What is Social Networking
Social Networking encourages the creation of online communites of people who share interests and activities. More information at the Social Network Service entry in Wikipedia.
Enjoy the Common Craft video, Social Networking in Plain English on YouTube
One of the Pew Internet and American Life Reports presents how important social networking is to teens. (And these will soon be the young adults using our research libraries): Teens and Social Media: The use of social media gains a greater foothold in teen life as they embrace the conversational nature of interactive online media.
Popular Networking Sites and how libraries are using them
has literally thousands of interest groups for users. Each interest groups has a discussion board, areas for posting videos, photos, bookmarks and news events. There's even a group wall on which Facebook users can leave comments. Interestingly within that collection of groups, there are several hundred relevant to individuals in the library field. Some of the more popular groups of interest to librarians are listed below.
Public LIbraries utilizing Facebook:
is an online social network of over 25 million professionals representing 150 industries from all across the world. LinkedIn is geared toward professionals who are trying to network with one another.
Check out the CommonCraft video on LinkedIn at http://commoncraft.com/linkedin
Library related groups on LinkedIn
- Business Librarians
- Strategic Librarians
- Law Librarians
Check out 100+ Smart Ways to Use LinkedIn
is one of the leaders among social networking websites, with more than 300 million users and an average of 230,000 new accounts added daily. According to Wikipedia, MySpace has been the most popular social networking site in the U.S. since 2006.
Many libraries have begun using MySpace as an outreach tool to market to their teenaged patrons
was launched in 2005 as an online platform for users to create their own social websites and social networks.
How are libraries using Ning?
is a way to communicate and stay connected by frequently and quickly answering one simple question: What are you doing? Learn more at the Commoncraft Show, Twitter in Plain English
Twitter has also been called "micro-blogging", but it is more similar to the status updates / link posts found in Facebook (or other social networking sites) than to traditional blogging activities. Get more ideas at:
Sharon posted a Twitter: the Debate page for us to share concerns/experiences including links to public records ramifications discussions.
Learning Activities:
1. Set up an account with Facebook, LinkedIN or Ning. If you’re uncomfortable using your real name, use an alias (NOTE: It's very easy to delete an account if you decide to).
2. Search for libraries, authors or people you know and add them to your friends list.
3. Considerations for your blog: What did you like or dislike about the sites. What do you think about libraries using these sites? How could the State Library utilize these tools?
OPTIONAL: If you’re not comfortable creating a Facebook, LinkedIN or Ning account, here is an alternate exercise:
1.) Find 2 or 3 articles on these or other social networks.
2.) Write a post on your blog about your thoughts on these tools and how libraries are using them.
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