#19 Social Networking

Our patrons are using MySpace, both in our computer labs and at home. This shouldn't come as any surprise to you. According to Alexa Online, a company that provides statistics on web traffic, MySpace is the 3rd most popular website in the United States (behind Google and Yahoo) and the 6th most popular website worldwide. Despite this, you may not be completely sure what exactly MySpace is or what it has to do with our library.

MySpace is a free interactive social networking site that connects people, ideas, videos and music via user submitted information. Social networking sites have become some of the most popular destinations on the Internet -- more than 200 million people worldwide use MySpace. They function as gathering places, promotional tools, and virtual hangouts for millions of users all over the world.

How do they work? There are two basic principles that account for their success:

1. They make it easy for users to create a customized page of their own where they can express their personality
   
   
2. Users can link their sites to their friends, allowing them to create a quantifiable manifestation of their social network.

Another popular social networking site is Facebook. It's the 5th most popular website in the US and the 7th most popular in the world. When it started, Facebook was only open to students, first university, then also high school. Now, it's open for anyone to join. It currently boasts more than 55 million active users.

One of the most underrepresented populations in libraries is young adults. Conveniently enough, the overwhelming majority of young adults in this country are members of MySpace, Facebook, or both. Many libraries across the country have established a presence on MySpace and/or Facebook to take advantage of this fact.


Discovery Resouces
Why are social networking sites so popular? Let's ask the folks at Common Craft for an explanation of Social Networking in Plain English.

Check out this list of social networking sites at Wikipedia, to see the variety of sites available.

Explore how these public libraries are using social networking sites:

• River Rouge Public Library (Michigan) on MySpace
• Austin Public Library (Texas) on MySpace
• Birmingham Public Library (Alabama) on MySpace
  
• Hennepin County Library (Minnesota) on MySpace and Facebook (link to news post; you must have a Facebook account to view their profile)
• Bangor Public Library (Maine) on MySpace and Facebook
• Find other libraries listed the the Library Success Wiki.
  

Discovery Exercise
Visit one or more of the following social networking websites. If you already belong to one or more social networking sites, try visiting one you're not familiar with.

• MySpace: The most popular social networking site on the planet, frequented by millions of teens and twentysomethings, and used by bands as a marketing tool
• Facebook: Originally designed for use on college campuses, skews to a slightly older audience, and features a cleaner, more customizable interface
• LinkedIn: Designed for professionals to post resumes and build contacts.
• Eons: Social networking and activity sharing geared toward ages 50+.
• TeeBeeDee: Network and connect with other people ages 40+.
  
• Bookspoke: A social networking site for readers and writers.
  

What features do you like or dislike about the site(s) you visited? What do you think makes them so popular? Should our library system be using social network sites to reach patrons? If so, how? Post an entry to your blog with your thoughts.


Discover More
If you're up to the challenge...

• Create a profile for yourself at one of the sites listed above. (You don't have to use your real information if you're concerned about privacy.)
• Once you've created your profile, explore the site a little more. Search for somebody -- a friend, a coworker, a former classmate, a famous author, or even one of the current presidential candidates. Add them to your friends list.
• Create a blog post about your experience. Have your thoughts or opinions changes about the site, now that you've seen it from a member's perspective?
  

Want to learn more? Read some of these perspectives:

• Libraries in Social Networking Software (by Meredith Farkas, Distance Learning Librarian at Norwich University)
  
• Is MySpace Scary? (by Stephen Abram of SirsiDynix)
• MySpace for Parents (by Matt Gullett, Technology Education Librarian with PLCMC, includes downloadable brochure)
• The Death of Email (from Slate.com)