Sometimes maybe we're the barrier
I wanted to highlight Melissa's excellent post about some of the barriers many of us have and will likely face when we try to "sell" social software in our library. She brings up some of the common objections people have to social software tools in a work setting and how to combat them.
I think people often find it easy to write off the folks who don't buy into these social software tools as luddites or as being afraid of change. What we really need to do is look at ourselves and determine whether or not we've made a compelling case for the use of these tools in our setting. Not everyone is going to be as starry-eyed about these technologies as we will be. Most people will need convincing that this is the best tool for the job and even that the job itself is worth doing. They're pragmatists. Others may have preconceived notions about social software or may, in fact, be afraid of new technologies. We need to understand staff members' concerns and take them seriously. How we "sell" the technology to people is probably the most critical element in the whole implementation process. Our own inability to effectively make a case for what we want to do could be the biggest barrier of all.
Some of us will have an easier time selling these ideas than others. It all depends on the library, the administration and the staff culture. I'm lucky to have a change-oriented Director and a flexible staff. I frequently get asked by people how they can successfully implement social software at their library and I can't give a single straight answer because it's so dependent on those factors I mentioned above as well as how closely what they want to do is tied to the needs of their users and/or the mission of the library. There's no one-size-fits-all answer; you have to tailor your approach to the people you work with.
Good luck to all of you in "selling" social software next week in the Elluminate session and in the future!
