Social Networking, Wrap-up & Big Wrap

Social Networking
My reaction to libraries on MySpace and Facebook is why would you bother? Although it's a great idea to take the Library message to the (mostly) young people on these networks, I wonder if the libraries get a return for their efforts. When you look at their pages, most of their 'friends' are other libraries, librarians or people who were already associated with the organisation.

I did see authors joining libraries as 'friends' (saying thank you when their books are featured!), so there would be some social networking between the authors' fans, the authors and libraries. Another benefit would be to the library's image. Rotorua Public Library on Bebo is impressive; it sells the Library as up-to-date and in touch with youth culture. It also works for something specific like an Animanga Club, because fans will search for anime.

I haven't been on Second Life but I've looked at demo sites and seen similar 3D games. Personally I'd rather concentrate on creating a brilliant and welcoming physical library in real-time (that includes remote access). Who knows, Second Life might work for people who live where the weather is so dreadful they can't go outside (Arctic Circle perhaps?) or in remote isolation!

I once scared the daylights out of my kids by joining MySpace and sending them messages as a joke. I'm not sure what freaked them out most - the thought that I was 'out there' in MySpace, or the fact that I could see their photos and their friends' candid messages! And, no, they didn't block me; they just moved over to Facebook.

Which brings up an important point about social networking, online apps, and technology in general...

Wrap-up
Technology evolves, and so does popular culture. Facebook takes over from MySpace, and one trend supplants another. Or they may co-exist. The passing of time sorts out the survivors/winners; Google and Wikipedia are good examples.

The reason that rapidly changing technologies are a problem for libraries, or certainly for local public libraries, is because we don't have enough staff, time, or funding to do it all. We have to keep an eye on our core business and put our energies into things that are relevant, and will give us good returns. The internet is littered with good intentions that weren't sustainable.

But still we can't ignore what's going on or we'll be irrelevant! We need to find the balance between what we already do and what is developing on the Internet.

Big Wrap for SLNSW
So this is where Web2.0 Learning comes in. Programs like this help us monitor developments and see what will work for us, even with limited staff and time. I've learned a lot. I hope we can use some of it. One easy idea we should consider would be librarians promoting their skills by Slamming the Boards on Yahoo7ANSWERS even just for one day a year (such as in LIW).