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Navigating Social Media As An Information Professional
- 2. How to Navigate Social Networking as an Information Professional What we are going to talk about: 1. What is “Social Media” 2. The Value of Social Media in the Information Profession 3. Professional, Personal, and Organizational Use What you will take away: Resources Awareness Confidence
- 8. Fernandez, Joe. "A SWOT Analysis for Social Media in Libraries." Online 33.5 (2009): 35-37. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 19 May 2010.
- 11. Use the security options on all of your social media. Create a personal social media policy.
- 16. Mistake #2: Breach confidentiality.
- 18. Mistake #3: Be the Know-It-All
Editor's Notes
- Very brief overview of what social media is and its value in the information profession to make sure we are all on the same page, so to speak. All of the material referenced in this presentation is available on the handout.
- I have created a definition based on an amalgamation of many definitions. “Social media” is anything that allows groups to generate content and engage in peer-to-peer conversations and exchange of content. This includes wikis, blogs, instant messaging, etc. Anything that allows communication between more than one person and has room for collaboration. A step up from email.
- When it comes to social media, many librarians tend to judge people who use it. This is akin to judging people’s reading materials. Saying that “the library is not here for people to play Farmville because there is no educational or social value in it” is like saying that “the library is not here to provide Nora Roberts because there is no educational of social value in it”.
- The amount of ways to engage each other in the virtual world has increased astronomically in the last several years. This is only a small sampling of what is available. The online gaming world is also a form of social media with it’s instant messaging capabilities. When people can communicate they ALWAYS communicate more than what is required. Of course, as in anything, not just technology, it is in constant flux. New programs, new platforms, numerous choices! Think about all of the other ways you communicate with people in the virtual world. Think back to what you started with and what you are using now.
- When asked about the role of social media in libraries, librarians responded in the extremes. The answers ranged from “the best thing since sliced bread”, or “the most annoying youth trend since baggy jeans”. I got very few middle of the road, take it or leave it answers. Emotions run high and I have found many colleagues at vitriolic odds in the issue of social media. Even The Annoyed Librarian blasted the trend claiming it was a case of librarians foisting it on the public rather than responding to the needs of the public. Do you believe this is true? (raise hand if you do) Have you had people asking you for it or about it? (raise hand if you have).
- No matter what, Social Media is here to stay and is part of our profession. If nothing else we need to know what it is, how to use it, and how to guide others in how to make it valuable and useful. It is a new method of communication and we can be on the forefront!
- Other businesses have discovered the value of this relatively free information service and it has become obvious that libraries can gain a lot from understanding it and using it to their advantage. Especially since . . . . (next slide)
- This is how the upcoming generation of users communicates. To remain relevant we are embracing this. Libraries are using smartphone apps.89-93% of ages 12-24 are online170% of Online Teens use Social Media275% use video sharing sites21. Jones, Sydney, and Susannah Fox. Generations Online in 2009. 28 Jan. 2009. 17 Mar. 2009 www.pewinternet.org/ Reports/ 2009/ Generations-Online-in-2009.aspx.2. Rainie, Lee. “Teens and the Internet.” Pew Internet and American Life Project. 9 Jan. 2009. Pew Research Center. 17 Mar. 2009 www.pewinternet.org/ Presentations/ 2009/ Teens-and-the-internet.aspx.
- The same basic rules for using social media apply no matter what venue you are in. The key is to be genuine and thoughtful in your communication. However, as in the ‘real’ world, you have the choice of who you associate with and what you wish to share. For that reason there are different tacks you can take.
- No matter how you are using social media, you need to learn to use the security options on all of your social media.Create a personal social media policy and inform your friends and contacts about it. Don't allow individuals to tag your photo, as unflattering pictures could end up costing you or your friends their jobs. A big risk in your friend putting that picture up of you from college doing silly things, and then tagging the picture -- It might also get picked up on a search engine. So, if a recruiter does a search, it could come up. There are settings in social media sites to prevent friends from being able to tag you. You can also limit sharing, retweeting, etc of your posts so others can’t pass it on without your permission.Always request that people ask your permission to share something and unfriend them if they do not abide by the rules. Do the same for them.Create separate accounts.
- Imagine if the person or people were standing right in front of you. Would you say it? Example: would you announce in front of all of your colleagues that you “really have to pee but I will wait until the plane is in the air”? True story. Now, if you would, then by all means, go for it! Be yourself, and understand the consequences.
- The following mistakes are just the top five that most folks fall victim to, no matter how they are using social media.
- Either through excitement, career or marketing potentials, or a need to be accepted people have a tendency to accept a lot of requests they wouldn’t in the ‘real world’. We feel safe sitting at our desk surrounded by our little world and protected by the computer screen. “The person isn’t there if I don’t see them.” For this reason we tend to hit ‘accept’ when at a party we would walk away quickly.
- In most cases people will not even be aware that you are no longer a contact. If they are truly using social media to remain in contact because they are interested in you, then you probably will not find yourself wanting to ‘unfriend’. Even on business sites like LinkedIn you will find people who are trying to “get the most connections of any one”. You can eliminate them as a contact if you do not feel that the connection is beneficial for you. Would you put up with this behavior if the person was in front of you? Use proper introductions when adding users as friends or connections. Once you connect with somebody, they will have access to your information, and -- depending on who they are -- you might not want them to have that level of access. A good practice is to go through your contact list frequently to ensure you have a tight and trusted network of people,
- People tend to forget all of the folks they have friended, or allowed to share their posts, or that they have made their posts public. They may only be thinking of a few folks they are in contact regularly with seeing it and say things that are innapropriate or even harmful to themselves and others. Remember, it’s as if you are saying it all through a megaphone and folks you don’t even know are there are hearing it. They may think it’s cool, or makes them sound like they are on the inside or ‘in the know’. “I know something you don’t know”. You never know who might be listening. Or they may even just want to stir things up a bit to puff themselves up!
- Information is very powerful, as we have seen with Wikileaks and the middle east uprisings. Use it wisely. Gossip is never good and if you are saying something to someone about someone else it WILL get back to them, ESPECIALLY on social media. Complain about a patron—you don’t‘ even have to use their name—and someone will either figure out it is them or think it is and the damage is done. Even in ‘private’ situations, someone could know the person you are talking about. Boss’ sister-in-law example.
- Like chain letters of the past on steroids. Misinformation is spread like wildfire on social media. Tone ToneTone. Also, always bringing it back to “ME” is very snobby.
- As information professionals it is not only our job but our PASSION to get people the correct information. But remember that you are not always ‘on duty’ and to judge when it is important to get good information out there to stop rumours and when it is okay to let it go. Remind people that you are an info junkie and that it is an addiction for you that can’t be helped. Maybe you are not close enough to the person to ‘correct’ them. Think about it. However, always having the answer when you are NOT asked is really boring, as is always coming back to “ME”. “What is Internet” example. Bryant Gumbel and Katie Couric don't know what the Internet is in this clip from January 24, 1994 “I love how the graphic labels what is clearly an email address as an "Internet Address." :D Even at the time, us computer geeks were laughing our asses off. I sent my first email in 1992 (and I was late to the table!) I had my first video chat on May 6, 1993.”
- Facebook is a good place to start. Oh—this conference has a Twitter feed—I think I will try that. Foursquare looks kinda fun. Well, I have to keep track of my pictures, so Flickr seems good. I have so many blogs to read I better start using Google Reader. Oh—there is a cool way to share what I am reading—I’ll accept this Goodreads invitation. This workshop has all of the bookmarks available in Delicious. What a great video. This is a must for my professional life. (ends with Wordpress, then Digg). Next thing you know, you are completely buried and not doing ANY of them!
- Sample them to get an idea of what they are so when people ask you can give them an honest opinion, then CLOSE the accounts you are not using. You can always re-open them. Having a bunch of accounts you can’t keep up with just makes people lose interest in you. Let people know that you are closing this account and where you are moving if you wish to stay in contact with them. Otherwise just let people know you are no longer vetting this particular product. It’s all about information.
- Wanting to share cool things, things you are passionate about, or in the moment posts can get REALLY boring and tick people off. Again—think about being in the room with the other folks. Is anyone else getting a word in edgewise?
- Consider how your comments would be perceived before you actually post them, and put logic above emotion at all times. "Before you hit 'post,' realize that this will be a permanent reflection of your identity, and it may never be erased. Assume that anything you put on a social networking site will be seen by third parties, and "ask yourself whether you would want that seen," . A good rule of thumb—would you be comfortable standing on a chair in a crowded room and shouting this to everyone? If you think that somebody could take offense with respect to a political view or offensive language or comments, don't make them on a social media site that can be viewed by others. If you are thinking “Who is going to see this?” you probably shouldn’t post it. Remember, anyone has the possibility of seeing this so be prepared to back up your statements and accept the consequences. As we all know, as librarians we are public figures and anything can come back to haunt us, especially in smaller towns. Be aware of how political, religious, or other personal statements reflect on your employment and employer, even with a personal account. Just as you would with any ‘real world’ activity. Example: director of Catholic school library. Use private messages or other one on one methods to communicate if it is just fun for a few people. Multiple folks on Facebook messages. Sharing links is fun but how many articles do YOU have time to read? Make sure that you add your two cents in the post or tweet to tell folks WHY you think it is interesting. “Forwarded emails”.
- Are you interested in using social media professionally?
- Create a separate account from your personal. If you plan to use it for your career, use your real name, professional email or create a new email just for professional use, and only friend those helpful for your field. Make sure you distinguish this for those not friended on this account. “ I use this account for business purposes”. Just like they don’t (or shouldn’t) email personal emails to your work account. Same distinction.You can create an alter ego for your personal account. I have a friend who is Jan Fouroneone (411) for many of us and uses her real name for others, depending on the level of friendship. Some social media programs, such as Facebook, say that you are not “allowed” more than one account. I see rules such as this as a way for them to make sure they aren’t overloaded with ‘fake’ and malicious accounts. Especially with Facebook recently making changes to incorporate work history and other professional aspects of our lives, having one personal and one professional account with separate emails really doesn’t seem, to me, out of line with the intent of the policy. Of course, this is just my opinion as someone who wants to see people using social media safely and effectively.Make sure you regularly post or add content to this account otherwise people will lose interest. Apply the same rule: What would you do in the real world. And avoid the same mistakes.
- Are you interested in using social media in your organization?
- Get the organization actively involved: Everyone needs to be involved so that it is the voice of the whole organization, not just one person. That gets pretty boring and isn’t sustainable. Make it a conversation: Ask for suggestions, photos or comments to get your customers involved. You have administrative rights and can take anything down that is innapropriate. Be consistent: don’t start something you can’t finish. Without regular activity no one will return. Have a social media policy in place: align it with your library public relations and general policies regarding employee communications and content. DO NOT use photos of people without their permission!! Protecting children and adults. Just like you would with the newspaper. Make sure employees understand the policy of speaking publicly for the library and make sure the media contact is posted clearly on the social media pages. If you encounter resistance due to some social media policies to allow for only one account, create a ‘personal’ account for your organization and use that as the main administrator for your organizational social media accounts. The email is your contact, or general info library email. The recent Supreme Court ruling about organizations as individuals supports that argument!
- If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me in any form of social media you would like. Oh yeah, or email, if that is your bag.