Facebook « Thoughts of a [wannabe] librarian

Web 2.0 Technologies and Public Libraries

July 7, 2009 at 4:50 pm | In Web 2.0 | 8 Comments
Tags: Delicious, Facebook, MySpace, Public libraries, social networks

For a long time now, I have been a champion of public libraries using various web 2.0 tools in order to improve the quality of the service as well as to expand their reach. Many web 2.0 technologies have the advantage of being utilised by a large number of people who would otherwise not engage in their local library service. This is especially true for the group of people that reside somewhere between late childhood and pre-parenthood (although there are a great many parents who do not see the advantage of their local library). However, utilising such technologies is fraught with problems. Not least the issue of popularity.

Over the course of the past couple of years, a number of social networking sites have risen and fallen, supplanted by better, more attractive alternatives. Take MySpace for example. Although I personally have never had an account (I always found it a a bit of a mess), it was once the darling of the social networking world. So much so, that Rupert Murdoch (previously unimpressed by the internet) was moved to buy it up in an attempt to gain influence in the expanding market. Since those heady days, it has been supplanted by Facebook and Twitter as the networking medium of choice. Now it barely gets a look-in from people who were once part of their core user base.

The fickle nature of social networking sites sprang to mind after reading a piece in TechCrunch on the social bookmarking tool Delicious. According to Michael Arrington, Delicious is languishing as a result of poor development and declining traffic. I have to say, as a regular user of Delicious, I was rather surprised by this. I have been recommending it as a bookmarking tool for sometime now. I find it simple to use, infinitely superior to storing links on your browser and easier to use than many other similar services. Not only do I now discover that, according to one writer anyway, Delicious is in terminal decline, but it is also being supplanted by a new and upcoming rival: Pinboard. I have no idea how good this service is at the moment (it is in invitation beta mode at the moment – I have submitted my email address for beta testing), but it could provide an interesting alternative.

Perturbed as I am by the [predicted] demise of one of my favourite tools, it also begs the question: When should public libraries hop onboard the web 2.0 bus? Imagine spending months of your time training staff on using Delicious as an information tool, only to suddenly find it has dropped off the radar and has become defunct. Imagine spending months creating a Facebook page for your library, only to find that Facebook is no longer the cool thing with the very people you were trying to reach. At what point should we take the plunge (if at all)? Should we just bite the bullet and get connecting? Or should we sit and wait until we see how things pan out? I am not sure if I know the answer. In times of financial constraints, it seems hard to justify spending money on updating a variety of different web 2.0 technologies when any number of them could become defunct at any moment. But on the other hand, what about the immediate benefits. Like I said, it’s a tough call. I would be interested to hear what others have to say on this.

A Basic Guide to Twitter

March 17, 2009 at 12:13 am | In Web 2.0 | 6 Comments
Tags: Facebook, hints, social networks, TweetDeck, tweets, Twitter, Twitterfeed, Web 2.0

I have noticed a number of people signing up for Twitter or asking me about it in recent days and weeks and, undeterred by the amount of blog posts already written on the subject, I thought I would wade in with a few tips on how to use it (there’s a glossary of terms at the end).

1. Once you have signed up for an account and decided on a username, ensure you add a photo to your profile. I tend to be very wary of Tweeters who do not have a picture. Generally speaking, it tends to be spammers that don’t add one and consequently, if you don’t have a picture, many people won’t even consider following you. So, in short, if you want to make the most of what Twitter has to offer, add a photo pronto!

2. Perhaps the most important tip of all. Once you have chosen a username, make sure you fill in the ‘one line bio’ box in the settings screen. I cannot emphasise enough just how important this is. This is what will essentially attract fellow Tweeters to follow you. Not only fellow Tweeters, but fellow Tweeters that you will actually be interested in following. For example, I am interested in connecting with librarians, so I indicated in my bio some information that will attract other Tweeters to follow me: “ILS student, wannabe librarian, ebook owner and Web 2.0 addict.” By inputting such information, fellow users will instantly be able to see if you will tweet the sort of things that they are interested in. Complete this section appropriately, and you will soon attract other users. Furthermore, by completing this section properly, you will really start to see the benefits of being on Twitter.

3. Once you have sorted out your profile, it’s time to find some other Tweeters. One of the best ways of finding people to follow is by using Twitter Advanced Search. By completing the search form, you can easily find other users who ‘tweet’ about things that you are interested in or who live in your area.

4. Keep your tweets public if you want to gain followers. If you make them private, no-one will follow you making it less likely to discover anyone that may be of interest.

5. To send someone a public reply, use ‘@’. For example, using @ijclark (my username) will ensure that I get a message and that anyone else who follows you will also be able to see that message on your profile page. Furthermore, those that follow both of us will potentially be able to see any @replies (this can be turned off in the settings menu).

6. To send a private message, use direct message (use ‘D’ followed by a space and then the username of the person the message is directed at). This ensures that only the sender and the recipient will be able to see the message.

7. To manage your tweets more effectively, sign up for TweetDeck. This is a desktop application that allows the user to split tweets into columns making them easier to follow as well as making it easier to send @replies, messages and ‘retweets’.

8. If you have accounts with other social networking sites, eg Delicious, LastFM etc, sign up for Twitterfeed to enable recent activity to be posted to your profile. For example, if you ‘love’ a song on LastFM, you can set Twitterfeed to post this activity straight to your profile. Likewise, add a link to your Delicious page and that too can be directed to your Twitter profile via Twitterfeed. This also applies if you have a blog. Add the RSS feed to Twitterfeed and a link to your blog post will be added to your Twitter profile.

9. Link Twitter to Facebook. By adding the Twitter application on Facebook your Twitter updates will also be posted on your Facebook status…handily killing two birds with one stone.

10. Set up your Twitter account to enable mobile updates. This makes it far more instantaneous than solely updating when you are at a computer…a massive benefit when using Twitter as the immediacy of tweets are a crucial component in making it such a useful tool.

11. Want to share a website you have found? TinyURL, bit.ly and other shortening tools are essential for shortening web addresses and enabling them to fit within your 140 character limit.

That should be enough to get you started. It is quite common to sign up for Twitter and think ‘Eh?’, before giving up and wondering what all the fuss was about. It’s only after you have been using it properly that you begin to see why Twitter is such an excellent tool for connecting to other people. Since joining I have found it very beneficial, especially in terms of my job as I have been able to pick up various hints and tips I wouldn’t have been aware of previous to signing up. As long as you use Twitter properly, you too will find it a wonderful tool for communicating with others. It’s not just about telling people about what you are having for lunch…..it is much more than that.

Glossary

Twitter: A social networking site that enables users to connect with others using short messages of 140 characters.

Tweets: The messages that are posted on Twitter.

Tweeter: Someone who writes ‘tweets’ (short messages) on Twitter.

bio: Gives other Tweeters an idea of what you are likely to ‘tweet’ about. Absolutely essential to fill this in.

@[username]: Sends public message to that user.

D [username]: Sends private message to that user.

Retweet: Resending a tweet that someone else has written.

TweetDeck: Organises ‘tweets’ into groups making it easier to manage.

Twitterfeed: A tool that sends RSS updates to your Twitter profile (including blog posts and activity from other social networking websites).

TinyURL: A tool that shortens web addresses.

The iPhone 3G

February 8, 2009 at 8:44 pm | In Technology | 8 Comments
Tags: Apple, Facebook, Flixster, Google, iPhone 3G, last.fm, mobile phone, RSS, Twitter

The iPhone 3G

As followers of my Twitterings will know, I have finally given in and bought myself the new iPhone 3G. I had been thinking of purchasing a smartphone for a little while now, although it was the Blackberry Storm that I was giving more serious consideration (mainly because it was on the same network that I was already on). However, after reading a lot of negative reviews of the Storm (especially when it was compared to the iPhone), I decided that probably wasn’t worth the outlay. It was only after having a play around on a neighbour’s iPhone and seeing what it could do, that I gave it serious consideration (that and the new price plans that were on offer). With a baby on the way, I knew it was now or never (when will I be able to afford things like this again!?), so I took the plunge and signed up for the contract (something I never thought I would do!). I have to say, I have not regretted it one bit. It really is an amazing piece of equipment and has quickly become my favourite gadget (beating even my beloved e-book reader).

Of course the first thing that strikes you with the iPhone is the interface. The touch screen is really quite amazing, as is the accelerometer (the mechanism that detects the orientation of the phone and adjust the display accordingly). However, the 3G model has a number of new features. Firstly, and most obviously, it has the addition of 3G technology which enables faster data speeds. It also had the addition of assisted GPS, enabling the phone to pinpoint your exact location. This can be used in conjunction with a number of applications. For example, with ‘Location Services’ switched on in the Settings menu, you can access Google maps and at the press of a button the phone will highlight your location. Using the search bar above the map, you can search for anything you fancy. Enter the word ‘cafe’ and it will search for all the cafes in the area, highlight them with a red pin and provide a link to contact information (including phone number, address and website). Not only does it locate your search terms, it can also give you directions to your chosen destination, giving you distances and times by foot, car or bus (including the time of the next bus!). Should you be on the move when you have requested directions, it will act as a sat-nav and follow your progress in real-time (and pretty accurate it is too). A pretty nifty little tool.

There are a whole host of other functions on the phone, including the ability to play films (I recently purchased Tropic Thunder which came with a digital copy, and was promptly transferred), view photos, watch YouTube clips and sync the phone’s calender with Outlook. There are also a host of other functions that are available from the App Store, a fantastic innovation that allows developers to create software that utilise the iPhone’s unique control system. I have already downloaded a number of applications (some free, some at a small fee), including:

Facebook- Obviously links the phone to your Facebook account
Twitterfon – Probably the best of the Twitter based applications available
Last.fm- Links to your last.fm account and enables you to stream music from your last.fm playlists
Flixster – Works with the location function to locate local cinemas, display listing, watch trailers and, depending on the cinema, book tickets
Feeds- Links to Google Reader account to display RSS feeds
Google Earth- Google’a amazing application for the iPhone.

Of these, only Feeds required a small payment (£1.75), the rest were totally free.

So far, I have been totally blown away by what the iPhone has to offer. A number of the applications are truly superb and it has been a very worthwhile purchase. The only real drawback so far has been the battery life. For the first week I was charging fairly regularly (almost daily in fact). But I have a feeling this was more down to the fact that I was using it a lot to get used to what it could do, rather than the fact that it runs out absurdly quickly. I have since discovered a number of ways to minimise battery wastage, and I have certainly noticed an increase in battery life between charges (there are a whole load of tips here). So all in all, the phone is pretty impressive and I certainly haven’t regretted giving in and signing a contract. It will be interesting to see what other new applications will be developed in the near future. For now, the iPhone has merely scratched the surface of what is possible. Who knows what may emerge when they dig a little deeper.

Twitter….the new Facebook?

January 21, 2009 at 9:54 pm | In Web 2.0 | Leave a Comment
Tags: business, Facebook, information, media, promoting libraries, social networks, tweets, Twitter

It would certainly appear that Twitter is fast becoming the next big thing in the world of social networking. According to a number of reports today, traffic to Twitter has increased by an amazing 974% in the past year. According to the director of research for Hitwise, the company that has produced these figures, Twitter was

…one of the fastest growing websites in the UK last year, and it shows no signs of slowing down. If anything, the service is even more popular than our numbers imply, as we are only measuring traffic to the main Twitter website.

If the people accessing their Twitter accounts via mobile phones and third party applications (such as Twitterrific, Twitterfeed and Tweetdeck) were included, the numbers could be even higher. Many people seem to find Twitter addictive: the average amount of time that people spend on Twitter.com has more than trebled from less than 10 minutes a year ago to half an hour now.

Pretty impressive stuff. But what is Twitter and why is it being touted as the next big thing?

Twitter is essentially a service that allows account holders to update their status rather like the status section on Facebook. Using the question “What are you doing?” as a starting point, Twitter allows users to do exactly that in 140 characters. As well as updating your status, you can follow other people’s updates and read a feed of all the status updates of the people that you follow. Now, that may seem that it would be useful only for pointless meanderings and useless chitter-chatter, but it is also a useful tool for information sharing. Instead of sending emails to a number of different people, you can just post to your Twitter page and save an awful lot of hassle. Furthermore, as updates can be sent from your mobile phone by SMS, you don’t even have to access the internet to share info with your followers.

My Twitter Profile

Twitter has proven to be an extremely useful tool of late. Take the recent terrorist attack in Mumbai. During the attack, people caught up in the events were able to ‘tweet’ (the term used for updating Twitter) the events that were going on around them when the media was trying desperately to grapple with the events as they happened. The same was true of the recent plane crash in New York. Local observers were able to tweet before the media could even get on scene. Although it lacks the authority of the media, these two events have demonstrated the strengths of Twitter as an information sharing service.

Personally, I have also found tweeting quite useful. Recently my wife flew out to Spain to be with her family and I was left home alone. During the course of that week, I had a lucky escape as there was a series of major road accidents on the way to work and I was held up for a couple of hours. As I could just send a text from my phone, I could let my wife know via my Twitter page that I was ok (cheaper than texting Spain!). It also came in handy when I was due to fly out to meet up with her. The last time we went to Spain at this time of year, there were massive delays and we were stuck at Heathrow for hours. The ability to tweet would have been very useful for keeping her family up-to-date with the latest regarding departures and arrivals. Luckily it wasn’t so problematic this time, but at least I could keep her informed.

But Titter can also be useful from a business perspective. It can help bring the business and their customers closer together. It could be particularly useful in the library field as it would be easy for the library to update ‘followers’ on what is going on in their local library in terms of events etc. It also enables users to post questions that can be answered via a tweet reply (using @username in the status window) and can also be used to post links to a blog or other useful resource (although it is necessary to shorten the address to a Tiny URL).

Of course, Twitter will also be used for bog standard pointless ‘twitterings’ and if that isn’t your bag, you might find it irritating, but you don’t have to follow people if they do have a habit of posting annoying updates. If you are fascinated by celebrity, it might well be right up your street. For example, I am currently following Stephen Fry, Graham Linehan (of Father Ted, IT Crowd fame) and Jonathan Ross (not because I am obsessed with celebrity, they are just interesting). In fact, I even managed to have a short tweet conversation with Jonathan Ross about ebooks (he has a Kindle and a Sony Reader apparently). So, if you are interested in celebrity, telling everyone what you are up to, or interested in sharing information, Twitter is certainly a very useful tool.

However, it does have some limitations. It would be useful if you could tweet to a group rather than an individual or everyone. That could make it much easier for those that wish to tweet for business and pleasure. The other problem at the moment, certainly for me, is that there are still a lot of people who have not brought themselves to get an account. Out of all my friends in my email address book, I am the only one with a Twitter account – which makes it pretty dull at the moment! However, I am convinced that Twitter has a lot of potential and, alongside ebooks, could just be one of the big things for 2009.

If you want a more comprehensive explanation of Twitter, I found this YouTube video that explains all about it and how it can be used in the workplace (be warned it is over an hour long…..the first 5-10 minutes should be enough to explain what it’s all about)

Web 2.0 and the Library

August 18, 2008 at 8:23 pm | In Web 2.0 | Leave a Comment
Tags: Facebook, flickr, last.fm, LibraryThing, LibraryThing Local, promoting libraries, social networks, Web 2.0

One of things that has really interested me since starting my course all those months ago, is the use of the wide variety of Web 2.0 tools to develop the library service. As you can see from my sidebar, I have a number of profiles with various social networking sites including Flickr, LibraryThing and Last.fm(I also have a Facebook account, but that is for another post). Of all these sites, the one that has interested me most of late is, of course, LibraryThing.

I am always eager to identify opportunities to utilise the internet for the good of the library service, and LibraryThing certainly seems to have the potential to add an extra dimension to the library service. This is particularly true in the case of LibraryThing Local. LibraryThing Local, in case you didn’t know, is a database of libraries, bookshops, book fairs etc in your local area. By adding your library to the database and obtaining administrative rights, you suddenly have a page to connect with users. You can add events, information about the library, people can ‘favourite’ your library and comments to a comment wall. This all sounds fantastic, but I wonder how useful it is to actually have a profile on LibraryThing local. Although it seems to be a fairly popular site, even the most famous libraries have very few ‘fans’. So, is it an interesting gimmick or a useful tool to develop the service? At this stage, I reserve my judgement. I have had a chance to add a couple of libraries to the database, and I will wait and see what develops. Meanwhile, I would be interested to hear any views from anyone who has used this tool to promote their library service. I am willing to experiment with sites such as this, but I wonder how valuable it really is.