Archives: October, 2007

I was writing to my father at the sideline of the soccer field Saturday and the dad sitting next to me commented. “I can’t remember the last time I received a letter.” he said, “seems to be a dying practice.” Indeed. The reason my father and I use snail-mail to converse is because we followed the trends in communication from letters mailed to letters faxed, to email and then, finally, IM. The quality of the communication was disappointing to both of us, so we’re back to writing… trading the timeliness of electronic communication for the depth of a written letter.

The New Media Consortium (NMC) just posted a thoughtful paper on just this subject. Social Networking, the “Third Place,” and the Evolution of Communication starts with a non-judgmental assessment of the changes to acceptable communication that mirrors the experience I have had with my father. There is a reduced “cost” in time, effort and attention in technology-mediated conversations. “With instant messaging, we understand that the other party’s attention may wander between messages in some cases and remain focused on us, as with a phone call, in others.” The article goes on to note that the context of a conversation, including the type of technology being used, impacts the “environmental context” of the conversation. An IM conversation will be different in tone from a phone conversation… just the difference in the expectations for attention to the other person can impact context.

This paper goes on to present the Internet as the “Third Place” (after home and work) where people can meet and connect. Beyond tracking the evolution of conversation (old-school) this part of the article claims new means of communication, new places to communicate, and new avenues of interaction afford us new ways of connecting that transcend the possibilities of traditional conversation. Skype, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Second Life, LinkedIn… possibilities for social and professional access are greater and the likelihood that you may create and maintain connections, share experiences, and perhaps, through the variety of media and length of interaction, create an even more significant connection that is possible with the written word alone.

As I read the questions for consideration I recall how I have bemoaned the potential loss of traditional modes of contact. Am I missing out on a potentially richer, sustained opportunity for interaction by shunning electronic modes of communication? NMC also raises questions about the nature of interpersonal interactions as well as the attractions and pitfalls of online communication. Take a look. What do you think?

Lots of disagreement about what can be called community, but one thing is for sure… when you meet people who have a similar interest when it comes to books, you sure hit it off! Not only can you share your experiences and attitudes about specific titles, but (more importantly) you can get recommendations for what to read next. For me, I really appreciate talking with someone who has enjoyed the book I just read… it’s a sure way to find my next good read.

This is called Readers Advisory. Libraries have been referring people to their “next good read” for years… whether in a thematic display, a “staff picks” section, or by purchasing a standard online package like the Gale product, What Do I Read Next?” I get great ideas from the library or even from browsing Amazon by subject, through recommendations based upon what I’ve purchased, or the “others who bought this title also bought…” tools.

These approaches work OK, but once you get involved with LibraryThing you will be hooked. Not only does it allow you to see what others recommend, but it also offers tools you can use that pull titles and ratings from the library catalogs of all the members to make suggestions for you. The Suggestor provides access to titles that “people with your books also have” and well as “similarly tagged books” and “most popular books you don’t have.” Like all such services that draw from your profile, the Suggestor works better if you have more books in your library collection. If you have not aspired to cataloging and rating your entire collection of books (hey, I know this is far cooler to me as a librarian than it is to the average reader) you can always even do a simple Book Suggester search based on a recently read or favorite title.

Don’t despair if you have not found anyone who reads the stuff you love. I read a rather eclectic variety of books and it would be difficult to find someone with the same range of interests. Still, I can connect with people on LibraryThing through common favorites from my catalog, suggestions with common tags and through groups. I don’t know if this constitutes “community” to you, but for me, it works!