Making Web 2.0 work for your organisation

Making Web 2.0 work for your organisation

Examples of Web 2.0 working for libraries & info agencies

Select three (3) libraries of your choice that use social networking to meet their goals.

Develop a comparative table which documents how each of the libraries use social networking tools to support information service provision, educational programs, conduct business etc.

Based on this comparison (and in no more than 350 words) develop your own list of “Reasons why libraries should be on social media”, and draw upon aspects of these three libraries to illustrate each point. 

I chose to compare the social media tools used by the State Library of Victoria, the State Library of New South Wales, and the National Library of Australia, in order to better understand the ways in which we can use social media to improve our service.

Reasons why libraries should be on social media

Improve our customer service:

Social networking sites – Such as Facebook and Twitter – can be used to connect with users in a way not previously possible. As well as receiving direct feedback from users, libraries can search for mentions of themselves elsewhere on the sites, allowing them to see what users think of their services. All three libraries have both Twitter and Facebook as part of their social media strategies.

Extend our technical services:

Social media allows us to improve and expand upon the services we provide in the library. “Ask-a-librarian” chats, used by all three libraries, means that users can find help with reference queries without needing to come into the library.

Catalogue apps, such as the one developed by the National Library of Australia (NLA), can be used to let users search the catalogue from their mobile devices and Catalogue Update RSS feeds (Used by the NLA and the State Library of Victoria) keep users aware of new items added to the catalogue.

Show that we are more than books and journals:

Social media provides an excellent way to promote events and exhibitions. Social networking sites such as Facebook, and library blogs (Used by all three libraries) provide platforms for libraries to share news.

Share our collections:

Using social media, we can share special features of our collections with users. The two State Libraries that I compared were particularly impressive with their use of Web 2.0 tools.

The State Library of Victoria provides their own “Discover Ned Kelly” app to allow users to fully explore their Ned Kelly Exhibition. I was particularly impressed with this use of Web 2.0 technology to engage users with the collection.

The State Library of New South Wales uses Historypin, a collaborating pinning site, to share their collection of historical photographs. On Historypin, users pin photos to locations using Google Maps. The State Library is contributing to this by pinning photographs of historical NSW, allowing users to engage with history as they compare the State Library’s photographs with those taken today.

	State Library of Victoria	State Library of NSW	National Library of Australia
Facebook	Y	Y	Y
Twitter	Y	Y	Y
Flickr	Y	Y	Y
Instagram	N	Y	N
Youtube	Y	N	Y
Vimeo	N	Y	N
Podcasts	N	Y	Y
RSS	Y	Y	N
Search alerts	Y	N	N
Blog	Y	Y	Y
Ask-a-Librarian Chat	Y	Y	Y
Specialty Apps	Y	Y	Y
Pinterest	N	Y	N
Historypin	N	Y	N

Making Web 2.0 work for your organisation

Making Web 2.0 work for your organisation

Developing a social networking marketing strategy

Based on your understanding of your library or
information agency’s, and your exposure to concepts and stargeies presented in
this section of Module 4, outline (in 400 words) how you can apply these ideas
to develop a draft marketing strategy for your organisation.

By looking at trends in social media, we are able to see how we are able to use these technologies to the organisation’s advantage – and, more importantly, decide whether we need to use social media at all. Data such as seen in Bernoff’s 2010 blog post, Social Technographics: Conversationalists get onto the ladder should be a powerful motivation for any organisation to form a social networking strategy.

Bernoff’s 2012 update, The Global Social Takeover, shows that this trend is only growing with time. The amount of people creating social networking profiles (Called “Joiners”) is rapidly growing. At the same time, 73% of social networking site users now pay attention to content created by others (“Spectators”). This data can be used to demonstrate to management the importance of having a social networking strategy.

The change noted in 2010 – The addition of the “Conversationalist” category of social networking site users – shows the fluid nature of social technologies. When drafting a social media strategy, the organisation needs to ensure that it is made flexible enough to adapt to these changes.

Listen. Engage. Be Real. Be Respectful. Have Fun.

This Slideshare created by Marta Kagan (2010) shows the importance and prevalence of social media in a way that engages the viewer. The above quote struck me as very important when drafting a social media marketing strategy: Social media is not like traditional media, and has it’s own rules of conduct and etiquette. A Social Media Working Party will not be able to use policies previously produced for other modes of communication. Before launching any successful social media strategy, the organisation must discover the ways in which it is being used.

Once a social media strategy has been formed and put into action, it can not be considered finished. Unlike other projects, it does not have a determined end. As seen in the Feedback Loop posted on the INF206 learning module, the process is cyclical.

I found a similar infographic by Robin Effing (2013), which also demonstrates the way our engagement with users on social media informs our future use:

Source: www.socialpower.nl, 2013

The organization’s social media strategy, if successful, will allow the organisation to engage with it’s users. This engagement, however, should not be seen as an end in itself. By collecting the information received from interacting with users, the organisation can adjust their services and their social media strategy based on the user’s identified needs.

 

 

 

 

Web 2.0 technologies and social software

Web 2.0 technologies and social software

 RSS

Now that you have explored some examples of how libraries and the media make use of RSS to deliver updated information and the applications that can tailor and aggregate feeds for specific users, find two (2) additional examples of ‘RSS in action’, and develop a 350 word post to your OLJ on how RSS can enhance a library or information service’s ability to meet the information needs of its users.

RSS in action:

State Record Authority of NSW RSS Feeds

The NSW State Records Authority uses multiple RSS feeds to support its users. In addition to the News and Events RSS feeds – which seem to be quite common – State Records has a feed for their eNewsletter. The newsletter, called Now&Then, gives updates on items that have been digitized to Flickr, hints on how to search for the resources user need, and updates users about current exhibitions.

The State Records authority also has RSS feeds for their multiple blogs, allowing users to keep up with new posts. By using separate feeds for each blog, users are able to receive updates on posts that most suit their interests, or are able to subscribe to updates on all three of them. Archives Outside is aimed at users who are interested in history and nostalgia; Future Proof discusses conservation and records management; Opening the Catalogue discusses the State Record’s Open Data project.

British Museum Blog RSS Feed

The British Museum has an RSS feed for it’s official blog. One of the features of this feed that I found most use was the ability to search through older post. The search function allows users to search by keyword; to sort by Author, Date and Title, and to select from a list of tags. This extra functionality makes it easy for users to discover RSS feed posts that interest them.

RSS Feeds provide a unique opportunity for information organisations to reach users in a way that is convenient. I believe that it fits in with the needs of our “instant gratification” society: Instead of clicking through multiple links, going to particular web sites to check for updates, or scrolling through their social networking news feeds, people can receive regular digests of new information.

 

Library 2.0 and participatory library services

Library 2.0 and participatory library services

Librarian 2.0

Using a concept mapping or graphic organising tool, develop a meme map of your own PLN which involves social networking sites, people and organizations.

Based on Utecht’s 5 stages of PLN adoption, identify which stage you currently see yourself experiencing and how this impacts on your personal and working lives. Also identify any ‘gaps’ in your existing PLN (ie. areas which you feel you would like to develop further/in the future).

Write up your findings as a post (of no more than 400 words in your OLJ).

As I created my mind map, I was amazed by how many steps were involved in my own learning journey.

Based on Utecht’s five stages, I believe that I am still between Stages 2 and 3: “Evaluation” and “Know it all”.

I believe that this is having a positive impact on my working life – Prior to this unit, my interest in professional development did not extend past my readings for my university studies. By following blogs that engage me, I have been motivated to do extra reading. As well as helping me with my studies, this has helped me at work: The environment that I work in is very focused on self-directed professional development, and my extra reading is improving my ability to keep up with my peers.

So far, this has not had a great impact on my personal life any more than my usual university workload. It is taking away some extra time that I would otherwise have spent on non-work-related social networking sites, but not to an extent that my personal social networks have suffered. I expect that, if I move further into Utecht’s “Know it all” stage, I may have far less time to spend on these personal sites.

Although I have not yet found that my extra learning has created an imbalance in my life, I still believe that I could benefit from focusing on Step 4 – Perspective. Utecht discusses this in terms of reflecting on whether your learning leaves time for your personal life; Perhaps I would benefit from doing the opposite and honestly asking myself whether my personal pursuits leave enough time for me to focus on my reading professional networks.

I look forward to reaching Step 5 – Balance. Reaching this stage will allow me to keep up with my personal learning networks, while still maintaining a healthy personal life.

References:

Utecht (2008) Stages of PLN adoption. Available at http://www.thethinkingstick.com/stages-of-pln-adoption/

Social networking and information policy

Social networking and information policy

What policy issues have resulted from social networking?

 

Based on your reading of three (3) of the above readings on issues related to online identity, privacy and/or trust. Think about online identity in relation to both individuals and organisations:

• what is important in terms of how we present and manage those identities online?
• what can we share and what should we retain as private to the online world?

Post a 350 word summary of important issues around online identity to your learning journal.

As I read 8 Tools to Track Your Footprints on the Web, I was struck by how easily one’s online identity can be tracked, and how one can get continuous updates on where their name is being used online. These tools can be used by an individual to look at their own online reputation, but I believe it could be used to track other people. Because of this, I feel that it is more important than ever for individuals and organisations to be careful with their online identities.

An “online identity” is more than what you say about yourself on your SNS (Social networking site) profiles. In Wikidentities: Young people collaborating on virtual identities in social network sites, the authors discovered that other factors have an impact on how your online identity is judged: The kind of friends you have on your friend list, the pictures that you are tagged in, and even posts written by others on your page.

I believe that for individuals, this means that they need to take extra care with who they choose to connect with online, as the behaviour of other users can reflect on them. From an organisational point of view, any official SNS profiles would need to be diligently monitored. Additionally, they may not wish to let employees discuss work-related issues online, as the employees online identity is then linked to the organisation.

Aliases, creeping, and wall cleaning: Understanding privacy in the age of Facebook uses the following example to illustrate how difficult it is to manage one’s reputation online as they would in real life:

Ben (a marketer for an educational firm) told me, on multiple occasions, how frustrated he was with the “context collision” created by Facebook’s flattened Friend hierarchy, where by default, everyone is given access to the same personal information. As a result a user’s teetotaler boss sees the same things as their best friend, the party animal.

 

Whereas in real life we are able to choose who knows which details about our life, online we are equally exposed to anyone who can access our SNS profile. Individuals need to be careful which details they wish to share about their private lives, and organisations need to share only things that can be known to the general public.

 

References:

Davis, L. (2009). 8 tools to track your footprints on the Web, February 1. Available http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/8_tools_to_track_your_footprin.php

Mallan, K. & Giardina, N. (2009). Wikidentities: Young people collaborating on virtual identities in social network sites, First Monday, 14(6), 1 June. Available
http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/viewArticle/2445/2213

Raynes-Goldie, K. (2010). Aliases, creeping, and wall cleaning: Understanding privacy in the age of Facebook, First Monday, 15(1), 4 January. Available http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2775/2432 

 

Social networking and information policy

Social networking and information policy

Social media/networking policies for organisations

 

Based on the above advice regarding the development of social media policies in organisations, identify 5 key points which you would use to advise a Social Media Policy Working Party regarding the development of a policy for organisation with regard to either (a) clients or customers’ use of social media while using your computers/network access or your organisation’s social networking sites, or (b) employees use of Web 2.0 tools and spaces for work and personal use while using your organisations’ computers/network and time.

Post a 350 word summary of your advise to your learning journal.

 

 

First and foremost, I would recommend that the Social Media Policy Working Party discusses whether they want their policy to be rigid or flexible. In their “Social Media Policies & Museums” blog post, ‘Jenny’ notes that “…by the time a policy or manual was organized, there’s a pretty good chance that the certain components (like a ‘how to guide’) would already be obsolete. In other words, the web changes so much that consistent updating might become a daunting task.” (2009). The working party may wish to consider this, and draft a policy that is adaptable and flexible in it’s use.

 

When advising the working party on their policy, I would recommend they focus on Fair Use and Copyright concerns. Both library staff and users should be made aware that they are obligated to follow Copyright legislation, particularly when they are using the library’s internet connection, library-related social media accounts, or library computers.

 

Any policy regarding staff use of social media accounts should demonstrate that the library trusts it‘s staff to make sensible decisions online. Lauby (2009) suggests that social media policies need to “focus on the things that employees can rather than what they can’t do.”

 

The working party may wish to consider whether their policy extends to the restriction of library staff accounts, and whether any guidelines extend to staff member’s personal social media accounts. For example, will staff need to seek permission before creating a social media account that links them by name to the library or organisation? Given the fact that things posted online can be seen as a representation of the library, will there be restrictions on what staff can say about the workplace when using their personal accounts?

 

I would suggest that the policy does make clear the importance of maintaining privacy. Information about users, or sensitive information about the organisation, should never be disseminated over social media without permission. Similarly, staff using library-related social media accounts must be careful not to intrude on patron’s virtual ‘space’.

 

 

Social networking and information policy

Social networking and information policy

What policy issues have resulted from social networking?

Based on your reading of three (3) of the above readings on issues related to finding authentic information within a socially networked world, identify two (2) essential take-home messages that you believe will inform your work as an information professional.

Post a 350 word summary outlining your two take-home messages to your learning journal.

The way people judge the “truth” of information is changing.
The popularity of Wikipedia demonstrates the changing ways that people view information. Garfinkel notes that “On Wikipedia, truth is received truth: the consensus view of a subject” (2008), highlighting that ‘truth’, for Wikipedia, is different from traditional, objective accuracy. On Wikipedia, information will be deleted if it is not traced to a published source. Whereas the quality of the source was once considered very important, on Wikipedia the very fact of publication makes information suitable. The collaborative nature of Wikipedia leads to inaccuracies, but it also allows a community of editors to discover and correct them. Wittenburg refers to this collaboration as being similar to “trusted-peer models used in evaluating social interactions” (2007), where the editors act as trusted friends, providing objectivity.

The message that I took from my readings was that my view of the best way to judge the accuracy of information, which is informed by my work and studies, will not necessarily be the same as the view of library users. Instead of giving rigid prescriptions, information professionals should observe the way users find and evaluate information (Wittenburg, 2007). This will allow us to assist users in a way that suits their own information-seeking behaviour.

People still care about accuracy.

People are assessing information for accuracy in changing ways; however, this does not mean that they no longer care whether information is true. The fact that Wikipedia demands citation to outside sources, and the fact that information seekers rely on a community effort to ensure the accuracy of articles, are examples of information ‘quality-control’.

The anger of Myspace users who feel that other people are misleading others through their profiles is a stunning example of how seriously people take authenticity on the internet (Sessions, 2009).  I found it interesting that other users exposed people who posted misleading photos; This is similar to the collaborative, corrective way that Wikipedia editors remove false information.

My take-home is that people still care very much about receiving accurate information; Even if they find different ways to judge it’s accuracy, there is still a role for information professionals in helping them.

References:

Garfinkel, S. (2008). Wikipedia and the meaning of truth. Technology Review, 111(6), 84-86. Retrieved from MasterFILE Premier database. Available http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=35342513&site=ehost-live

Sessions, L.F. (2009). “You looked better on MySpace”: Deception and authenticity on Web 2.0, First Monday, 14(7), 6 July. Available http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2539/2242

Wittenberg, K. (2007). Credibility of content and the future of research, learning, and publishing in the digital environment. The Journal of Electornic Publishing, 10(1). Available http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=jep;cc=jep;rgn=main;view=text;idno=3336451.0010.101

Social networking and information policy

Social networking and information policy

What policy issues have resulted from social networking?

Did You Know 4.0, by xplanevisualthinking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8

Watch this video carefully a second time, and identify
five (5) examples of ‘shifts’ or trends that can have an impact on how
individuals behave as a digital citizens. Then outline (in @ 400 words)  how you
believe these behaviours can impact on the need for, and development of,
information policy in organisations to address these behaviours. You may wish to explore these from either a user/customer
perspective or employee/employer perspective, or a combination of both, and you
may wish to consider this task within the specific context of your own library
and/or organisation, or you can address this task in general terms.

 5 examples of shifts:

1. People using blogs and messages boards to talk about work.

2. People are using this technology for politics.

3. The majority of people now own mobile phones.

4. People are no longer paying for content.

5. Things are changing rapidly.

People are now using their online profiles to discuss their offline lives, including negative things about the organisations they work for. The video noted that among larger U.S companies, 17% have disciplined an employee for violating their policies. Any policy that the organization implements must bear this in mind, and be carefully worded to protect the organization’s reputation online.

During Barack Obama’s campaign, he relied solely on social media for his fundraising. In another example, Twitter “played an unprecedented role in the Iranian elections”. People are now using their online social networks to express themselves politically. It is important, therefore, that when organisations are drafting their online policies, that they think about the impact of employees using work-related accounts to express their political views.

This video stated that 93% of adults owned a mobile phone. Additionally, the video predicted that “the mobile device will be the world’s primary connection tool in 2020”. Information policy must be aware of how ubiquitous the mobile device is, and draft policies accordingly – As opposed to writing policies with only computers in mind.

People are no longer as willing to pay for content: For example, the video states that 95% of all songs downloaded the previous year (2008) were not paid for. This trend can also be seen in the decline of print newspaper users: Rather than buying newspapers, people are now preferring to read their news online. I believe that, when writing policies for information organisations, this should be seen from two angles. First of all, policies must be put in place that ensure that employees comply with copyright and intellectual property law when using online technology to provide information to their patrons. Second of all, policies should ensure that employees do not infringe on copyright themselves – for example, using work computers for illegal downloads.

Finally, policies must be able to cope with the rapid shifts that the video describes. Written policies will need to be flexible and allow for interpretation. They must be regularly reviewed and updated according to new trends, and can not be considered finished documents.

References:

Xplanevisualthinking. (2009). Did you know 4.0. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8

Social networking and information policy

Social networking and information policy

What policy issues have resulted from social networking?

Based on your interests and/or workplace context, readtwo (2) of the above readings to inform your understanding of one or more of the following areas of policy concern:

• Intellectual property, copyright and emergence of the Creative Commons
  
• Privacy, disclosure of personal information and online safety using SNSs
• Information access for all, adequate bandwidth/wireless/mobile connectivity and the ‘digital divide’
• Regulating the Internet in libraries, organisations and in the home
• Information and digital literacies, and recent emergence of transliteracy
• Acceptable use/online behaviour/social networking policies

and reflect on your new learning about these issues (in terms of your work as an information professional) in a 350 word post in your learning journal.

I chose to read Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century. As indicated by the title, this paper discusses participatory culture, in which people collaborate and share ideas together.  The paper focused strongly on the implications of participatory culture for children’s information literacy needs. Children are now creating their own media through appropriation: “taking culture apart and putting it back together”.

The report notes that digital literacy has now joined traditional aural and visual literacy in importance. It is no longer sufficient for students to be traditionally literate: To fully participate in today’s society, they must also be digitally literate (This concept is referred to as “21st century literacy”). Digital literacy is not seen as an educational skill alone, but also as an important social skill.

One of the core “participatory media” competencies addressed by the report is the ability to use judgement when considering information found online. Whereas once librarians were the “gatekeepers” of knowledge for students, there is now online access to vast amounts of information. Participatory culture has led to the success of “wikis”, where users collaborate to gather information together. Students need to learn to critically evaluate the information they find.

The second item that I read, Cyber Crime 2.0 versus the Twittering classes, discussed some of the hazards that can be faced online, particularly when one is unable to evaluate online materials. This report notes that many users feel an “implicit trust” in large social networking web sites (such as Facebook and Twitter) which can make those users vulnerable to cyber crimes such as identity theft, or the spread of harmful programs (“malware”).

Large social websites are desirable for cyber crime, because of the larger number of potential targets. Although cyber security experts may be able to alter software to block or prevent malware, computer users themselves will always be vulnerable. Perpetrators of cyber crime are using more complex methods, such as “social engineering” techniques: These techniques can distribute malware by convincing users to click on a specific link, or to download files.

Unless users have the digital skills and confidence to evaluate web sites, to determine their authenticity, they will continue to be vulnerable to social engineering techniques used to compromise their online security.

References:

James, M. L. Cyber crime 2.0 versus the Twittering classes. Parliament of Australia, Department of Parliamentary Services, Parliamentary Library Information, analysis and advice for the Parliament. Science, Technology, Environment and Resources Section, 24 February 2010 (2009-10). Retrieved from http://www.aph.gov.au/binaries/library/pubs/bn/sci/cybercrime.pdf

Jenkins, H., Clinton, K., Purushotma, R., Robison, A. J., & Weigel, M. (2006). Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the 21st century. Available http://digitallearning.macfound.org/atf/cf/%7B7E45C7E0-A3E0-4B89-AC9C-E807E1B0AE4E%7D/JENKINS_WHITE_PAPER.PDF