Archives: social networking

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!

I don’t mean what you think I mean… I know you can get books, journals and wonderful rich resources online. I am looking more at what brings people IN to the library… or BACK to the social network.

Stephen Abram presented on “The Future of Search” a couple of ALA conferences ago… he said that if online searches answer all the questions, people will stay home and search. But they don’t. They come to the library… for learning and community. If that’s true, then the library’s biggest competitor is not Google but Facebook! Sites that allow users to share their interests and find connections, these are the communities that people gravitate to.

Ask anyone between 13 and 20 and odds are good, they are into Facebook. Tags, groups, friends and places important to us… that’s what is shared. But what drives this? I think that they are sharing more than is evident at first glance… view someone’s profile and you see inside their heart and mind, you can “see” their aspirations.

So what does this mean to educators and librarians? I am not sure but I have a few ideas for how to find out.

First, try what they’re trying. Be a participant in the process of creation. I’m making a stab at it…

• I’m in Facebook.
  
• I’ve got a Catalog on LibraryThing.
• Then there is this blog…

Then, work to apply what we learn to provide context for our audience, whether it is an online class of students or a web-based community of teachers across the state. The more we come from a place of cooperation, collaboration and imagination the more we’ll help our community to BE a community and to make sense of the stuff they need and want to learn. We are the coach, helping people work through their stuff and move forward.

Sort of evolutionary, eh? Adapt or die. But that sounds so negative… change is awesome!

I am reading "Planning for Neomillennial Learning Styles: Implications for Investments in Technology and Faculty" (Chapter 15 of Educating the Net Generation) written by Chris Dede. Seems like maybe it is time to try again with a visit to the virtual worlds. My first attempt was in Second Life and I kept crashing, plus I couldn’t find my way anywhere… I can’t say that I persevered. It was just not interesting enough to me.

Dede mentions Whyville in his article. I just joined and so far I have been able to figure out how to do everything I want to do. If you join, look for me. My name is mrstebo.