LibGuides seem to be pretty much whatever a library wants it to be; and because of this, it has become extremely popular. Traditionally, it seems as if LibGuides are guides for patrons to a library's resources for researchers. Besides Depauw University Libraries and Cornell LibGuides, San Jose State's own King Library LibGuides are a good example of the "traditional" guide to helpful databases and search interfaces. However, there are also many examples of LibGuides as the actual website of your library, such as Scotsdale CC Libraries. Karolinska Institutet's LibGuide is another interesting example of a kind of hybrid guide. Their guide, while providing resources of a research nature, also provides basic library information such as library news and contact information. LibGuides seem to also be able to act as a library portal of sorts; a patron can customize the webpage to display only the information they want it to, like on the PennPortal.
In short, LibGuides seem to be an easy way to disseminate information in multiple formats, giving perhaps more freedom and choice than a traditional website.
On a side note, I think that last week's link is even more pertinent this week; while LibGuides by SpringShare is fun and "easy", it also costs more money that it seems it should, especially if someone can create the same thing using free software (Wordpress).
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Exercise 2: Blog examination
Review of popular library blogs:
In the Library with a Lead Pipe incorporates an intriguing blog personality, multiple bloggers, and well-researched posts. While the posts are on topics that are interesting and pertinent, the can be very lengthy. However, the twice-monthly frequency may justify the post length. The Distant Librarian includes some book reviews along with good technological posts. The posts are short, and it is nice to have the perspective of a Canadian librarian. Librarian by Day points readers to pertinent news stories and online tools to help libraries step into the new technological age. David Lee King's blog seems more focused on technology as it applies to all businesses, only focusing on libraries at times. However, the posts are short, informative, and always applicable to libraries even if not mentioned explicitly. The Librarian's Commute is my personal favorite of these five blogs; it's small and feels homey. The blog gives insight into (what feels like) life as a librarian in a small library, and I enjoy the feeling of being in the blogger's shoes.
The types of blog posts I find most interesting are those that provide links to other things related to the topic and are not too long. I've found that a lot of posts on In the Library with a Lead Pipe, while interesting and well-written, are just too long to hold my attention for too long. Being new to the life of an avid blog reader, I still don't want to spend too much of my life staring at a screen and not contributing anything to my life or my community. In terms of overall blog characteristics, I prefer blogs that have a sleek, uncluttered look while still providing me with useful "about" and other permanent links. A blog with a theme can be fun, too, like the Librarian in Black.
I chose Tame the Web, librarian.net, and the Librarian in Black as my three extra blogs. I have a great interest in library blogs with a technological bend and those that spark my curiosity:
-Tame the Web posts about "libraries, technology, and people." Micheal Stephens blogs about different technologies and their application to libraries and news pertaining to that subject. The posts are short, and many are posts of videos or re-posts of articles or news. However, I do think that the blog suffers a bit from a lack of personality or the essential "storytelling" aspect of blogging. Also, the look of the blog can be a little cluttered.
-librarian.net posts helpful and interesting links for librarians. While there is no specific focus (other than libraries), the posts are short, informative, and do not require the level of attention and knowledge that Tame the Web does. The interface is simple and easily navigated.
-The Librarian in Black has an interesting theme and a personality that distinguishes it from other blogs. There is good information about the effects of technology on libraries without assuming a high level of technological knowledge from the reader. While the posts are infrequent, they are short, informative, and creative.
I believe that a successful library blog incorporates both personality and valuable information and links. There should be a good balance between long and short posts, technological and fun posts, and professional and personal posts. Successful blogs make the reader feel informed and personally involved in the librarian community without being overwhelmed by too many posts or too long posts.
In the Library with a Lead Pipe incorporates an intriguing blog personality, multiple bloggers, and well-researched posts. While the posts are on topics that are interesting and pertinent, the can be very lengthy. However, the twice-monthly frequency may justify the post length. The Distant Librarian includes some book reviews along with good technological posts. The posts are short, and it is nice to have the perspective of a Canadian librarian. Librarian by Day points readers to pertinent news stories and online tools to help libraries step into the new technological age. David Lee King's blog seems more focused on technology as it applies to all businesses, only focusing on libraries at times. However, the posts are short, informative, and always applicable to libraries even if not mentioned explicitly. The Librarian's Commute is my personal favorite of these five blogs; it's small and feels homey. The blog gives insight into (what feels like) life as a librarian in a small library, and I enjoy the feeling of being in the blogger's shoes.
The types of blog posts I find most interesting are those that provide links to other things related to the topic and are not too long. I've found that a lot of posts on In the Library with a Lead Pipe, while interesting and well-written, are just too long to hold my attention for too long. Being new to the life of an avid blog reader, I still don't want to spend too much of my life staring at a screen and not contributing anything to my life or my community. In terms of overall blog characteristics, I prefer blogs that have a sleek, uncluttered look while still providing me with useful "about" and other permanent links. A blog with a theme can be fun, too, like the Librarian in Black.
I chose Tame the Web, librarian.net, and the Librarian in Black as my three extra blogs. I have a great interest in library blogs with a technological bend and those that spark my curiosity:
-Tame the Web posts about "libraries, technology, and people." Micheal Stephens blogs about different technologies and their application to libraries and news pertaining to that subject. The posts are short, and many are posts of videos or re-posts of articles or news. However, I do think that the blog suffers a bit from a lack of personality or the essential "storytelling" aspect of blogging. Also, the look of the blog can be a little cluttered.
-librarian.net posts helpful and interesting links for librarians. While there is no specific focus (other than libraries), the posts are short, informative, and do not require the level of attention and knowledge that Tame the Web does. The interface is simple and easily navigated.
-The Librarian in Black has an interesting theme and a personality that distinguishes it from other blogs. There is good information about the effects of technology on libraries without assuming a high level of technological knowledge from the reader. While the posts are infrequent, they are short, informative, and creative.
I believe that a successful library blog incorporates both personality and valuable information and links. There should be a good balance between long and short posts, technological and fun posts, and professional and personal posts. Successful blogs make the reader feel informed and personally involved in the librarian community without being overwhelmed by too many posts or too long posts.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Starting a library blog
I have big ideas for my library- and it all starts with a blog.
Blogs are easy to use, easy to create, and (conceivably) easy to maintain. It seems like the perfect starter media for a small library looking to get into the web 2.0 movement. My library is in a small, close-knit community and located in the top floor of the administration building for the community's elementary and middle school. Talk about an opportunity to becoming integral to the community! Presently, my library's main web site is the system-wide website where patrons can manage their account, etc. But there is very little information about my library specifically. The friends of the library have a site, but the information focuses on their organization, not the library. I believe a blog is a great way to get my library on board and take advantage of the opportunities afforded us. However, we must first:
-Understand the time commitment involved and the high amount of posting we must do in order to maintain public interest in the blog (Sarah Glass Meyer)
-Create a goal and intended audience for the blog
-Discuss posting schedules and division of labor; Who will be responsible for the blog? Who will make the decisions about the blog? Who is the main "blogger"?
-Keep the faith; we may not have any readers for a while, but we must continue to blog!
-Interact with our commenters and always respond to our patrons
-Incorporate aspects of storytelling to make the blog more readable
However, one thing I am unsure of is whether we should spend time thinking and planning our blog or just dive in. Problogger's tips seem a little wishy-washy on this.
I am very eager to begin this social media experiment in my library... now all I have to do is convince the manager!
Blogs are easy to use, easy to create, and (conceivably) easy to maintain. It seems like the perfect starter media for a small library looking to get into the web 2.0 movement. My library is in a small, close-knit community and located in the top floor of the administration building for the community's elementary and middle school. Talk about an opportunity to becoming integral to the community! Presently, my library's main web site is the system-wide website where patrons can manage their account, etc. But there is very little information about my library specifically. The friends of the library have a site, but the information focuses on their organization, not the library. I believe a blog is a great way to get my library on board and take advantage of the opportunities afforded us. However, we must first:
-Understand the time commitment involved and the high amount of posting we must do in order to maintain public interest in the blog (Sarah Glass Meyer)
-Create a goal and intended audience for the blog
-Discuss posting schedules and division of labor; Who will be responsible for the blog? Who will make the decisions about the blog? Who is the main "blogger"?
-Keep the faith; we may not have any readers for a while, but we must continue to blog!
-Interact with our commenters and always respond to our patrons
-Incorporate aspects of storytelling to make the blog more readable
However, one thing I am unsure of is whether we should spend time thinking and planning our blog or just dive in. Problogger's tips seem a little wishy-washy on this.
I am very eager to begin this social media experiment in my library... now all I have to do is convince the manager!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Exercise 1: Tom's of Maine and their use of social media
Tom's of Maine is a company that makes "natural" toothpaste, deodorant, mouthwash, and soap with no artificial colors, flavors, or fragrances; and no animal ingredients or animal testing. They have a "goodness philosophy" that entails policies that give back to communities and promote more natural living, such as:
-sharing all ingredients and their sources
-maximizing recyclable and recycled content of their products
-striving for sustainability
-devoting 5% of employee time to volunteering and 10% of company profits to "human and environmental goodness"
I became interested in Tom's of Maine due to a now infamous commercial that they aired during the Summer last year. The long form of the commercial included a line spoken by the narrator that claimed the company "may not always have made the best decisions," but was still good nonetheless. Such a claim provoked numerous online queries asking "What exactly did Tom's of Maine do?" Essentially, the answer was, "They did nothing." There was no wrongdoing or social injustice- only a lack of total transparency and an overly earnest push to make the consumer believe that they are very, very good. As we learned last week, companies today cannot be semi-transparent; it's either all or nothing.
What's also a little disconcerting is the lack of response from the company. Even though they have a fairly strong internet presence (twitter, facebook, youTube, flickr, and a strong website with a blog), I was unable to find any comment from Tom's of Maine regarding this blunder. This indicates to me that Tom's needs to either commit to its social media presence with total transparency and a higher level of engagement or get out of the game all together. Many of our readings last week warned of past business blunders where a company participated in social media branding enough to have an online presence, but not enough to be in control of that presence.
However, control may not be an issue with Tom's of Maine. Tom's website almost explicitly states that they have total control over all posts on their facebook, twitter, and youTube pages in addition to their website. On their social media policy page, they seem to emphasize honesty and transparency while also stating that product reviews that do not comply with FTC requirements or reflect "typical consumer experience" will be deleted. It is extremely difficult to find even semi-negative comments on their pages, but not too hard when searching other sites using tools such as social mention, Google blog search, and tweetscan. Using these tools, it seems as if Tom's of Maine is careful to remove overly negative feedback, not respond to feedback that is vaguely negative, and respond only to overtly positive feedback. It is also common to find user blogs featuring very positive reviews of Tom's products that repeat the same phrase: "This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Toms of Maine. All opinions are 100% mine."
However, Tom's of Maine does do a good job of eliciting participation with their users through the use of various promotions and contests. There are many tweets in response to such calls; one example of this is users nominating non-profit organizations to Tom's of Maine for their consideration in where to direct their philanthropic endeavors.
Overall, Tom's of Maine social media practices are somewhat lacking. While it is encouraging to see frequent responses and conversations on their facebook and twitter pages, it is very apparent that they only respond to positive feedback and ignore any negative posts, frequently deleting them entirely. There is no response to concerns, only promotion of the company's good intentions and "good products".
-sharing all ingredients and their sources
-maximizing recyclable and recycled content of their products
-striving for sustainability
-devoting 5% of employee time to volunteering and 10% of company profits to "human and environmental goodness"
I became interested in Tom's of Maine due to a now infamous commercial that they aired during the Summer last year. The long form of the commercial included a line spoken by the narrator that claimed the company "may not always have made the best decisions," but was still good nonetheless. Such a claim provoked numerous online queries asking "What exactly did Tom's of Maine do?" Essentially, the answer was, "They did nothing." There was no wrongdoing or social injustice- only a lack of total transparency and an overly earnest push to make the consumer believe that they are very, very good. As we learned last week, companies today cannot be semi-transparent; it's either all or nothing.
What's also a little disconcerting is the lack of response from the company. Even though they have a fairly strong internet presence (twitter, facebook, youTube, flickr, and a strong website with a blog), I was unable to find any comment from Tom's of Maine regarding this blunder. This indicates to me that Tom's needs to either commit to its social media presence with total transparency and a higher level of engagement or get out of the game all together. Many of our readings last week warned of past business blunders where a company participated in social media branding enough to have an online presence, but not enough to be in control of that presence.
However, control may not be an issue with Tom's of Maine. Tom's website almost explicitly states that they have total control over all posts on their facebook, twitter, and youTube pages in addition to their website. On their social media policy page, they seem to emphasize honesty and transparency while also stating that product reviews that do not comply with FTC requirements or reflect "typical consumer experience" will be deleted. It is extremely difficult to find even semi-negative comments on their pages, but not too hard when searching other sites using tools such as social mention, Google blog search, and tweetscan. Using these tools, it seems as if Tom's of Maine is careful to remove overly negative feedback, not respond to feedback that is vaguely negative, and respond only to overtly positive feedback. It is also common to find user blogs featuring very positive reviews of Tom's products that repeat the same phrase: "This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Toms of Maine. All opinions are 100% mine."
However, Tom's of Maine does do a good job of eliciting participation with their users through the use of various promotions and contests. There are many tweets in response to such calls; one example of this is users nominating non-profit organizations to Tom's of Maine for their consideration in where to direct their philanthropic endeavors.
Overall, Tom's of Maine social media practices are somewhat lacking. While it is encouraging to see frequent responses and conversations on their facebook and twitter pages, it is very apparent that they only respond to positive feedback and ignore any negative posts, frequently deleting them entirely. There is no response to concerns, only promotion of the company's good intentions and "good products".
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
White House Social Media
The Obama administration has revolutionized the way the government governs by incorporating various social media tools to gather more input from the governed.
Tongue Twister!
In all seriousness, the White House is one organization that I find inspirational in their use of social media. Obama's administration began their Internet outreach around May of 2009, incorporating tools like twitter, facebook, and youTube to inform and be informed by American citizens. Time Magazine reported on the White House's use of these tools and noted the first federal tweet, which was one that gave some helpful links on how to get more information on the Swine Flu from the CDC.
The President's recent State of the Union address especially impressed me with their use of Web 2.0 tools. Not only is there the State of the Union Website, but there are links to receive updates via email, twitter, facebook, and an iPhone app. Additionally, after the speech, youTube created a site that gathered questions from the public which the president answered on a video which, of course, was posted to youTube.
Judging from the Thompson post on Wired, this could be the beginning of not just a more accessible and responsive government, but a more transparent and responsible government. Social media representation and growing online presence has made private companies more accountable to the public and could well do the same for the Obama administration, and hopefully the entire United States Government.
Tongue Twister!
In all seriousness, the White House is one organization that I find inspirational in their use of social media. Obama's administration began their Internet outreach around May of 2009, incorporating tools like twitter, facebook, and youTube to inform and be informed by American citizens. Time Magazine reported on the White House's use of these tools and noted the first federal tweet, which was one that gave some helpful links on how to get more information on the Swine Flu from the CDC.
The President's recent State of the Union address especially impressed me with their use of Web 2.0 tools. Not only is there the State of the Union Website, but there are links to receive updates via email, twitter, facebook, and an iPhone app. Additionally, after the speech, youTube created a site that gathered questions from the public which the president answered on a video which, of course, was posted to youTube.
Judging from the Thompson post on Wired, this could be the beginning of not just a more accessible and responsive government, but a more transparent and responsible government. Social media representation and growing online presence has made private companies more accountable to the public and could well do the same for the Obama administration, and hopefully the entire United States Government.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)