LIS 9763

I don’t actually understand the way Myspace works, so AADL’s Myspace page is just plain strange to me because of this. The oddest thing about the AADL Myspace page is that it has 284 billion friends. I am not sure how that is even possible since there are only about 6.8 billion people on earth. Who are these friends and where did they come from? 

It’s interesting to see institutional and business profiles on facebook because they look similar to people’s profiles but messier. I’d rather go to the company’s website directly, but links within facebook may work as a gateway to the website, particularly if there was no prior knowledge of the company/library and people are just too lazy to use google. As well, if they are links to a few key areas of the website (catalogue, help pages, programs, etc.) on their profiles, perhaps it may be easier for people to go directly to relevant areas the library website. I’ve seen a lot of library websites are a horror show of links that you can get lost in.  Or if they have things like catalogue widgits, like Hennepin County Library, I guess the profile can work as a mini website or portal. 

The biggest problem for any adoption of web 2.0 applications is upkeep. Often there will be a burst of activity when the application is launched, gradual (or not so gradual) tapering of activity, and then an abrupt and often unexplained abandonment. Like Farkas, the main issue I have with libraries jumping on the web 2.0 bandwagon is that they generally appear to have be born from a “wouldn’t it be cool if….” conversation among staff members rather than as a part of a long-term and comprehensive library plan. Like exercise, small consistent efforts over the long-term yield better results than initial excitement and early abandonment.

The Penn State University Librarian, for example, did not get his results from having a ‘build it and they will come attitude’. He was constantly promoting their Facebook profile and services. “During sessions for undergraduates, the librarian explicitly stated that he often provided reference and research assistance via Facebook. He also showed his Facebook profile to students during these sessions, which were held in technology classrooms. In addition, the librarian included a statement that he was available for consultation via Facebook on all handouts he prepared for these classes.”
 
Things may have been a little different when facebook was smaller, but pretty much everyone has jumped on the facebook bandwagon now. Nowadays being on facebook and myspace is like being in the phone book, having a listing (profile) is not enough. You also have to make sure you are more visible than the other listings to make an impact. So unless you can find a way to become viral fast, it’ll take a while for people to know about your service and them to spread the word to others. I think you should budget to spend at least a year of consistent activity on social newtworking sites to see results.

Also perhaps clarifying the rationale for the library being on a social networking site such as facebook would help with direction.

Going to use it for advertising purposes? Perhaps the library should find and friend (or fan) many popular people or join popular groups to gain visibility. Make sure to find and join local groups, artist/musician, and organizations. You can remain in the loop on their activities and maybe you can form and plan events together.

Going to use it for disseminating information? Perhaps using the status updates to broadcast twitter-like updates constantly will keep you visible.  

Using it for reference? Use the chat function, message or write on the wall and let patrons do the same. Or link to your own chat interface.  

Specifying the results you wish to attain from using the social networking sites will likely help tailor your profile that better achieve your objectives, and avoid becoming another generic underused library profile page.