Social Networking and MySpace

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Social Networking and MySpace
Jenneffer Sixkiller
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Will you be my friend?

• MySpace works on premise of adding friends
• Friends can be patrons, colleagues, other
  libraries, businesses, etc.
• Is the number of friends you have your
  popularity or success?

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Benefits for patrons

• Web-savvy presence for the younger users
• Establishes credibility/legitimacy
• Attractive to current and potential patrons

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Patrons

• Virtual reference
• Instant messaging a built-in service
• Works in similar manner to AOLs instant
  messenger service (AIM)

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Patrons

• Quick updates for online patrons
• Using the bulletins feature allows you to update
  all your friends simultaneously with one single
  message

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Patrons and Staff

• Blogging
• Included in MySpace interface
• A place for reflection, library success stories,
  comments, advertisement, etc.

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Benefits for staff

• Develop contacts
• Other libraries/institutions
• Join groups
• Get programming ideas
• Compare progress/stay competitive

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Staff

• Develop Contacts
• Authors
• alternatives for collection development

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Staff

• Develop contacts
• Local businesses and organizations
• Networking
• Could someone come speak at your library?
• Would other businesses post your event flyers?
• Community outreach

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Perks

• Web-hosted
• No downloads, network space or hard drive space
  gets taken up
• Exception using the instant messaging

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Perks

• Various modes of communication
• Text
• Music
• Songs from musicians or podcasts you post
• Videos
• Youtube, etc.

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Potential Problems

• Instant Messaging
• requires downloading to each machine
• Takes up hard drive space you may not have
• Exclusive to registered MySpace users

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Potential Problems

• E-rate funding
• Current legislation may ban social networking
  completely for institutions that accept e-rate
  funding for internet usage

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Success with MySpace

• New friends requests almost daily
• 915 hits since launch, January 2007
• Informative and fun
• ???