Thing 5: Online Networks

I've been shamefully short in my last few blog posts but I will make the effort to be more expansive from now on.
My reflections on the things for this course are probably a bit biased since I am the course coordinator and as such I think all the elements that we are covering in the things are worthwhile.

As with everything though, there are advantages and disadvantages. You will find one thing suits you better than another. I have preferences for different networks for different purposes and the two covered in this thing are very different.

I have heard mixed reactions to the idea of using Facebook for professional purposes from other course participants and I can completely relate to that. I was strictly friends only for a long time but the more I used facebook the more the lines became blurred.

I spent a week in Stockholm a year ago with a group of librarians from all over Europe and we now keep in touch through Facebook. While I have added them as friends, the majority of our interactions come from a group that we set up.

Shameless plug coming up: It's called Literacy For All - European Library Network. Look us up and please join if you are interested in Adult Literacy and Libraries in Europe.

We have used this group as a collaboration tool in order to facilitate projects, searching for funding opportunities or meetings online or at conferences. It has been a very effective way to reach everyone because everyone is on Facebook at some stage every day. Arent we? It's not just me.

Other groups that I have joined are Storytime Underground, Wordpress for Librarians, Libraries and Social Media and Programming Librarians Interest Group.

I feel I need to explain why I like Facebook Groups so much.

I find all of them very useful for stealing ideas first of all. My interaction with each varies but I can definitely attribute some of my work and projects to things that I have read about or seen in these groups.

I find there's always someone there ready to answer a question and often I contribute if someone has a query. It's just another type of online community to me, a very useful and rewarding one.

There's no agenda with the group members like you might find with linkedIn, people are there to help and learn. It's a place to share your successes and also your failures and you will always get a pat on the back or a sympathetic ear from someone. It's mostly front-line staff also, from what I can tell, like myself, experiencing the same things that I am experiencing.

The informal nature of Facebook  means that I can interact more freely also. I certainly wouldn't post in Facebook the same way that I post on LinkedIn.

I personally dont have a problem with connecting with colleagues on Facebook. The facility to categorise your friends makes it easier and I can place people in Acquaintances if I don't want them to see everything that I do.

I have been a member of twitter for 5 years - since my last 23 things course actually and I love it. It's a very easy ready way to connect with people. I like how efficient it is, that you are restricted to 140 characters makes you really consider what you want to say, and whether it's worth saying.

I haven't used twitter for personal networking very much. I have a personal account but I seem to feel more comfortable tweeting from an institution account, which I do for my library group and the Literacy Network as well as one of the Libraries I work in.

I have been the main tweeter for the Rudai 23 account and surprisingly this is the account I've had the most interaction from. I think because there is a specific purpose to the tweets and a very ready audience who are interested in what we are doing then I am getting more out of it.

I am looking forward to going back to my personal twitter account and having a proper stab at using it for networking once this course is finished.