EMILY RIMLAND: May 2008 Archives
Today I cam across a link on PostSecret that offers exclusive content only available on their Facebook site.
Personally I'm not sure how to reconcile my feelings about this . One on side, I think this is a really good use of Facebook and push advertising by PostSecret. Here you have a good site with lots of dedicated, loyal readers. I think offering exclusive content on another site is the best way to get people to use the Facebook site. Otherwise, wouldn't most users get what they need from the native site? Other sites usually do have some kind of discussion board/comments feature. In that case, I guess Facebook could provide some kind of feature that the native site doesn't (or bring in $$$ somehow). PostSecret doesn't really have its own discussion board so maybe FB provides that for them.
This is something I'd like to see us do with the FB application. I think that's the key to getting people to use it--provide something unique there that users can't get anywhere else, e.g. an interactive map to find our friends in the library.
My one hesitation? People that don't use FB. As librarians, making resources free and available to everyone is in our blood. It kind of reminds me of sweepstakes that still have to provide an alternate way for people to enter that's not web based by providing a telephone number or address. Providing exclusive content on another web site creates a barrier. It's not a huge barrier, since FB accounts are free and open to everyone (now), but it's more of a mental barrier for some folks who have various reasons for not wanting to sign up for FB. Plus, in higher ed, is it fair to build in this extra step to a resource that's ultimately supported by tuition dollars?
A drawback to making it open to everyone? The TIME it takes to think through an alternate access point and put those processes in place. And we all know we move slowly enough as it is in libraryland! So, as I said, I'm not sure how to balance all these things...certainly open to suggestions and would love to hear feedback.
I felt compelled to blog that I love being part of a profession where thank you notes are commonplace.
On a personal level, I love sending and receiving thank you notes, especially old school, handwritten ones. Other than signing credit card receipts, I handwrite so few things at length these days that I get a hand cramp when I write out thank you notes. The crafty/girly side of me gets into the stationary, pens, labels, etc. On the one I just received (for the session on iGoogle I did for the Juniata-Conemaugh chapter of PaLA), I like the antithesis of the situation: the reason for the note was something web 2.0ish (iGoogle), but the note was notably (ha!) web -2.0ish (handwritten & snailmailed).
But really it comes down to the sentiment of the note and the fact that someone took the time to write it and express their thoughts. I'm a sucker for this stuff, yes. Do I think less of people that don't send them, no....but it is particularly delightful to get one :)
This morning I saw this Library Journal post from Lia Friedman and Char Booth. <3 it!!
For me, it nicely summarized the feelings I've had a lot lately and over the past few months:
1) the whole misconception that others have that your age is directly proportional to your interest or savviness with technology. SO NOT TRUE. Granted, younger people are generally more comfortable with technology, but it's an over generalization that young = good/interested in technology. I encounter plenty of students that outwardly say they are technophobes. We see plenty of questions at our service desks that indicate many students don't fully understand technology even though they use it heavily. And vice versa-plenty of folks of varying ages that are whizzes with technology. It makes me a little sad when 'more experienced' librarians write themselves off from technology just because of their age.
2) Our risk adverse culture. WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. I'm not entirely sure how we go about creating institutional change that increases risk taking, but I'd love to talk about it with you if you have ideas. this is an area we NEED to work on. I'm so glad we wrote it into our strategic plan. This article has inspired me to go out and just try some stuff on my own...even though we are a very committee heavy organization and profession. Which leads me to...
3) Committees...Hmmm...I have conflicting thoughts here. As a profession, librarians are a very collaborative folk. This is one characteristic that drew me to the profession. However, we tend to go overboard with it to the point where it bogs down progress. A colleague says we actually fetishize it. This is why I love the hot team approach that ETS uses. It's the 'somewhere in between' of doing your own thing and an officially sanctioned committee. If we start using a hot team-type approach in libraryland (which I hope we do), we'll need to be careful and aware not to slip into old habits.
that's all for now. that feels like a lot since I haven't blogged in a while....phew!
