Social Networking Tools

It's not hard to see how Facebook or MySpace could be used for MLA members to connect online. It's simpler to find them if you don't have an email address or even know where they are located.

I'm not working in a formal library but there has been some experimenting with using Facebook as a forum to communicate about human rights issues. It has not worked very well and the student who initiated this effort thinks it is because people want to use these tools for primarily social reasons and not serious discussions. I think she may be right about that.

There are definitely privacy concerns which some people don't seem to realize when they use social networking sites. It's not a place to say anything or post a picture which you don't want the world to see. It's probably more public than email.

My experience with MySpace was limited to the two library sites we were encouraged to see at Brooklyn College and Denver Public. Both were clever but definitely aimed at a young audience. Facebook was a surprise in two ways. I was contacted by a friend I had not heard from in years who found me on there, which was a nice connection, and I was able to exchange messages with a former colleague--both good experiences. Looking at the walls and exchanges for a few of my Facebook friends showed just how available information is to anyone who seeks it. That was sobering.

Blogs vs wikis

Blogs seem to be like writing an opinion piece or starting a conversation which others can join in. That's fine if you want the whole universe to join in. Wikis seem more constructive in that you can store information on a particular topic. I like that you can invite in contributors and it does not have to be a free for all with no real editing control. Some of my colleagues are are geographically distant from me. We think we will start a wiki to share the best resources for topics we are researching and to keep track of who does what and when. If we can keep it to a small group of people (for now), we have the chance to build this resource and decide if it is of value to others once it is completed.

Blogs in my work

I don't work in a formal library so this could be either easier or harder. I work long distance with two groups of librarians in two separate positions. The good part of a blog for us would be leaving information for each other because we are in different time zones. Naturally, we leave emails, but we all get so much that it may not be seen in a timely fashion. It's also difficult to go back and locate exactly which email had that nugget of information you need.

My local job is with a human rights organization where we have tried to get university students and community people to hold online conversations on issues such as climate change, child labor, and more. If we had a blog, it might make it easier for all of them to communicate. There would not be the demographic barriers that sometimes exist now.

I've used RSS for a while through Google Reader and like that a lot. I did not know how to link to a journal's table of contents which has been quite useful. Pubmed might also be useful but I've not received anything after signing up for that. Maybe I did not do something right, or used a topic not frequently updated. It's through my RSS link to the Web 2.0 blog that I've most often been able to see what is next for the class. Sometimes the emails don't seem to come through about that.