Facebook
It is so nice when these assignments are for things I already use! And I started using Facebook a few months in order to connect with Nebraskan librarians I know (one of them got me started as it happens). I enjoy doing that and I also enjoy connecting with my far-flung family and friends from high school and college (and a few from graduate school thrown in there too).
I find that I get to see another side of some people I know professionally -- oftentimes a little more personal but that also humanizes us. It also means that I can post things about work that others are likely to understand. Who else would understand when I bemoan something about RDA and FRBR but fellow catalogers on FB?
ALCTS of ALA has been trying to get more librarians active on FB. As a former member of the ALCTS membership committee I felt obliged to join -- although that group is not very active on FB (perhaps a little more so on ALA Connects).
I have found that the fan pages work best for organizations on FB -- OPL does a pretty good job with our FB page -- pushing out updates regularly that include a wide variety of things. I know that we have a good bunch of staff working on this (and it helps that it is not left to just one person). We have event notices, links to things in the media (and we've been getting a lot of press lately!) and sometimes just random questions. It is a great way to get people involved and thinking about the library. I does seem like a lot of the fans are staff but not all are and I love seeing how members of the community do care and do get involved.
Tasks for this assignment:
1. I already have a FB account and am active
2. I sent friend requests to Susan, Michael and Allana (Christa already is a friend)
3. I did an update already but I'll do another when I finish this referring to the fact that I finished it (which seems circular and perhaps a little post-modern).
4. Hmm, have written messages on walls but not today.
5. Already a member of NLA, joined Library 2.0 Interest Group.
One thing like about FB is that you use it on your terms. You can be as active or inactive as you like. I have taken to being fairly active -- I don't post something everyday but log in most days and check it regularly. I find it keeps me up to date on a whole variety of thing from family and work to some of my extra curricular passions.
The groups that have fan pages are the ones I pay most attention to -- the others I tend to forget about. FB, like many things, is what you make of it. You can put personal time into it -- and spend way too much time. You have to decide what is right for yourself and your organization. For OPL we have found it a good way to connect with young professionals, particularly with recent events like Board Silly at Benson on Saturday night.
My main criticism of FB is that encourages passive-aggressiveness. You can ignore others without their knowledge. You don't need to confront them at all. And unfortunately cyber-bullying takes place here a lot, particulary amongst teens. It is a social medium but we have to remember how to be interact socially. Perhaps that is an area libraries can play a role too. As we embrace this medium we can help others navigate it and use it in an appropriate and productive way.
