MySpace is YourSpace: Virtual Social Networks & Library

Outreach

Marlo Young, MLSTiffini Travis, MLS

Kate Peterson, MLS

California Academic & Research LibrariesAnnual Conference 4/22/06

Accompanying Handout: http://gort.ucsd.edu/myoung/CARL06myspacehandout.pdf

Presentation Overview

• What is a virtual social network?

• Discuss social computing & networking trends among Net Gen college students

• Provide examples of e-outreach that facilitate library communication, awareness, & personalization through social networking and computing tools

Virtual Social Networks

• Refers to a category of software applications that help connect friends, business partners, or other individuals together using a variety of online tools

• Comprised of various social familiarities ranging from casual acquaintance to close relationships

EDUCAUSE Horizon Report 2006

• Social Computing

The application of computer technology to facilitate interaction & collaboration, a practice known as social computing, is happening all around us.

EDUCAUSE Horizon Report 2006

• Social Computing

The promise has been—and continues to be—more effective knowledge generation, knowledge sharing, collaboration, learning, and collective decision-making.

The promise is beginning to be realized in the areas of distributed learning, research, and campus work settings.

EDUCAUSE Horizon Report 2006

• Social Computing

The emphasis is on the social part of social computing: what makes this phenomenon interesting and long-lasting is the way it facilitates an almost spontaneous development of communities of people who share similar interests.

Social Networking & Computing Examples

• MySpace, Facebook, Friendster• Other online communities, ex. Second Life, dating

• Blogs, video blogging• IM, SMS, TXTng • Wikis • Discussion boards• Video and photo sharing

tools/services• Social book-marking apps,

folksonomies• Podcasting

Web 2.0 = new tools, content creation, personal broadcasting

Daily Show Trend SpottingSocial Networking

Social NetworksResearch & Theory

• Suggests that the social network of an individual is their primary resource

• Strength of Weak Ties-“Open” networks, with many weak ties & social connections, are more likely to introduce new ideas and opportunities to their members

-Weakly tied-together members tend to communicate less frequently, be more different than similar, and provide both more new information into the network and more access to other social networks

Strength of Internet Ties

• People use the Internet to seek out others in their networks of contacts when they need help

• The connectedness that the Internet and other media foster within social networks has real payoffs

Pew Internet & Am Life Project

Virtual Social Networks& Library Outreach

MySpace & Facebook

Alexa.com

Social Networking SitesUsage Data

MySpace & Facebook

• Social networking spaces that integrate bulletins, message boards, blogs, email, images, video, pix and music

• MySpace open to anyone

• Facebook open to college students and alumni only

Virtual Communities, Socialization, Personal Expression

Outreach vis-à-vis MySpace & Facebook

• Profiles– Individual user profiles which allows you to “add

friends”

• Groups– Groups can be started by anyone and for any

purpose- most universities have groups

• Bulletins, Event Announcements– Can be posted as a user or in a group

Many ways to promote your presence to students: in-person & virtually!

MySpace• Largest online social networking portal on the

web: 69 million users

• Ranked in Top 10 websites globally

• Primary age demographic is 16-34

• Contains 50,000 subgroups, including colleges & college-specific subgroups

Facebook• Created in 2004 by a student at Harvard

• Cross between a blog and a yearbook

• 12.4 million users: 2/3 of U.S. college students have an account

• Facebook claims that almost every U.S. college/university has a presence in the site

Student Support Service Reaching Out via Facebook Student using

Facebook bulletin feature to promote

her candidacy

What Makes these Networks of value for Libraries?

• Personalizing the library, librarian

• Promoting library awareness, services, resources, workshops, events

• Staying abreast of student issues

• Fielding questions that may require research assistance

• Communication, marketing, outreach

• Professional connections

Blogs

Outreach, Learning, & Connections

Blogs

• Dynamic two-way communication, learning tool

• Stand-alone vs. integrated applications

• Traditional vs. non-traditional uses

• RSS feeds

Blogs for Educational Purposes

• Colleges, Universities, & Libraries are hosting blogging services

• Limitless applications– From individual journaling online to entire class

blogs to learning community– Improve literacy and technology skills– Improve critical thinking skills– Allow for more creativity than Course

Management Systems

Blog to “Announcements” in Course Management Systems

Stand-Alone Applications

Student Survey Results

CSU Long Beach –CA St. Cloud Univ. -MN

92% use MySpace

24% use Facebook

24% use other sites

12% use MySpace

85% use Facebook

3% use other sites

38% have blogs

76% read blogs

2% have blogs

23% read blogs

20% have webpage 21% have webpage

29 undergrads polled 30 undergrads polled

Virtual CommunitiesLibrary Outreach, Learning, & Literacy

Virtual Learning Community for Undergrads

• UCSD’s Sixth College

• Contemporary liberal arts curriculum

infused with digital literacies

• “Digital Learning Ecology” community website

• “Study Break” discussion forum and news topic to virtually promote the libraries, personal contact, and IL within the site

Study Break presented as a Student Service & DiscussionForum

Various Discussion Forums within Digital Community

Study Break Index

Post on Google Scholar

Google Print & Copyright IssuesStudent Commentary

Library Classification vs. Folksonomies Discussion

Student Comments on Coursework Applicability

Study Break News Item to Promote Library Event

Issues to consider…

• Match objectives to technologies

• Workflow, staffing & maintenance

• Cost

• Spamming/security

• Sexual predators

• Assessment (formative vs. summative)

Conclusion

• Social Computing Tools provide librarians with a lot of opportunity

• Extend the library’s reach, communication

• Personalize the library

• Create new learning opps. for students

• Foster community, P2P info-sharing

• Tools can be integrated into outreach, instruction, and marketing programs