Final Post - Woot.

Evaluative Statement

The use of social networking that happened while doing this subject has meant that the use of social networking that has been undertaken by the author has improved. This has been seen throught my use of sites and services such as social bookmarking and tagging, twitter and bogs. In the past using blogging has meant that it was used for sharing events that have happened in my life as well as other things that may be of interest such as book review and reipes. By doing this subject discoveries have been made that ensure that through using this platform, information that is important to the future of the industry, such as articles about changes and information about useful technology and social networking tools can be shared with others in the industry or who are studying to be in the industry. This can be done through writing posts on these developments and including links to useful information. The address of the blog can be shared on other platforms such as facebook which means that the information can then get out to more people who are interested in the developments in the area and who want to know more. This can mean that information is shared on a wider basis and that the information about how to use developing technologies and platforms to assist with the uptake of said applications.

The use of twitter that has been done by the author has also improved through the participation in this course, in the past this platform was used to occasionally share updates about the life of the author along with an occasional retweet of interesting information shared by others. The following that was done was of people and companies/businesses that were of interest to me such as libraries and bookshops as well as bands that I enjoy and shops and online sellers that sell things that are of interest. Of the retweets that happen more of them are coming from libraries and other industry related information. Another thing that has happened has been that more selectivity about who is followed and for what reason followers are chosen. Twitter also allows for the sharing of information such as can be done with facebook, links can be shared through the retweeting of links shared by other parties or by tweeting for the first time information that is found by the sharer. This can also be done using share buttons or by copying and pasting links. It has also been seen that libraries can use this platform for sharing events with their users and also use it to share other information with them such as items that are within their catalogue such as new items or items which are likely to become popular due to being in the media.

Social bookmarking and social tagging have in the past been used to remember where websites that were not wanted to be forgotten so that they could be found in the future. These were such things as libraries, shops and online sellers and information to do with studying. Since doing this course I have discovered in creating these bookmarks and tagging them the information can be shared so that other people with the same interests can also find the sites that are helpful to them. For example sharing and tagging sites to do with libraries will allow others to see the site and may encourage them to follow tagger and then find other sites that may also be of interest. In this way new sites can also be found by the original person by following in return the person who has started following them. This encourages the sharing of information and means that information about developments that are happening can be shared to a wider audience as more people with the interest start following this. In using these social networking and social media applications and others like them it is ensured that the sharing of information such as developments in libraries and other information agencies can be shared with others who have the same interests. This can include the use of just one medium or a combination of these. The ability of the author to do this has improved over the course of this course, as well as the ability to use these media in everyday life.

Refelctive Statement.

Through doing this subject the skills that have been picked up have meant that social networking skills have improved this has been done through the discovery of how better to use applications that were already used and to start using platforms that had not previously been used. While blogs had been used in the past they can now be used to a different degree to share important information in a dedicated blog on a particular subject. Facebook and twitter can also be used in the same way to share links to information that others in the same industry can easily find. The use of social bookmarking incorporating social tagging has improved has well so that information can be shared with others and information can be more easily accessed and can then be shared on more easily as well. Understanding how other social networking and social media applications can be used has also occurred especially understanding about what they are such as mashups and hosting sites. While these are new to the author and have not been tested fully by me with the understanding of what they are and how they can be used can be built on in the future and thus be improved. The willingness to explore other platforms that are in existance has been brought about as well as the idea to keep on seeing what will happen in the future.

While completing this course some of the unfamiliar platforms have been tried such as the 3D virtual world Second life. This was tried but it was not gotten very far on as everytime it was tried after about five minutes the computer crashed. While the value of thes type of platform can be seen it is therefore not necessarily the best platform for everyone. This type of platform can make places more accessible to people around the world especially for people who may not have the means to get there. It also is a way of bringing new ideas to people. However to make this more acceible to people then by making the virtual world 2D would be advantageous.

Other online connections that I have made include web confrencing through my work which has started doing video conferencing to have their morning meetings with the branches. While there have been issues from time to time with different branches not being sure which connection to connect too, this works on the whole quite well as it allows for the members of staff to connect and share issues as well as to ensure that important information is shared. This has also been used by my work to have educational conferences with such places as the zoo and the aquariam. This means that the users of the library are able to find out information without having to travel to these places. There have also been conferences with other libraries to share information. In being involved in this I have been able to see how these kinds of services can work well.

As has been seen the different types of social media and social networking tools can be used not only for personal purposes but also for the sharing of industry related information and within the industry. My ability to do this has improved over the course of my studying this subject as well as outside the subject. This has been done through reading and exploring the options that are out there and by improving the existing skills that I had. This was also done by seeing what had been done by other people to view what kinds of resources were available for use. By being involved in the online world through these kinds of platforms the resources that I have available have been improved and my ability to share with others has also improved.

Libraries and Social Media

Library	Holroyd	Manly	Canterbury
Facebook	Has page shares information about events, they also have a word of the day on their page as well as sharing images that others may find amusing or interesting. They also show new items that are in the library – especially in the toy library.	The library does not use the facebook page that is made for it. However they do use the event creation facility on facebook to advertise events such as Author Talks and in this way they get out information to their users.	The library uses facebook to share events that are happening as well as amusing pictures and local history pictures with competitions.
Twitter	No account - however information about what is happening at the library can be found by doing a search for holroyd library and seeing what other users have said about the library.	No Twitter account.	Use twitter to share links to the catalogue with followers – especially of new items within the collections.
Blog	No blog.	They have a range of blogs catering for a wide range of users with different needs being met through the blogs. The blogs include local studies blog, fiction book reviews blog, Children's club blog, Youth blog and a youth art photographic competition blog.	The library uses it's blog to share information with users. This includes information on library events, technology updates and book reviews.

Through this it can be seen that libraries utilise social networking and other media applications to interact with their patrons. This is done so that as times change and the use of these kinds of services become more familiar to users and become the norm for sharing information and interactions. Libraries therefore need to keep up to date with these changes so that they stay relevant. They do this by using different platforms which are available to them, such as facebook, twitter and blogs using different blog platforms. Facebook is used to share information about events that are upcoming in all the libraries that were researched however this was done in different ways – both by creating events to invite patrons to, and by advertising them within their page which they use for this purpose. Those libraries that were using the page to advertise also shared other images and and amusing anecdotes to share to keep users interested in the library. Of the libraries researched in the one twitter is used it is used for advertising to patrons about items which are within the catalogue so that users know about the items which are for loan. Other information can be received via twitter from libraries that were researched by patrons sharing information abour events they are attending. When blogs are used by libraries they are used to advertise upcoming events as well as showing off past events. They also assist users to find out more information about the local area as well as displaying book reviews. They are also able to create blogs to cater for the needs of different age groups who use the library.

Librarian 2.0

To be an information professional in a web 2.0 world it is necessary to be proficient in the web 2.0 applications such as facebook, twitter, social bookmarking sites, blogs and other relevant sites. This is necessary so that information can be disseminated to users using these sites which are familiar and regularly accessed by patrons. By providing information in this manner a wider range of patrons can be reached as formats that are familiar to a wider range of users are utilised and so the knowledge of library happenings are known.

The librarian needs to know how to use the different applications so that the platforms which are used in the library are able to be kept up to date without mistakes being made. If the Librarian does not know how to use the particular application and then attempts to make updates using the platform it is quite possible that the information will not appear in a way that means the message will be reached by users. It is also possible that if a staff member is asked to do something and they do not know how the task will not get done at all.

It is also important that staff members are able to use these platforms so that if users are having trouble using a particular platform they can ask and a library staff member can come and help. If necessary the library can also run classes lead by the staff members so that users who may need it can learn how to use such applications.

Social bookmarking/tagging

My existing account on delicious helped me to understand how this type of social networking site works. By bookmarking and tagging different sites using this service I am not only able to easily find sites that are of interest to me but by interacting and perusing the bookmarks of other users with similar interests, in this way I can find new sites to bookmark and tag. In using this ability I can also share my bookmarks with others who have similar interests through tagging. In this way other people can also find new sites that may be of interest to them.

I have used my account to store links to other social networking sites so that I can access them from wherever I am. I have also used it to save sites to do with interests of mine such as cooking and craft as well as shopping and sites for other purposes. I have tagged them with relevant tags so that if I am looking for a particular type of site this will be easy to do. It also means that other users can view my tags to see something which they are looking for.

An information agency can use this type of site to share information with their users such as links to sites on different school subjects to assist with the education of the users. As well as this they can be used to let people know about other sites that may be relevant such as book reviews and sites where you can find read alikes.

Podcasts

Podcasts can be used by libraries to share information on different topics with their users. These can range from simple educational talks for children to more advanced topics to educate the adult population. They can include information on topics to do with science or other everyday educational interests as well as more thought provoking topics. These podcasts can be made in house or can be provided by another organisation. In this way users have access to information on a wide variety of different topics and can assist in the lifelong learning of the users.

Podcasts can also be used by libraries to assist staff in learning about the different aspects of the library processes. Podcasts can be created which the staff can listen too. This is particularly important for new staff and for when procedures change or when things such as the library management system is changed. The staff can listen to the podcast whenever they feel that they need a reminder about how to do certain tasks.

Wikis

Wikis can be used in libraries for staff to share information among themselves so that they can learn about new developments in library services such as new technologies that can be utilised to enhance the service that is provided. Staff members can share information with each other and other members of staff can add to the information that is there with corrections or updates. When new developments take place the staff can add new articles about these developments and continue to ensure that the information provided is relevant. When technologies become superseded the article on the particular technologies can be archived so that there is a history of what has transpired and future members of staff can see what happened in the past.

Wikis can also be used with members of the public to provide information on a particular topic such as Local history. People can add articles on different aspects of the local area and other people can add information that may help users to better understand what is happening in the area. This can be continually updated and added to so that future generations can see the past of the area. This also gives users a sense of ownership as they have helped to add to the information.

Blogging and Microblogging

Blogging is a good way for the everyday person to express their views on things around them. Libraries can use this technology to share with their users about upcoming events and to share what has happened in previous events. It is also a good way to share information on a specific topic such as local history or genealogy. This is a good way to share this information as all information on a particular topic can be disseminated in the one place and users interested in this topic can return to the same place to find more information on the same topic. This is also a good way to share information with users as more than one blog can be set up with a different focus for each blog.

Micro blogging such as twitter is a good way of sharing information with the general public as many people can follow and information can be disseminated, this can be used to share information such as upcoming events and even links to catalogue records which have the ability to remind users of different materials that are available and which they might like to borrow.

Other sorts of Micro blogging can be used to disseminate information to other staff members within the library so that information that needs to be known can be shared. This is useful as people using the service do not need to see information about the running of the service and so providing in this way information can be seen by only those who need to know.