Part b) Reflective Statement

Part B – Reflection

My interest for selecting this subject was to push myself into the social networking realm and justify it as a consistent work and creative use tool.  I also wanted to revisit some social media accounts that I know are useful (Delicious, Facebook and Twitter) but have gone by the wayside. 

During the course of the subject I did come to realise that you can’t force change. As Gerts (2012) says in one INF506 Facebook post, she “has been ‘lurking’ amongst the group posts,” which sums up the description of my participation in Facebook.  ‘Lurking’, an inappropriate name really, however I prefer to ‘lurk’ and participate only when I know I have something worthwhile to give, as I harbour the feeling of post “post” dissonance! The Facebook ‘like’ button I believe has been designed for all the ‘lurkers’ out there who want to engage but value the ‘like’ application and don’t use it for the sake of its easy click access. 

What has resonated throughout the development of my social networking studies was the comment by Li (2010) where she allows herself a strict diet of social networking tools.  Like an email subscription, Web 2.0 tools require a regular evaluation of whether the feeds, tweets, streams are relevant to you.  In the beginning the potential use of good information may be greater than what is received.  Twitter was a prime example here with the ability to join tweets or updates on new blog posts or Web articles.  Over the course of this subject many of these bloggers or commentators have been deleted and a chosen few kept on both my Twitter feeds and Delicious account.  Similarly, articles posted by INF506 group members needed to fit within my subjects of interest and relevance so as to not overload my bulging inbox.

The subject has also unleashed some creative ideas to follow through on, by not only being a consumer or viewer of social networking applications but to create useful services or information for others.  As De Rosa, Cantrell, Havens, Hawk, & Jenkins, (2007) state “no longer accurately defined as ‘information consumers,’ Internet users are becoming ‘information producers’ and will soon be the primary authors, producers and architects of information on the World Wide Web (p.7).

 I have discovered Pinterest, a powerful social media image board application. Images and succinct information are what keeps us instantly interested within our busy work life environment and I am eager to keep nurturing my creative and work interests to this application. This also includes my Delicious account now brimming with a varied range of useful websites to read or return to.

A skill developed from INF506 is the use of social networking tools to facilitate my workplace offline interactions. Web logs are the new Websites for most companies, and using the bookmarking site Delicious I access blogs to glean fresh information to share with the students I provide reference assistance to, such as the APA referencing blog.  The social media tool Youtube assists me in those instant “how do you…” questions at work and for study purposes. The micro-blogging service Twitter allows me to increase my knowledge of technology by joining industry commentators and assisting my knowledge which can be transferred to others.  My professional goal now is to engage within the technology and information conversations at work using Yammer, an enterprise social networking tool.

Not only on a professional level but the acceptance and popularity today of using social networking tools has justified me to confidently participate and assist others in social change online petitions.

I am still guilty of not using social networking and social media to its full potential, however having the opportunity to trial different social media and view other libraries that have successfully incorporated social media into their traditional models we have only scratched the surface into the potential use of technology to educate ourselves and share content.

       From this study it has confirmed that social networking has provided opportunities for people to connect to not only a more broad and extensive group of people but also new sources of information.

As Berkman (2012) reminds us, social media is a still a new mass media platform with communicative potential we are only beginning to tap into.

        

       References:

        

        

Berkman, F. (2012, September 28).  Social media potential. [Web log response]. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2012/09/28/social-media-potential/

De Rosa, C., Cantrell, J., Havens, A., Hawk, J., & Jenkins, L. (2007).

Sharing privacy and trust in our networked world: A report to the OCLC membership. Dublin, Ohio: OCLC.  [ebook] Retrieved from http://www.oclc.org/reports/pdfs/sharing.pdf

Gerts, C. (2012, August 28). INF506 group. Facebook. [Post].

Schwartzman, E. (Presenter) & Li, C. (Interviewee). (2010, September 14). Selling social media strategy to leadership. On the record. [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://ontherecordpodcast.com/pr/otro/selling-social-media-boss.aspx

Part a) Evaluative Statement

Part A – Evaluative Statement

My reflection on “how social media creates a new life for information,” posted on Thursday, July 26, highlights the importance of the theme of ‘engagement’ which travels throughout the INF506 modules.  Information output is no longer seen as a one dimensional path. It justifies how social media using freely accessible participatory mediums such as blogs and micro-blogging, alert and initiate users to new experiences and are “in return rewarded with personal feedback” (Hastie, 2011).  Brookover (2007) confirms that reaching out to and having conversations with users through a medium they already know and enjoy, sends the message that they are aware of and are participating in trends that matter to them. 

Youtube is a social media method of how people can produce, publish and broadcast any content and be rewarded by the number of views and the quantity of responses and comments.  The social networking environment has provided opportunities for people to connect to a more extensive group providing a diverse range of information. 

However as Twitter can broadcast opinions from the passionate or the qualified commentator, it can also be a very crowded place on the Web. How to screen content is a major issue as even good sources can become diluted with trivial information.  Inspiring me with social networking information and resources for this subject and allowing me to engage with other online communities I subscribed to Jeff Bullas tweets, RSS feeds from Mashable, and the subject’s Delicious bookmarking application, giving me a steady mix of news on digital innovation. 

My post on Wednesday, September 5, establishes how libraries use social media to support and offer information services to their users. Like the label Web 2.0, libraries too have been given a new technological model to enhance their library service; termed as Library 2.0.     Casey & Savastinuk (2006) explain that Library 2.0 is a “user-centred change” and a “combination of users participating in the creation of the virtual services they want” (pp. 3).  Rather than a one dimensional approach to accessing information, users are invited to participate, evaluate, create and choose social networking technologies to assist them in their education or curiosity.

The advent of Web 2.0 social networking and social media tools has allowed libraries to combine them into what is called a ‘Mashup’.  It is evident here in my post where the State Library of Queensland’s Web page presents a combination or ‘Mashup’ of blogs, podcasts, video blogs, Flickr, Twitter and Facebook in one location for easy viewing, ultimately creating an enhanced service for their users.

Another collaborative Library 2.0 application that is promoted from a library’s collection is the union of Flickr and the National Library of Australia, allowing users to upload, download, curate and edit historical images from their websites.  Otherwise known as “Creative Commons (CC)” it does not harbour any copyright restrictions in the digital environment, allowing the public to input informative text to these once inaccessible archives.  Social networking tools like Flickr and Historypin allow the library’s collection to grow in information value because of encouraged user participation.

The emergence of these active participants and their sense of ownership to data could also be described as a ‘folksonomy’. Hart (2010) describes a folksonomy as users who provide information and categorise that information into a flexible searchable method.

My post on Thursday, September 13 outlined the importance of organisations formulating a social media policy.   From studying the subject INF506 it has become evident that the social networking platform is an integral part of an organisations customer relationship and communication plan.  Just as an organisation will analyse the effectiveness of their current and potential social media tools to facilitate communication with users, their social media policy must also be constantly evolving. Flint (2012) states that until expectations of how to use it become commonly understood employers should very regularly review their policy.

As libraries are interacting more into people’s lives, policies regarding computer usage are required.  Two main points that I would emphasise for organisations and users engaging in social networking applications are:

1.      Acceptable use of online behaviour and information

2.      Copyright, privacy and the disclosure of personal information

Outlining and promoting to users a ‘do as we do’ benchmark can assist in protecting both the organisation and participant in what is acceptable or unacceptable (Fleet, 2009).  Fleet (2009) confirms that “this empowers both the organisation and the client, promoting authenticity and assisting with information to the members of that community” (Powerpoint slide 3).

Berners-Lee (2012) the inventor of the Web offers sage advice for user data and ownership on Web 2.0 technologies, explaining that "whatever social site, wherever you put your data, you should make sure that you can get it back and get it back in a standard form, regularly” (pp.11).

References:

Berners-Lee, T. (2012). Tim Berners-Lee: demand your data from Google and Facebook. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/apr/18/tim-berners-lee-google-facebook

Brookover, S. (2007). The only limits on what your blog covers are those imposed by your blogger’s imaginations. Library Journal. Retrieved from http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6497263.html

Bullas, J. (2012). Twenty stunning social media statistics. Retrieved from http://www.jeffbullas.com/2011/09/02/20-stunning-social-media-statistics/

Casey, M., & Savastinuk, L. (2006). Library 2.0: Service for the Next Generation Library. Library Journal. Retrieved October 2, 2012 from http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6365200.html

Fleet, D. (2009). Social Media Policies E-book. Available http://www.slideshare.net/davefleet/social-media-policies-ebook

Flickr. National Library of Australia commons’ photostream. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/national_library_of_australia_commons/

Flint. E. (2012). Social media: Help and hindrance. HCA magazine.  Retrieved from http://www.hcamag.com/news/latest-news/social-media-hrs-role-in-monitoring-the-reputational-risks/142800

Hart, L. (2010). Meeting the challenge.  In D. Parkes & G. Walton (Eds.), Web 2.0 and Libraries: Impacts, technologies and trends (pp.171-182). Oxford, UK: Chandos Publishing.

Hastie, C. (2011). Midwives and Social Media.  Midwifery News, (2011, autumn). Retrieved from http://scu-au.academia.edu/CarolynHastie/Papers/1000482/Midwives_and_Social_Media

Mashable. (2012). Social media. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/

State Library of Queensland. (2012). Social media.  Retrieved from http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/about-us/social-media

Twitter. (2012). About. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/about

Youtube.(n.d). About Youtube. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/t/about_youtube

Module 5 Task - Social Media Policy

As the acceptance of “Social Media” use has now moved past the “bandwagon” stage, the advice to give any organisation on developing a social media policy would be to implement the following five key benefits:

1.      Set your expectations and the boundaries for behaviour. 

As Fleet (2009) highlights, “it protects the organisation and the participant in what is acceptable or unacceptable.” This empowers both the organisation and the client, promoting authenticity and assisting with information to the members of that social media community.  Policy statement advice can be directed on how comments will be moderated, and depending on the appropriateness will be responded to privately on any misinformation.  This contains any inappropriate language or behaviours (spamming).

2.      Privacy.

As Arendt (2009) aptly states, “privacy is something we all seem to want in some cases and all seem to be willing to give up in others.”  Privacy policy implementation would entail users to protect personal, confidential & proprietary information.  Lauby (2009) confirms this by saying that patients must not forward confidential information about themselves or others to the community.

3.      Keeping to topics and themes on social media applications.

As Lauby (2009) notes as “the conversation has moved to the Web, it’s important for organisations large and small to acknowledge and extend their existing communications policies to include online sites.”  This means that if a blog provides care and resources to a community, it would trust their clients in return to provide positive information and useful responses. A do as we do approach.  Their core service or philosophy still stands for online communication.

4.      Authentic information.

Clients or participants of the online community must respond with factual and referential information.  Lauby (2009) says “your community shouldn’t be an environment where competition is encouraged or emphasized, but rather a platform where your customers or users feel comfortable sharing, connecting, and receiving help.”

5.      Trust.

On the Social Biz website (N.B) it states that “employees should be trusted to communicate and develop relationships with customers.”  This highlights that organizations must trust and rely on open and transparent communication.

Ref:

Arendt, A.M. (2009, November). Social Media Tools and the Policies Associated with Them. Best Practices in Policy Management Conference. Utah Valley University, Utah.

Fleet, D. (2009). Social Media Policies E-book. Available http://www.slideshare.net/davefleet/social-media-policies-ebook

Lauby, S. (2009, 27 April). Should Your Company Have a Social Media Policy? Mashable [blog post]. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2009/04/27/social-media-policy/

Lauby, S. (2009, 6 February). 10 Must-Haves for Your Social Media Policy, Mashable [blog post]. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2009/06/02/social-media-policy-musts/

Society for New Communications Research. (n.d.) Best practices for developing a social media policy. Retrieved from http://www.socialmedia.biz/social-media-policies/best-practices-for-developing-a-social-media-policy/

Wiggio Enterprise Social Networks

Wiggio

How three libraries use social networking to meet their goals.

Module 4 activity

 
Select three (3) libraries of your choice that use social networking to meet their goals.

Develop a comparative table which documents how each of the libraries use social networking tools to support information service provision, educational programs, conduct business etc.

Based on this comparison (and in no more than 350 words) develop your own list of “Reasons why libraries should be on social media”, and draw upon aspects of these three libraries to illustrate each point

 

NAME	SOCIAL NETWORKING TOOLS	PROGRAMS USED
State Library of NSW http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/	Historypin – Users can explore, add to or curate photographs from the collection. From the earliest surviving photograph taken in Australia – in January 1845 – through to digital photographs taken last month. This is a form of volunteering information from the public to an important and understaff/funded service. Partnered with Google – must have a Google account. Has the ability to bookmark and share with onto your preferred social media site.	·         Historypin “Repeats” Idea – modern photos are taken by users, comparing them to the original digitised by the library. ·         Story Feed - Stories added to your photos by you or by other people. ·         Enables schools to build a link with the community. ·         Engages students in local history and geography ·         Promotes archiving skills Case studies, popular stories, resources for schools.
MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology https://foursquare.com/mitlibraries	Foursquare blogging service. Students share and save their experiences and get personalised recommendations from friends for where to go.	Offers an online tour guide of all the MIT libraries and their services and resources for students. A conversational introduction by a staff member from each resource centre provides a very real communication link. Users can log-in to provide tips therefore enhancing the service.
State Library Queensland http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/	Twitter, Facebook, Flickr Commons, Vimeo, Wikimedia Commons, Historypin	“Engage with the State library through social media.” Showcasing the social history of Queensland via visual photographic creative common websites.  This enhances the creation and engaging of conversation as an important theme of the library.  Promoted by enlarging the social media icons within the main page of their website.

 

The above three libraries highlight how social media can instantly create feedback and engagement using Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and this author’s newly discovered media Historypin. Both the State Libraries of Queensland and NSW host Historypin, an application that allows users to post additional information (tagging) to photographic resources.  Due to the amount of historic photos and ephemera held by state libraries, and the time and cost in digitising and labelling photos with their history, libraries are now allowing volunteers to provide their knowledge to the collection.  Historypin and Flickr Commons (utilised at SLQ) promotes involvement and builds a positive link from the local community.  Volunteers both retired and in the workplace are the new archivists for these institutions, linking and sharing important stories, perspectives and general information that potentially could have been lost and forgotten.

Schools also benefit from these sites, engaging them in subjects on history and geography, improving their communication using technology and knowledge of their local community via an interesting visual application.

Those that have missed certain events hosted by the two state libraries can also utilise the YouTube and Vimeo social media applications to catch up videos, digital stories and oral histories in their own time.

Another example of how social media enhances conversation is the American university MIT, allowing students at any time of day to walk through and experience a tour of MIT’s many libraries via foursquare.  This is both a time and resource saving device in promoting the library experience to new students and then welcoming them to liaise with the particular library staff members if required.  The welcoming issue is key because accompanying the tour are blogs by librarians written in a conversational manner and not in eye glazing organisational ‘info-speak’.  Rather than the university librarians waiting for the students to come to them, they are promoting the varied services and resources available to the current generation of resource independent and savvy university students.

LCMS project proposal meeting

The meeting (Thursday 16th August) discussing the opportunities and future of social networking was positive and very well received from the midwife (LCMS) group.  

This week I will conduct an analysis of the company media tools that will best fit this organisation.

Prerequisites:

• Free
• Secure
• Easily to navigate for all user levels
• Easy to managed by all members.

RSS in Action

ASX

http://www.asx.com.au/

The ASX RSS feed heading is one of five major headings on the ASX site alongside “Contact Us”.  This indicates not only the popularity of the placement of the link but the general acceptability that RSS data feeds provide. The ASX RSS feeds regularly changing financial information via the web, promoting its twice monthly newsletter, articles and video/interviews, providing free investment education in a convenient format. With constantly changing stock prices due to market demand and company performance data, a University library service utilising the ASX RSS media tool allows lecturers and students to view real time free financial data for analysis and discussion.

This would be a useful resource for reference librarian staff to promote to business and finance students, allowing them to stay informed by retrieving the latest content.

Benefits to users are:

·         With the automatic nature of this RSS feed, users don’t need to be reminded to enter the ASX site for news.

·         It is a faster way for scanning content saving time

·         100% opt-in – users control the content they wish to receive.

·         Available as a Twitter feed

Parliament of NSW

http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/rss

This website allows users to access not just one universal RSS feed from parliament but up to ten specific areas.  From detailing information feeds on new bills as they are introduced, public events at Parliament House, new committee inquiries, up and coming hearings and meetings, to research papers produced by the Parliament of NSW library. This would provide within a University Library service important information for political science or law students.  All chosen updates are aggregated to one place such as an email address to be read when chosen.

Benefits:

·         Students would not have to enter any personal information to subscribe to these feeds.

·         Information from Parliamentary meetings can be laboriously long, however the RSS feeds contain a summary of information without overwhelming the reader.

·         If the reader wants additional information they can click on the item in the feed, accessing the website URL which contains the full article.

References:

 

     ASX. (2012). RSS Feeds. Retrieved from http://www.asx.com.au/

     Parliament of NSW. (nd). RSS Feeds. Retrieved from http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/rss