Blog Post week 5

Do you have an account on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google +? Describe your experience and your reason for choosing the one you are discussing.  Do you use it for personal or professional or both?  Do you think librarians should have an account on any of these for professional reasons? Do you think libraries should have a presence on these? Why or why not?

I have a Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ accounts and I use them all differently. I use LinkedIn for professional growth in both the educational and library worlds I use Facebook for personal social networks and I keep in touch with personal family and friends this way. I rarely use Google+, but use Google docs and other features for school. Each one has a distinct purpose in my life and I would not use one for all three purposes even if I could. I do not believe professional and personal networking should be mixed. Often times people have some people in their lives that make the inappropriate jokes or the person that is in everyone else's business. Personally, people can deal with that person but if it interfered with the professional world, employers could look at this with a less understanding eye. 

I think that librarians should be in social media because they need to understand the world their patrons are in. If the librarian does not understand LinkedIn, how are they to help patrons understand how to use it and why it is important in today's society. The librarian is supposed to be the facilitator of information and therefore they need to be in the know. Librarians need to not slander the library on their social networking sites and need to be responsible on the internet just as everyone else should be. 

Exercise 2- Blogs

3. Write a blog post that discusses all of the following:

1. What do you see as the differences between the five blogs I asked you to subscribe to in terms of the type of blog and type of post (genre, length, etc.).

It seems as though all five of the blogs are different and thus valuable in their own ways. David Lee King  is very much concentrated on technology and how to utilize the newest technology in libraries. The latest  entry is on e-books. This is very important to talk about because it is a major format of library materials and is growing daily. Librarian by Day is formatted more like a newspaper which makes it easy to look at different pieces, but the reader must click on the piece to read the full article. These are about many aspects of libraries. The Distant Librarian is filled with library news not particularly centered around one type of library while The Librarians Commute is more geared to academic libraries. These two are very different in their content. In the Library with a Lead Pipe seems to relate personal experiences to libraries looking at it from a different aspect. It is full of information but more in an opinion based way. Some have very long entries and some are filled with links with less text. The differences make them interesting. 

2. What types of posts do you find most appealing to read and why?

I like a post to grab my attention with a catching title and maybe a picture. If I am captured from the beginning, I will more likely read the entire post and take something from it. I liked David's blog because I am interesting in technology and the new wave thoughts. I think posts that include some personal voice are easier to read because it is not so dry. Blogs are more personal than academic papers by far and should be written as such. When the writer pays attention to the audience, the voice is obvious. 

3. What three library blogs did you subscribe to? Please include a 1-3 sentence description of each one.

As asked for this assignment I also subscribed to three other blogs. Those were School Library Monthly  Gizmodo, and 3000 Books. I also had a previous subscription to School Library Journal. I am a school librarian so these will be helpful in my everyday life.

School Library Monthly- This is all about school libraries. The schools are moving to a common core curriculum across the nation and this explains how the library is part of that. It has an academic feel but also has project ideas to do with children,

Gizmodo- This is a technology blog. It is not based in libraries but can be very useful for librarians to stay current with the latest gadgets and their uses. I like to know what the kids are exposed to daily so I can utilize the capabilities in the library.

3000 Books- This is full of book reviews, summaries, and information about new and interesting books out there. It will be useful for book selection or suggestions. 

4. Based on the blogs you chose, what are some of the characteristics that you think make a library blog successful?

When a blog is giving new information to people an not just perpetuating old information it can be useful. I also love blogs that give ideas of things to implement into my library. One mind will never be better than many minds together. Library blogs give us a chance as a community of librarians to share knowledge. When blogs so this they seem to be successful. 

Blog Post week 4

1. What are some of the things libraries should consider before starting a blog?

Before starting a blog, a library should research and read many different blogs to see what is already out there in the library world. They should then think about what kinds of things they want to include in the blog and if a blog is the best forum for those purposes. Sometimes a Facebook page or Twitter feed might be a better option for a library if they just want to give quick segments of information about their programs and services. Blogs would be a good idea if a library wanted to expand on information on a much deeper level. The world today is very instant and it may be more useful for a library to utilize Twitter today because there are millions of people receiving every comment at all times. People tweet from their mobile devices but a blog takes much more time to read, view and process. 

Libraries should consider how they will advertise their blog and who they want to be reading it. Audience and the age of audience is very important when writing a blog. There are some sites allowed in schools so a school librarian would want to research which sites will not be blocked through the school filters. A public library may want to have a teen blog, a children's blog and an adult blog depending on the events and information. 

Blog Post Week 3

1. What are your thoughts on personal branding as someone who may soon be looking for a professional position in libraries?

I believe that personal branding is an important part of gaining employment in libraries these days. The library environment is focused very much on technology and more libraries are utilizing social media and branding to create and keep business current. LinkedIn is one of the most popular social media websites where professionals network. There are many people who have been hired from LinkedIn and it is a way for librarians to collaborate, network and expand their circle of influence. 

I am taking the class offered by the University about marketing myself in a networked world and am learning so much about the different nuances of networking professionally. It is a very different form of social networking than personally networking. Because of the society we live in, creating a personal brand will help me stand out from the other qualified applicants. 

2. How effective do you think most libraries are in building a strong, consistent brand online and why?

I do not believe that most libraries are strong in their online brand at the moment. Many are starting to expand slowly with adding Facebook and Twitter accounts to advertise their programs and materials. Some are stronger than others by creating applications and networks to communicate with their patrons. Libraries on the whole need to expand their presence because many people still view the library as a place solely for books. Libraries nationwide are losing funding. If they were an integral part of each city by letting the cities know what they have to offer, libraries may be funded better. 

3. What should librarians be doing to manage their library's brand?

Librarians need to take the initiative to bring their library to the next level. Libraries need to find a way to infiltrate their news, programs, and materials into everyday society so people do not forget their presence. Some libraries are well known by the people and the surrounding cities because they have created an environment where they are needed. University libraries can become much more than a place to study. They are becoming cyber cafe's, places for people to create and find information. 

Librarians need to reach people where they are. Libraries who have mobile applications are creating a very accessible way to their collection. A librarian should be researching the newest changes in the social media world and continually tweaking the brand to flow with the changes. 

4. What sorts of rules would you include in a library staff social media policy?

I would include that staff of the library need to keep personal comments about the library off of social media sites. There should not be complaints about customers or their day at work on the social media sites. comments on what customers check out should not be on social media sites as well. The library needs to maintain its brand and create a safe environment for their staff and patrons. The staff should be promoting the programs the library has as well as new books and celebrating the wonderful things that go on in the library. 

5. What should an organization do when they find negative things being written about them online?

An organization needs to be proactive in combating negative press and have a policy in place to how they will react to the negative things stated about them. If it is an employee, the person should lose their job and no longer be part of the organization. If it is not an employee, the organization cannot stop the freedom of speech, but can consider some of the things that are being complained about. 

Exercise 1- Anthropologie Apparel

Exercise #1

The purpose of this assignment is to give you experience using social media monitoring tools and looking at an organization's overall use of social media. Choose a for-profit company that you're at least somewhat familiar with. It could be a clothing company, car company, software company, food manufacturer, etc.  Due Sunday September 16

Use some of the tools we discussed this week (or any you discover) to find out the following:

Organization: Anthropologie

1. What are people saying about this organization online? What tools are they using to talk about the organization?

The reviews are generally positive about Anthropologie as an organization. There is a place for reviews on their website next to each product and customers are satisfied with the clothes as well as the shipping and quality. If one wanted to know about the quality of these items, there are many blogs of happy customers. Anthropologie is an expensive clothing store, so it is important to customers that they are getting quality clothes. People are using Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and blogs to communicate with the organization. This is helpful because as the organization responds, more business is being generated. 

2. Is the organization responding to these people through social media? If so, how effective do you think they are?

Anthropologie is responding on some of its social networking sites. On others, they are simply adding more material each day. There are new outfits and new products coming out all the time. There is a visible response in how the product design follows what people are liking on the social networking sites as well as what they are buying online. I am not sure this is the most effective organization at communicating with their clients because the responses are not directly to the customer but to the masses. This can make the customer feel unimportant. 

3. What social media tools is the organization using to proactively communicate with their user base (rather than just responding)? How effective do you think they are in building relationships and engaging their customers online?

Anthropologie is using many of the popular social media sites to communicate with their users. They have a tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest pages. They showcase their latest products and advertise different looks. On YouTube, Anthropologie interviews their artists and designers. They give the customers a look into the different aspects of design. This gives their company a feeling of being open. Because there are not Anthropologie stores in many cities, they need to market their product online. There are many sales online and coupons are advertised through their social network sites. The customer can click on a photograph of an outfit and a page with all the pieces will come up. This gives the customer one place to create the look from. 

It seems as though Anthropologie is good at creating relationships with their customers through the social media sites. There are many followers and comments on the sites that show customers are excited about new products and ideas. 

Resources:
Product Reviews: http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/shopsale-freshcuts/24724130.jsp#BVRRWidgetID

Anthropologie Blog: http://effortlessanthropologie.blogspot.com/

Anthropologie.com http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/index.jsp

Tumblr http://anthropologie.tumblr.com/

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/anthropologie/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Anthropologie

You, Me and Anthropologie: http://youmeandanthropologie.blogspot.com/

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAAHVNyprh0&list=PL5949E126C78077F1&index=2&feature=plcp

Week 2

  a. What are the top 3 2.0 issues affecting libraries? Why?

  b.  Describe an article you read and if you agree or disagree with the author and why.

  c.  Do you think it is important for libraries to be using 2.0 tools? Why or why not?

  d.  How has social software had an impact on your life and work?

a. One of the most important issues to consider when thinking about libraries in the time of web 2.0 is who is creating and keeping information. The library used to be where information was stored and accessed. The people creating the information were published authors. Now, anyone can be the creator of information. Blogs, wiki's and many other sites give people the opportunity to express themselves. This can be an issue for the libraries because they no longer have control of what information people have access to. 

The role of the librarian has changed drastically in the last decade or so. The librarian used to be the all knowing keeper of the books. Now, they are facilitators. The librarian in with world of web 2.0 needs to be aware of information available on the web and be able to navigate it. The problem with this is the web is constantly changing and sometimes something that is not credible looks like it is. The librarian needs to be able to help people discern which sources are credible. 

E-books have affected libraries greatly. There are many ways to access these books and libraries have had to become one of those sources. The challenge is in who owns these ebooks, what company to use in accessing them, and copyright laws. People are now downloading books like they do music. They are sharing on websites and the library is not a primary source. They need to utilize web 2.0 to advertise their services. This could make the library the center of information again. 

b.   I read the article Librarian:2.0 It's all in the Attitude! by Helen Partridge. It is an interesting article about what it takes to become a librarian in today's society. The 81 participants were pulled from various libraries in Australia and formed focus groups to gather information. In the 14 meetings, the focus groups were asked many open ended questions about the current and anticipated skills librarians need today.

The researchers listened to the audio of the focus group sessions and tried to pick out common themes through the discussions. The researchers discovered that librarians at all levels need to be interested and engaged in life long learning. A librarian's learning never ends if they want to stay current with information. Being able to research efficiently and effectively was seen as a necessary skill. Communication and collaboration were found to be very important to librarians because it is the way to spread ideas and grow. Focusing on the user and being business savvy are also traits the focus groups saw were in good librarians. 

I do agree with Partridge on these points. All of these things are essential to being a librarian in today's society. I do not think this list is exhaustive by any means but it is a good jumping off point for anyone considering the profession. 

c. I do think it is important for libraries to be using web 2.0 tools. People of today's society are immersed in web 2.0. People of all ages are starting Facebook accounts, blogging, and using Twitter on a daily basis. More and more people are using smart phones for their daily tasks. Libraries that create an application or make their sites easily accessed through a mobile device will reach more of the population. In order to stay vital in the community, the library needs to stay up to date with the latest information technology out there. 

d. My life has been altered by social media because it is everywhere. I am going to school online, I can keep in touch with my family across the country and I can easily look for jobs around the world. I have made connections with people I never thought I would see again because of social media. My work has changed as well. I have created a blog for my students to use and they are creating websites to show their research. I am able to create wiki's with colleges and collaborate with more people on a daily basis.