Week 8 - Social Networking

Any article or conversation about Web 2.0 will inevitably stress the newly acknowledged primacy of the experience of the Web for the user. And the vehicle for converting the user’s experience from that of a solitary, passive viewer (as in what might be called Web 1.0) to one of rich, dynamic content and broad, interactive participation is social networking. In other words - you can join a social online community of your choice.

Defining Online Social Networks

As with a lot of 2.0 tools, pinning down a definition of a “social network” is difficult — it’s one of those “you’ll know it when you see it” tools! But how do you know what to look for? Here are a few characteristics of social networks:

• profile pages: when you sign up for an account on a social networking site, your “profile page” becomes your home base. Most social networks allow you to add as much or as little information about yourself as you’d like. Common fields include your name, contact information, interests, and a photograph of yourself. Some social networks allow you to customize your profile page by changing the design, color, or look of the page (MySpace is an example), whereas other social networking sites use the same look & feel for all profile pages (Facebook is an example).

• “Friending”: this is probably the most important characteristic of a social network because finding friends (existing or new) on a social networking site is pretty much the point of being there in the first place! So, most social networks allow you to add another person/profile as a “friend” or a “contact” and your collection of friends becomes your own personal social network (not dissimilar to the way social networks form offline too!). The “friending” aspect of an online social network often accounts for why some social networking sites are popular with specific groups. For example, Facebook began as a social network for college and university students; it has since opened up to allow anyone to join the network, but it still remains most popular with students. Why? Because people go where their friends are!

• Groups: with real life social networks, groups tend to form around common interests, therefore most online social networks allow users to start a group or join a group based on their interests or common goals. Depending on the social networking site, you will probably find a group that represents your interests, regardless of what that interest might be!

• For those of you interested in just short bursts of information about yourself or observations, then Twitter is the way to go. Twitter is generating a lot of attention these days as it's being used to discuss elections, social lives and work.

Assignment:(Thing 11)Sign up for either a Facebook, MySpace or Twitter account! Look for people you know in the social network you choose and "friend" them. (Thing 12)


Optional:
If you’re not comfortable creating a Facebook, MySpace or Twitter account, for an alternate exercise:

1. Find 3 articles on these or other social networks(Thing 11.)
2. Blog about your thoughts on these tools and how libraries are using them. (Thing 12)
   

Go to our Week 8 wiki page for more resources or for a break click here and find out how libraries and librarians are using social networking.

Week 7: Relax, Take a Break, Smell the Flowers, Read a Book

(photo by Teo's Photo on Flickr)

Week 7 is upon us and boy have yinz been working hard! In these past 6 weeks, you've:

• discovered videos of library commercials and Thomas Frye
• wrestled with e-books
• learned (and laughed) about avatars
• gotten addicted to RSS feeds and Delicious
  
• come up with incredibly creative ideas
• confessed your true feelings about e-audio
• experienced first hand the frustration some of our patrons go through with downloadables
• waxed poetic about blogs and Library 2.0
• and explored unknown territories
  

Yes, you've surely been busy! And the planning team is impressed! You're keeping us on our toes with questions, new discoveries and some pretty rockin' posts that have us laughing out loud. Always good to keep a sense of humor as you learn new things! I know I've had some good laughs in my attempt to download some e-audio!

So because we had faith in your hard-work ethic (librarians are known for that!) we built-in a week for catching-up and relaxing. This week, there are no assignments - zip, zero, nada! But we'd like to invite those of you who may have fallen behind (I'm one of those!) to play catch up this week and come back to the fold.

Also, keep in mind that because this project isn't cumulative, you can jump back in any time wherever we're at! So if you find at week 8, you have some spare time, jump into that Thing and join the fun!

Enjoy the week, relax and wrap up loose ends. We'll be back with another great Thing next Monday so for now, enjoy this 'breather!'

Week #6: Databases

Wait, what? Databases are hardly new. In fact, some folks feel their day has come and gone, thanks to the ever-blossoming resources available on the free web. So why are they part of a course on Library 2.0?

Well, for starters, database vendors have been incredibly responsive to the changing times. Many of them have upgraded their products and services to include features like RSS feeds and the ability to share information on social networks. For seconds, the quality of information in subscription databases often still trumps what's out there on the free web, especially when it comes to full-text journal holdings.

But, you might reply, our patrons aren't USING databases! They're Googling!They certainly are, and any attempts to put that particular horse back in the barn would be futile. However, Google and research databases are chocolate cream pie and apples, respectively. And while chocolate cream pie appears more attractive than apples, a steady diet of nothing but pie will make you sick, fat, and unhappy. Our patrons still need apples!

In my opinion, our three-pronged task as information professionals in the 2.0 age is to:

a) educate ourselves about the products to which we subscribe

b) make informed decisions about which products are best for our patrons, and which 2.0 database enhancements are useful.

c) use 2.0 technologies and services to spread the word about the superior information and service library databases can provide.

Now, granted, as the EREC chair, I'm a touch biased on that point. I'm hoping this week's task and comments will start an excellent countywide conversation about our databases and how we can use and promote them most effectively.

But enough philosophizing!

Your official task this week (Thing #9) is to choose 3 databases from the Find Articles page , play with them, and discuss your results in a comment below. Please make an effort to choose databases with which you are not familiar, and notice any 2.0 technologies that may be present within the databases. For more links, video clips and inspiration, see also Week 6 of the 23 Things Wiki.

[NOTE: I know some libraries have private subscriptions that are for their cardholders only. Please try to avoid these, as it's possible that not everybody in the group will have access to them. Exceptions can be made for products you have that you THINK everybody should have, and want to brag on!]

Happy searching...

Week 5: Downloadable Resources

For the last several weeks we’ve looked at a lot of great Web tools. Hopefully, your comfort level with tools like RSS, Wikis, and blogs has increased. If a customer came in tomorrow and asked about setting up a RSS Reader, are you in a better position to help them? I suspect the answer is, yes. That’s the most important thing you can take from these exercises. It’s not about using all the tools all the time. It’s about knowing how they work and being able to share that with customers and coworkers.

This week we are going to look at Downloadable Resources. Allegheny County libraries have a wonderful selection of downloadable books, audio, and video available for free. Questions about our electronic and downloadable collections are sometimes few and far between. How long has it been since you answered the question, “How do you download an eAudio title I found in the catalog?” Hopefully, it wasn’t that long ago. If it was, it’s probably time for a refresher.

Amy Ergler and CLP’s Film & Audio Department created a handy guide to Downloadable Audio and Video. You may have gotten a copy at one of the Technology Playgrounds earlier in the year. It’s been updated and worth revisiting.

1. For this week’s exercise, print off a copy and review it (thing #7). You’ll probably want to put a copy near your customer service desk for quick access. To download this document, visit wiki page on week 5.
   
2. After you spend some time learning about the different services, it’s time to download a title (thing #8). You can choose any title from any service. We recommend you begin your search in the catalog. Experiencing library services from our customer’s perspective is always valuable.
3. When you’ve completed the two exercises share your experiences in your blog. Post the URL for your blog in the comments section for Week 5. If you haven’t created a blog yet, you can post your experiences in the comments section. In either case, be sure to include your name and the name of your library.
   

We’ve added some general links about downloadable and online resources to the wiki page for Week 5 for you to check out at your convenience.

A few notes…

1. Some of the downloadable services require you to install software. In some cases this software may already be installed on your work computer. If it is not, call the Help Desk and ask them to grant permissions to that particular machine. If you’re working from a home computer install the software as instructed.
   
2. Be sure to review the help guides that accompany the service you choose.
3. If you are not able to successfully download a title tell us why. Our customers may be having the same experience.
   
   

Week 4: Wikis

A wiki is a collaborative website. The word 'wiki' comes from the Hawaiian word for 'quick.' It's easy to get in - get out and then move on to another task.

So what is a wiki? Check out this Common Craft video on wikis:



Some of the benefits that make wikis so attractive are:

• Anyone (registered or unregistered, if unrestricted) can add, edit or delete content. That means a group of you can work on your wiki.
• Tracking tools within wikis allow you to easily keep up on what has been changed and by whom. Just in case someone accidentally deletes something!
• Earlier versions of a page can be viewed and reinstated when needed. Ditto above.
• And users do not need to know HTML in order to apply styles to text or add and edit content. In most cases simple syntax structure is used.
  

1. For this discovery exercise, you are asked sign up for a PBWorks account (thing #5). After you've gotten your account go to our 23 Things n'@ Wiki and click on the page entitled "6 Things I Love About My Library" It is located on the right side of the screen in the sidebar .
2. There will be instructions on this page for you to edit this page by putting up 6 things you love about your library (thing #6). For fun, think about when you'd use a wiki instead of a blog. Richard Nixon and President Kennedy will give you a few clues. In the comments section of this post, blog about your experience.

Week 3: RSS and Social Bookmarking

Congratulations, bloggers - now that you've got your personal blogs up and running, it's time to learn about RSS and social bookmarking, two tools that help keep web information organized and readily available. Yes, that's two Things in one week, but we know you can do it - we've also scheduled a catch-up week later in the course, so that you have an extra buffer zone while you work at your own pace.

Your next tasks, should you choose to accept them, are to read the information below on RSS and social bookmarking, and participate in the discovery exercises therein.

Part I: RSS (Really Simple Syndication)

RSS is a digital tool that brings news to you so that you don't have to visit countless websites individually. Click here for a slideshow tutorial on just how the magic works; those of you who are visual learners may prefer the following video:





Ready to find out what your fellow explorers are blogging about? Choose a newsreader, sign up for an account, and subscribe to at least one feed (thing #3). Feel free to subscribe to your fellow adventurers' blogs whose links are found here - other suggestions, both work-related and not-so-much, are also available through the Week 2 wiki page.



Part II: Social Bookmarking


Social bookmarking is the fancy name for using web-based tools to organize your links and info. It's not unlike bookmarking links on your computer, but with the added bonus of being able to access those links again from any computer with internet access. So if you've moved your feet and lost your seat, you won't have to redo your searches, or wrack your brain trying to remember whether the address of that really cool site you found had an underscore or a tilde in the URL.

Roll that beautiful social footage, there, CommonCraft...

Now that you're in the know, it's time to sign up for a del.icio.us account and add a few links (thing #4). If you're feeling adventurous, you might want to explore tagging and/or adding other users to your network. - see the support materials on the Week 3 wiki page for more details.

Remember to leave a comment on this entry (week #3) so that you can get credit for completing the assignment. In your comment you should briefly discuss your experiences signing up for a newsreader, and share your del.icio.us username.

As ever, let us know what questions you have, and how we can help.

Week 2: Creating a Blog with Blogger

This week, we're asking yinz to create a blog (thing # 2!) Blogs are becoming more and more important in the world of media and information sharing. Check out wikipedia's explanation of blogs to see just how powerful they can be! Below is a quick and dirty guide to setting up a blog on Blogger. Just press play and follow along!




Also, check out this explanation of blogging from the CommonCraft Show.


Now, it's your turn! This week's discovery exercises:

• create a blog on blogger (To view your blog: Your blog address is http://(xxxx).blogspot.com, (xxxx)=the unique name of your blog. Be sure to also write down your blog address. Make this blog a special 23Things blog to use for just posting about your experience on this project.
  
• write a post about your experience so far with 23Things. Is it intimidating? Do you feel connected? Are you feeling lost? Anything! You'll be using this blog to track your progress.
  
• register your blog by leaving a comment on the week 2 post at the 23Things-n'at blog with your blog's address and your name and library. The planning team will be keeping tabs on how everyone's doing, providing encouragement, answering questions and so on so we need to make sure we know where your blog lives. We're also going to ask you (in week 3) to subscribe to 10 23Things Participants' blogs but don't worry about that just yet.
• have fun!

IMPORTANT NOTE: How you choose to identify yourself on your blog is your choice. You can blog under a screen name, anonymously, or as yourself.

For more fun stuff on blogging, go to the 23Things-n'at wiki page on week 2.