LIBR 246-13 Building the Social Library Online

Trying to sell social networking tools to some colleagues is like pulling teeth. Sometimes it may be painful but in the end they’ll be glad they did it. I’ve been playing with lots of different types of social networking tools for several years (especially in this class). Sometimes I’m not too impressed and can’t see how it will be useful down the road but I like to be familiar with it for that “lightbulb” moment in the middle of the night.

The first barrier to using social media productively is to treat it as something "exotic." When something is seen as exotic, one either fears it without reason, or treasures it excessivley beyond its true value. One should not dismiss a new tool out of hand as some strange thing only young people can grasp, while on the other end of the spectrum, one should not praise every new thing that comes along as the greatest invention since the CueCat.

    Policies are absolutely necessary in order to successfully implement social software in libraries.  Meredith made a great point on someone else's blog that the level of policies should reflect the ability of users to edit the content.  So totally open wikis will need stricter policies, while blogs without commenting capabilities may may only need light restrictions.  Specifically, I'd like to address two areas where I think policies are most needed.  Librarians need to create policies regarding their stance on social software, and libraries need to fig

Social software tools are a big jump into the unknown for many.  I’m right on the line there…I didn’t grow up with them, but I was still in high school and college when many of them first appeared.  It’s not as scary for me as for some, but I’m probably not as comfortable as many.  I think this fear of the unknown is probably the greatest barrier to implementing social software in the library.  Because administrators are not familiar with social software, apart from occasional mention of the dangers of MySpace on the news, they will not be

I have been a long time Amazon user and never realized that not taking the time to rate items skewed the recommendations you received.  I always wondered why after buying one or two random gifts -and I mean truly random - that I would be see similar items that I know I would never, ever  (well, most likely probably not) buy.  

But as they say, silence is assent.

A few years ago, before I really knew the term social networking, I equated sites like Myspace to the negative exposure given in the media. Shows like Dateline talked about online predators using Myspace as a platform to connect with unsuspecting teens. These predators could easily and anonymously target minors and try to initiate dialogue and gain their trust.