Test Drive # 4: Social Networks

What are Social Networking Services?
Social networking services are online communities that:
- Connect people around the world
- Enable people to share interests and activities

Why use it?
You can:
- Create your own profile and build a personal network
- Share photos, videos and ideas with friends
- Have your own organized space to personalize your interests and activities on the web
- Link up with old friends and make new ones
- Communicate with your friends and networks

Is it safe?A few tips:
- Be aware of the ramifications of adding friends you don’t know in real life
- Choose a strong, secure password that cannot be guessed easily from personal information on your profile
- Keep the personal information you provide in your profile to a minimum
- If you choose to meet someone in person you met on a social networking site select a public location

Which one to use?
Currently there are over 200 social networking services including Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Ning, Bebo and Friendster. View some examples and then chose the social networking site that best suits your objective.

Watch
Social networking in plain English from Commoncraft to get an introduction to how it works.

Explore:How are libraries and other organisations using social networking? Here are some interesting examples of social networking in action for you to consider:

- IFLA is promoting their 2010 76th World Library and Information Congress, Brisbane Australia via Facebook, posting content and discussions on their account

- The ALIA symposium Beyond the Hype: Web 2.0 used ning to build a community for the event

- Brisbane International Film Festival is using MySpace to promote their upcoming program for 30 July - 9 August 2009

- UQ Library created a catalogue application to allow searching the UQ Library Catalogue via Facebook

-The National Library of New Zealand is using Twitter

-A Ning group exists for Gaming Learning and Libraries

Consider any of the following discussion points in your blog:
- possibilities for your library to use social networking for client interaction, marketing and networking opportunities
- particularly interesting uses of social networking utilities by libraries and cultural organizations
your observations about the most effective social networking utilities as used by libraries, museums and cultural organizations

Adventure (optional): Create your very own account. Below are a selection social networking sites for you to choose from:

Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Ning, Bebo Friendster.
Edit your profile, search for friends and post comments.

Next Test Drive: RSS Feeds