Thing 12 - Putting the social into social media

Thing 12 suggests we add another contact to our social media circle, but I'm not going to do that without careful consideration. I've blogged about my use of social media before, especially Twitter, and the difficulties of following hundreds or thousands of folk, like some people do. I just haven't got the time. Ok, I know there are ways of organising followers, like creating lists etc. but again, I'd have to find tiem to allocate people to lists, and then remember which lists they were in and which lists to check regularly etc.. It's all too overwhelming!

I do agree, however, that social networks have connected me to people I would otherwise have had no contact with, and this has proved most useful from a professioanl point of view. One of the other advantages was mentioned in an earlier thing, that if you find face-to-face difficult, social networking can be a godsend! Also, it is sometimes easier to give a considered response on a social networking site as although these things are set up to be immediate communication, it is quite possible to spend a couple of minutes thinking before replying, after all, it's not always appropriate to post your imeediate, emotional response to something!

Enough on social networking!

Helping the team keep up with new technology

As promised, here is a description of how I have tried to introduce members of my team to what web 2.0 services (like blogs, wikis, social networking sites, as well as other things like new generation OPACs etc.) can do for them in a work context. Although this took place about 18 months ago, I think the article is still relevant today and I hope you find something useful in this.

To Twitter or to Yammer, that is the question

To Twitter or to Yammer, that is the question!

If you think that only birds twitter, that flicker is something your lightbulbs do in a thunderstorm, and you've never seen anyone use a sweet potato as a hammer, or if, like Microsoft, you think that wiki is a misspelling of wake, or blog of bog, or if you think word press presses words like a flower press presses flowers, or tic toc is the sound of your grandfather clock, and you don't know your wet paint from your peanut butter, then come along to our informative, illuminating and enlightening session ...

This was the billing for a staff development session on using web 2.0 services in our everyday library work. Check back on Monday for the full report!