Jango Screencast

Here is my amateur attempt at screencasting!  I selected the social software tool Jango and I highly recommend anyone that's a music lover to check it out.  Similar to other websites like rhapsody and pandora, it plays new music based on the artists you select.  It also has an active online community and allows users to add each other as friends and comment on one another's page.  Anyways, enough chatter!  If you are interested, take a look at the screencast and I hope you like it!

http://screenjel.ly/PDUzlaR0wEc

Lurkers- Friend or Foe?

I am going to start this post by being completely honest- I am a lurker!  I can't help it and more importantly I am not ashamed.  I do understand that online communities must have members that are willing to regularly contribute otherwise the community will vanish.  But, I know from experience that lurkers have genuine reasons for their greedy behavior!  The article by Reed (2009) resonated with me on the point that sometimes lurking stems from a new member being shy or intimidated.  When I joined an online community, I felt like it took a while until I felt acclamated to how everyone interacted.  Even though there were many messages that I agreed with or found meaningful, I did not feel comfortable commenting on ALL of them.  Another reason for my lurking is the same reason I put off creating a blog (until I started this course).  This reason is that I wanted my posts to be *perfect*.  Full of witty humor, profound insight and completely original.  The problem with this goal is that perfection is rarely an achievable feat, especially considering my participation in the online community was purely for recreational use.  I had difficulty taking time to construct a perfect post when it wasn't related to school or work.  Although I have begun to lighten up and create messages when I find a question I can answer or want to show support to another member, I still believe that lurking adds value to any community.  You never know- someone who spent years of lurking may become a major contributor eventually

Another issue is anonymous users within an online community.  This can be a problem because anonymity can present an opportunity for some people to say things they would never have the gaul to say in a face-to-face environment (Grohol, 2006).  Anonymous users can write nasty comments and face no consequences.  However, anonymity does have some perks.  It allows members to openly discuss topics that they may have been more reserved about if the discussion was in person.  I think anonymous users is just part of the fabric of online communities.  Yes, some people are miserable and will take advantage of it but as long as there are some moderators in place to make sure it does not escalate to a serious level, it should not be a huge concern.

Grohol, J. (2006).  Anonymity and Online Community: Identity Matters.  A List Apart.  Retrieved from http://www.alistapart.com/articles/identitymatters/.

Reed, M.  (2009).  Inside the Mind of Online Community Lurker.  CommunitySpark.  Retrieved from http://www.communityspark.com/inside-the-mind-of-an-online-community-lurker/.

A New Fan of Delicious

At this point in the semester, I have not been able to fully appreciate the value of Delicious.  In theory I can understand why social bookmarking is helpful, but I have realized that despite adding a few extra websites of interest, I have not actually referred to my Delicious account as a way of navigating to those sites.  Instead, I still use the Favorites tab on my own laptop.  I have also discussed Delicious with my family and found that a few of them have tried it but have not used it consistently. 

However, as I completed the tasks for Exercise 5, I gained some new insight into why Delicious and social bookmarking has created their own niche within web 2.0 tools.  Through this exercise I learned about the social aspects of bookmarking, such as being able to click on the number of people that have tagged a certain item.  From there I could select individual users and that is where I began to fall in love with Delicious.  I found that I could really gain a sense of users' personalities and interests.  I could also find individuals who share similarities with me, such as a love of cooking, shopping and music. 

To some I understand that this may all seem so obvious and you may be asking yourself why it took me so long to gain a full grasp of what Delicious offers.  I think that just goes to show that you get out of Web 2.0 tools what you put into them.  I can read about the features offered by a certain tool but if I do not take the time to actually explore it myself, I will never be abe to make an informed decision on whether or not it is worthwhile to me.

Culture Shock: Online Collaboration

As many of us know from our own work experience, every organization has its own culture.  Sometimes that culture is obvious just from the process by which you were hired and other times it may take a few weeks to start to recognize the individual culture of a new workplace.  I know that in one of my early library  courses we heavily discussed culture and the ways that it effects management.  After reading the article, "Corporate Culture, Not Tech, Drives Online Collaboration" from the Web Worker Daily, I am now beginning to understand how culture can also either foster the use of internal collaboration tools, or completely discourage it.  And the most fascinating part of this is that it can happen unintentionally.  An organization may think they are all for the idea of internal collaboration and supply great new tools, but if the mechanisms within the fabric of that organization are not conducive to collaboration in general, it will not succeed.

The above mentioned article states some key components of a corporate culture that is advantageous to using online collaboration.  Some of these components include an organization that is fine with their employees making their own schedules and maybe telecommuting.  Such a philosophy is indicative of a culture that does not depend on a lot of face-to-face interaction.  This type of organization may greatly benefit from online collaboration.

Also important is a culture that encourages technologically minded employees.  If the organization tends to fall behind on tech trends, does not encourage embracing current technology or simply does not do well with technology, then online collaboration will not flourish.  The tools may be available but ultimately employees will not use them.

That ties into the next component, which is that the culture must be willing to do more than just supply the tools.  There must be people who are sufficiently familiar with how to use them and are able to instruct others on how to work on them as well.  It also takes time to plan out strategies of how to implement online collaboration into the organization so that it is used efficiently.

Lastly, any culture attempting to use online collaboration absolutely must have strong support from management.  There must be leaders within the organization that believe in online collaboration.  Without such support they will not be able to bolster confidence in this new form of communication.

Biz Wiki is tops

By far, my favorite library wiki is the Biz Wiki that was created by the Ohio University Libraries.  I found this wiki to be innovative, thorough, helpful and user friendly.  Although I was not a business major in college, I can envision how this would greatly assist college students throughout their academic careers at Ohio University.  The reason why this wiki is successful is because it organizes the resources that are available through the libraries in a way that makes them readily accessible.  If I had a project involving marketing, I could quickly find a list of all the databases related to marketing.  Not only would I be able to find links to these databases but I could also read short descriptions and tips on how to use each one.  


This wiki does not only cover databases.  It also concerns itself with reference books, websites and research guides as long as they are related to business.  It's clear that the librarians at this institution are deeply committed to helping their business students conduct research.  The wiki provides insightful information on how to locate industry information, statistics, company information, data on international business, etc.  There is a wide range of business areas covered throughout this wiki, which demonstrates the thoroughness of the libraries' resources.  


What I enjoyed the most about this wiki is its user friendliness.  Its interface is very reminiscent of Wikipedia, which helped me feel immediately comfortable with it.  Given all the research conducted on college students and their strong reliance on Wikipedia, it is safe to assume that many Ohio University students are also quite familiar with the site.  Therefore, this wiki is less intimidating because it is not altogether new to them.  Aside from the Wikipedia resemblance, Biz Wiki is also easy to navigate because each of the various sections are distinctly labeled and organized.  


When comparing Biz Wiki to the other wiki examples, I was able to see how the purpose of wiki the most crucial aspect of it.  Biz Wiki is designed for undergraduate students.  It must be able to assist students in research regardless of their professor or specific project because these factors change regularly.  


The Plymouth Regional High School Library Research Page is created to help teachers implement wiki usage into their curriculum.   Therefore, the articles are meant to be read by teachers and not for outsiders to gain any valuable new information.  There are also some articles that only contain links to websites.  


The Durham County Library Strategic Plan's wiki is meant to facilitate customer input.  Their articles state the various ways they are striving to meet each of the goals within their plan.  It is an excellent wiki and provides an opportunity for people to stay informed on how the library is progresses in regards to their strategic plan.


These wikis all made a strong impression on me for different reasons.  I appreciate how a library can incorporate a wiki into their high school students' regular activities, a public library can gain ideas from its users, and a university can guide its business students through their research.  These examples all shine for different reasons and it is a testament to the versatility of wikis.

Smithsonian Institution Libraries- Marketing Critique

Marketing Critique

            One library organization with a strong online presence is the Smithsonian Institution Libraries.  Although they have an impressive website, what really makes their presence known in the cyberworld is how they have adopted various social networking tools as part of their marketing strategy.   A user can follow them on Twitter, add them on Facebook, view their photos on Flickr or subscribe to their channel on YouTube.  By employing all of these formats, the Smithsonian Institution Libraries are able to reach out to users in a variety of ways.  Their website has its own blog, but they rely on Twitter and Facebook as a means of broadcasting their blog to people that might not have sought out their website. The Smithsonian Institution is a large organization hosting twenty individual libraries.  The institution supports research for the advancement of science and the arts.  They work closely with the federal government, universities and the American people.  This is quite the challenging patron database to serve!  However, their approach to using social media for marketing purposes proves to be innovative and quite effective.

The Smithsonian Institution Libraries’ Facebook profile is full of vibrant information.  Their status is updated on a regular basis with announcements of upcoming events, acquisitions, and other items from their blog.  The profile also features pictures that help to bring the library to life.  From such events as a film premier, symposium and various receptions, the photos demonstrate to users that the library offers a community for them to join.  Their Facebook page also has a blog section that is filled with posts from their website.  These blogposts provide a unique peek into how the libraries operate.  Instead of dry, generic announcements, this platform is used to highlight what each library consists of.  For example, some of the blogposts introduce interns and describe a bit about the projects they are working on.  It is enhanced by many images and videos related to the topics being covered.  This is an excellent marketing technique because it allows users to feel especially connected to the Libraries.

While their Facebook page is chuckful of engaging information, it is lacking in the area of interacting with their users.  For example, there is a Discussion page on their profile that has not been updated in six months.  Also, comments are left unanswered and unacknowledged on their Facebook Wall.  

Another social media tool that is heavily used by the Libraries is Twitter.   Their Twitter page is updated at least once a day and has 3,857 followers.  Each tweet is full of spunk and excitement.  I did not read any tweets that were boring, which led me to believe that they understand how important it is to not only draw in followers, but keep them coming back.  Many of the tweets were shorter versions of their Facebook status.  However, they also used Twitter as a platform for minor and casual announcements.  It seems like it is used as a mechanism to keep users in touch with the Libraries and remind them that there is a lot of stuff happening around the clock.  Twitter also gives the Smithsonian an opportunity to showcase their networking skills.  Plenty of references are made to associations and conferences that the libraries are affiliated with.

One area of their Twitter activity that could use some improvement is the amount of users they are following.  They are following 319, which sounds like a lot but some of those Twitter accounts are related to the Smithsonian Institute.  While this helps the Libraries stay connected with other departments in the organization, it does not help facilitate interaction with individual users. 

One of the most innovative parts of the Libraries’ marketing strategy is their use of Flickr.  This profile is used to show pictures of items from their collections. Their photos are of good quality and help to illustrate the specialized collections they have.   As a museum library, they have many interesting artifacts and Flickr may assist in leading users to the Libraries.  For example, imagine you are a Charles Dickens fanatic and enter the author’s name into the Flickr search box.  All of the sudden you come across photos of original print Charles Dickens novels!  Most likely you would look to find the source and once you realized where it is from, your interest in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries may be piqued.

The Smithsonian Institution Libraries have also created their own YouTube channel.  This channel has a variety of videos elaborating on the Libraries’ mission, collections and history.  These videos are quite engaging and a few try to elicit donations from users.  What I found most valuable about using YouTube is that the different videos are able to demonstrate the unique qualities of each of their libraries.  Through their YouTube videos one gains an understanding of how each library offers a distinct set of information.  The videos are incredibly enriched by the use of quotes from actual users. They also articulate user satisfaction in a real life way.  In addition, there are videos showing the construction of some of the libraries, which do an excellent job of describing the vision that was behind these buildings.  By allowing users to view the library without its collection already assembled on the shelves, users feel like they are part of the behind the scenes process.

Some ways their YouTube account could be enhanced is by subscribing to more channels.  So far they have only subscribed to three, all of which belong to the Smithsonian Institute.  By engaging more thoroughly in the YouTube community, the Libraries may gain a wider following.  As it is they have 197 subscribers.  That is quite a bit less than those following them on Twitter. 

Overall, I believe they have built a very strong brand through their commitment to professionalism that is infused with genuine enthusiasm.  It is clear that this is a place full of exciting collections and adventures.  They have done a great job of communicating that through their social networking tools.  One tactic that has definitely contributed to the strength of their brand is their persistent linking of the various sites that hold their participation.  Their official website has multiple links to each user account.  In addition, each individual profile contains links to the others.  A third reason for their strong brand is that they promote content daily.  There is a strong commitment to making their social network profiles vital and relevant to their users.  There is no denying that careful planning and dedication are key components in their successful brand.
If I were hired by the Smithsonian Institution Libraries as their social media marketing consultant, I would focus on improving interaction with users through social media. The first way I would go about this is by responding to users’ comments on all of the social media networks. I would also set up a Myspace account. This would require additional planning and maintenance, but it may reach users that are not accessible through the other tools. Lastly, I would subscribe to many relevant YouTube channels and regularly make professional, intelligent comments. This may generate additional interest in my organization’s videos.

Myspace and Libraries

After viewing some examples of library profiles on Myspace, I became even more convinced that they are an asset to any library's marketing efforts.  Some of these profiles were obviously very active with plenty of friends and current blogposts.  I also found it appealing how a few of them used the Books and Movies section as a place to provide links to specific books in their catalog.  It made it very convenient for a user to click and find if it is available.  

Denver Public Library page even added music to their page!  I believe this represents the #1 reason why libraries should build a presence on social networking sites- it allows for expression of each individual library.  This is a way to communicate what makes one's library special.  Denver Public Library's page also contains links to their online databases and has a quick description of how each one may be useful.  Some students may think public libraries onl cater to adults and so this profile would help fight that misconception.