I've been a member of the Facebook community since shortly after its creation, back in the weeks when high-schoolers were first allowed on, but they couldn't communicate with college students unless the collegians (Facebook's original demographic) approached them. I don't know if this is something to be proud of or not, but my knowledge of the ever-changing social network has come in handy a few times working at the library. I've also been on twitter for a few years, though I don't use it nearly as often.
I can't think of a situation in which we would need to consult Twitter or Facebook to answer a specific reference question, but I think it is important for library employees to know at least something about modern technology and popular websites, particularly since the number of people who use those sites continues to grow. That's one thing I like about this 23Things project. Even if you don't have a computer at home, or don't want to participate in social networking, librarians are here to help, and you can't help many people by refusing to learn about new things.
One way I think Twitter could be valuable to our patrons is as a source of news. If a patron is looking for a website where they can learn about news updates, Twitter can be very handy- if you're following the right people. I follow a few news sites like MSNBC, CNN, and the other popular networks, plus a few news anchors (like Anderson Cooper) and other sources (like the office of the prime minister of England). In some ways, Twitter is more convenient for learning about breaking news than visiting news websites themselves. Posts are updated more frequently. This is the only practical application I can think of offhand, though.
As for important things to tell patrons about Facebook, I always tell people that a.) the site is always changing, and b.) to be sure they read the fine print, as it were. Facebook's many issues with privacy controls in the past indicate that the creator of the site might not always be willing to share with the users when things are going to change, and what those changes entail. Our patrons are understandably appreciative when we share bits of information regarding their privacy- like, "don't forget to log out of your email because the person who gets on the computer after you might be able to read your stuff". Facebook is no exception here.
Wow, that was back when Facebook was this mystical thing that all the bleeding-edge librarians (there really are some) were talking about, but none of them could access. Crazy how far it's come in such a short span of time.
ReplyDeleteI think the inherent and ironic conflict between guarding ones privacy and utilizing the capabilities of social networks is one of the biggest obstacles facing this new “connected” generation.
ReplyDelete-Jody