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.