Facebook

Here I am on Facebook!
I'm cheating a little on this assignment because I have had a Facebook account for a few months. I researched Facebook, Myspace, and other social networking sites last fall when I created a presentation for parents on social networking as part of my former job. I created accounts on different sites and the Facebook site is the only one I sorta update. Myspace is just too busy and loud for my 30-something self. I know I would have loved it when I was younger, but now I'm just frustrated by the graphics and music. I do have a friend or two my age who use it, but the majority of people my age that I know are either not using any of the SN sites, or they are on Facebook. But then again, sometimes I look at Facebook and wonder, 'what am i supposed to be doing on this site?' It seems a bit too vanilla to me at times. So what I'm going to do for this assignment is delve a bit deeper into Facebook and see if I can find anything relevant to me, besides my few friends who are already on it. Here I go...

What do you think about libraries taking part in social networking sites?

I like it. Our YAAB page is a good example of what a library can do in myspace. I think it's a great place to have a presence and advertise books and library events. I think FVRL could also have a page that marketed our online HOMEWORK resources and had the option for homework help chat with a librarian. The arguments against it, saying 'we need to stay out of teen spaces cuz they might not want us there,' are moot because we wouldn't be soliciting friends. We're just there and if teens want to be our friend, then cool.

When I worked as a librarian at Portland Community College one of the student library helpers was adamant that the PCC library should have presence in myspace. She said that she was on her myspace account several times a day and she would appreciate getting messages from the library on that account. What kind of messages? How about new books, change of hours, you need to renew your materials...

I think FVRL would also benefit from a Facebook account. This would attract the "older" crowd and could include messages about hours and events. This would also be one more venue to solicit feedback and ideas from the community regarding the library and what our users would like to see us do.

I think the main concerns are: keeping up with the current social networking sites...don't stay on myspace once the majority of users have moved on; make sure that the personnel time spent on managing the pages is worth the PR and interactions we are getting out of it; can these sites be accessed at the library, or are they blocked by filters?