Social networking info will be posted soon

I want to thank everyone who attended the social networking classes. You were all wonderful participants and I appreciate all of the great questions and comments. The last two classes were offered yesterday so I’m in the process of writing up the questions and answers so they can be posted here on LibraryTrax. I will also load the PowerPoint slides in the next week, so be looking for those.

Hopefully together we can find creative ways to use these tools to our advantage and, in the process, educate our patrons on the benefits and potential issues with these emerging technologies. I must join Felicia in saying that the only way to prevent problems, such as the lawsuit recently filed in South Carolina, is to provide education. I would rather young people be using these tools in the library or in their schools where they can receive education rather than going to a friend’s house or an Internet cafe. Teaching online safety should really be every library’s responsibility, not just in regards to sites like MySpace but in terms of chatrooms and other online communication tools.

Predators are the same as they’ve always been. The only difference is that the internet provides an additional point of contact. The message that parents have been sending to their children all of these years (don’t talk to strangers) really isn’t any different in the virtual environment. As educators, though, we need to reinforce this message whenever given the opportunity. I think the future of our libraries depends on us keeping up with the times and meeting people where they are. I hope the bad press (that is inevitable with almost every new technology) will not keep you from using sites such as MySpace as a valuable marketing and communication tool.

If you have additional questions that should be included with the social networking information, please let me know and I will send out an answer in the next week or so. Thanks again for your participation. Have a great weekend!

 

Trouble in MySpace…education is the key.

No doubt you’ve probably heard by now that a South Carolina family has filed a lawsuit against MySpace because they say two of their daughters were raped by a man they met on the social networking site. Why then, you ask, are we teaching classes on MySpace and encouraging you all to learn more about it and use it as a tool to reach your teens? Because, yes, there are nasty people out there who are more than happy to use the technology for their own evil ends, but just as you wouldn’t lock your children inside the house and never let them leave, you can’t lock them out of what has become the most used Internet site in the world.

We teach our children how to protect themselves in the “real world” by being cautious with strangers, avoiding being caught in strange places after dark, etc. We must do the same in our online lives, and libraries can do a lot to teach teens and parents what to do to safe.

An article I read on the lawsuit on the WIS-TV website, quotes a local Internet expert, Dan Don Cantrell, who says that parents shouldn’t restrict their children from using MySpace, but teach them to use it responsibly. I agree with him wholeheartedly, but that will be difficult for most parents if they’ve never used the site themselves or aren’t very computer savvy. That’s where libraries can help. Show parents that the positives of MySpace can far outweigh the negatives if their kids are armed with good information and a bit of caution.

In October, I blogged about a great entry I saw over at Youth Tech. Matt Gullett talks about MySpace classes for parents and shares a brochure he uses for his classes. It’s worth another look. If you’re interested in doing classes of your own, let us know. We’ll be happy to help in any way we can.

 

Social Software Hits the Bottom Line

   If your New Year’s resolution was to get in shape in 2007, you now have some new tools to keep you on the straight and soon-to-be-narrow.

 

If you’re happy with the shape you’re in, remember the sobering fact that South Carolina remains in the top ten states for obese adults.  S.C. libraries have great health resources for library users, and so much good information is available now online.

 

Two new social websites, FitDay and Traineo, offer free, fun to use interactive tools to motivate and support users to reach weight loss and fitness goals. The websites have familiar social software components.  If you join, you can use your new TechTracks skills to blog about your progress along with other members, join interest groups and chat.

Both sites allow you to input daily calorie intake and calculate calories burned, get detailed nutritional analysis, log weight changes and analyze progress.  FitDay offers journaling (blogging).  In Traineo, you can identify a set of “motivators” – family and friends who will receive emails of your progress and who can cheer you on toward your goal. 

 

The best thing about these new tools is that they provide a sense of community and common purpose.  The biggest winners?  South Carolina library users!

 

30 Positive Uses of Social Networking

Partly as a means of answering challenges to social networking presented in the DOPA proposed legislation, YALSA librarians blogged about the benefits of online social tools.  The results:  30 positive uses of social networking, that are making a difference in the way young people learn, communicate, and use the library.   Some extremely positive outcome of social networking: 

• Teens are empowered
• Teens have the chance to meaningfully serve the community
• Teen reading and writing skills are supported
• Teens have opportunities to create and collaborate
• Teens learn to plan and manage projects
• Teens communicate with community members
• Teens learn how to be smart and safe when using technology.

Read the compiled results here.   This easy-to-follow roundup of new (and newer!) softwares also includes real-library examples of how teens are using them. 

 

I Love Users

Just took a look at one of our favorite marketing blogs Logic+Emotion.  Today’s post is about World Usability Day — which libraries are definitely a part.  Customer service and making the library a simple place to use and enjoy are one of our hallmarks.  Take a look at the wonderful graphic and the list:

Today is World Usability Day

Imagine if you couldn’t figure out how to upload videos on YouTube
Imagine if Google seemed too complex
Imagine if using Tivo was as hard as using your VCR
Imagine if your iPod intimidated you
Imagine if customizing your Avatar wasn’t any fun
Imagine if you couldn’t figure out how to comment on this post
Imagine if buying offline was more convenient
Imagine if classifieds were easier than Craigslist
Imagine if the buttons on your mobile device didn’t work
Imagine if running a blog was only for techies
Imagine if your bank teller was faster than your ATM
Imagine if del.icio.us wasn’t
Imagine if I couldn’t figure out how to publish this post

Imagine if all agencies and our clients took usability seriously?

A product, service or brand experience that isn’t usable is like a barking dog without teeth.  All bark, no bite and highly annoying.

Today is World Usability Day

Think like a designer, empathize with your users and create something usable.

–Deborah