Social Networking
In a Snap!

A Definition
• Online Social Networking is a
community of people sharing their
thoughts, photos, and interests online.

• Online social networks can look a lot
like your “real world” social network.
• Mine does!

My Social Network

Don’t get it?
• It’s ok not to understand why people
appear to be living out their lives
online.
• (Pst... I don’t think most social networkers
think that they are living some sort of
virtual life!)

However...
• Don’t let your personal feelings hold
back the library from taking advantage
of the potential goodwill and publicity
social networks offer.

Why join in?

• The benefits for your library:
• It’s another (completely different)
way to publicize the library...
• It’s free...
• It’s fast and pretty easy!

Monthly Users
274 300000000
Million!
225000000
150000000
124
Million
75000000
0
Facebook Users MySpace Users

• Facebook boasts more than 100 million
daily users.

• If someone offered your library free
weekly ad space in a hand-delivered
newsletter that would reach a modest
percent of your users, would you turn it
down?
• Probably not.

Why not join?
Let’s be honest here.

• Social networking will not solve every
problem your library has...

Tell me again...
How is this quick and easy?

It’s all about Web 2.0
• Online social networking sites use
powerful Web 2.0 technology.
• In the world of Web 2.0, data you
publish is free to travel from the
original site to other accounts you
manage.

• Publish it once, syndicate it to multiple
sites.

Working Together

Looks who Flickrs!

Library of Congress

Looking for local inspiration?

Keene’s Digital Library

Manchester’s Photos

Advertising with Twitter

Connecting with Facebook

Let’s get started!

Simple Registration

Facebook

Sites
• http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/03/23/facebook-hockey-sticks-
while-myspace-languishes/
• http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/keenepubliclibrary
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/manchesterlibrary/