage page, http://www.myspace.com/bookcalendar . I wanted to see what the craze was with social networking sites. It really is not that fascinating to me. When people sign up to use the computers in the libraries, they often go to myspace to post messages or look for hot dates. I guess, I am not part of this generation. Sometimes, if I am not careful and I look to closely, some of the things I see make my eyes burn and pop out of my sockets a bit. It can be a bit explicit or suggesive.
My colleagues often speak of Myspace with hushed tones. I don't think librarians understand social networking that well. Being a librarian in many ways is a very traditional job. There is a sudden invasion of new computer programs and applications which change the way reference can be done. Unfortunately, this is being approached in a quite haphazard way.
Blow up the reference desk, use blackberries to answer reference questions, carrie your laptop around the library to do reference. Roving computerized reference, the wave of the future. I can imagine carrying around a tablet pc in the future and actively looking for people to help. I would be in a star trek style uniform with a big librarian tag on the front and back. I wish people would think through a little bit more as they implemented new technologies.
I also went on Facebook today. I had a bunch of people sign up as my friend. Yesterday, I had one freind. Today, I have seven. It is kind of interesting. Maybe, I will build a unique offbeat literary network. It also showed me a bunch of places that my freinds joined as well. I joined a publishers group and posted something.
I had one person join me on Myspace as a freind. Then I searched for groups that were related to librarianship on Myspace. There were very few, much less than on Facebook.
I think as a potential professional networking tool, Facebook is much more useful. If you are looking for a hot date or a chance to discuss the latest rap song which the teenagers do at our branch, try Myspace.
I finished reading Scott Gier, Genellan Planetfall, on the Baen Free Library Site. I didn't realize it was part of a larger series. Scott Gier has a website devoted to the series. I may read a few more books in the series. Only the first one is free. This is the classic way to hook you. The first one is free, then you have to buy the book or borrow it from the library. This is why it is profitable to give away older books if you are a publisher. http://www.genellan.com/
10 comments:
Hi, I work in a library also, so I know what you're saying about the technology issues. But I also signed up in Myspace and facebook, I didn't like either one. I think both sites are geared more towards hooking up or finding friends just to get friends. That's why I like blogging, I write about things that interest me and if someone else is interested then they leave me a comment or join my neighborhood, and I do the same to them. By the way I like your site.
That is precisely why they want librarians to setup things like myspace. There is this hoped for effect where if you set up a Myspace page, you will be able to tell the teenagers what is happening in your library. Libraries seem to focus on the idea that Myspace is for teenagers. There is supposed to be a reciprocal effect. I have not found Myspace that useful.
I am actually finding Facebook somewhat more interesting. This is becuase I am interested in networking type activities with publishers and other media types.
Social networking has many definitions and many sites. Neither MySpace nor FaceBook do it for me---but nor are they the only social sites out there.
Before either of those, there was LiveJournal. FaceBook is more professional, MySpace is far more casual.
For myself, I like social networking that does something more than just keep track of my stats. More interactive, without being annoying, I suppose.
For instance:
StumbleUpon, which is a social bookmarking/web ranking kind of thing. You don't have to use it as a social site, but it's definitely a way of finding people who share your interests by what they stumble on the web.
Twitter, which is like one massive global text stream that people send little 140-character long messages to. You can fortunately just "follow" a few people and listen to what they say. People will often follow you if you follow them, and listening in on conversations---as well as participating in them---can be rewarding.
StumbleUpon and Twitter are not so much social networking, as much as "social networking AND something else".
Admittedly, neither of them are what you're looking for for a library...
Well, except maybe Twitter. :)
I found stumbleupon to be a big msess. I really couldn't follow it that well.
I am also part of Technorati which I get pretty well. It is basically message sharing between blogs, Fuelmyblog and Entrecard are two examples of commercial advertising use of social networking.
It's good to try things out and observe the outcome...
Hi visiitng you from my entrecard.. Have a great day
Facebook is geared more toward mature adults who want to promote a website or service.
Myspace is for teens.
NathanKP - Inkweaver Review
I tried myspace for a while but found the ad had malware and the spam was incredible in all channels. Facebook is better. But Librarything is more my speed.
Hi, Great comments, I signed up on live journal also, but I didn't get it really. And twitter too. I put in what I was doing at the time, but I don't have the time to really follow other people. But I think it's good to keep up with any and all new technologies and try them out. Especially if you work with the public like in a library. My favorite is blogging and getting feedback from other bloggers who come to my site via entrecard or technorati which I am also signed up on.
Sorry, that was supposed to be elvislover.
I think Entrecard has gotten the most results for generating blog traffic. Technorati has the most popularity, however. I am not sure how it has helped me though. I like Fuelmyblog even though it hasn't done that much. I just like the picture system.
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