Week 9: Social Networks

What I did this week:

• Used LinkedIn as a test case for a feature I don't often use -- the one that checks my email address book for people I know. I wasn't surprised that it turned up only one person: I was surprised by who it was.
• Read the tips for using Facebook professionally -- I am test driving the To Do List app.
• Noted for the umpteenth time that "personal" and "professional" use of Facebook (FB) intertwine. College classmate / YA author Leigh hipped me to a virtual YA event. In any 2 week time span, nearly every librarian friend posts a link or an article of professional interest.
  
• The Top Ten FB Apps for Librarians mostly look like tools I would use if HCPL had a FB presence.
• Signed up for Shelfari app for FB without reading all the comments first: oops. If the only thing folks have said for 3 days straight is, "hey it won't show up on my profile!" then there's no point to getting it.

A conversation the other day with Helen emphasizes how FB could be a PR machine for HCPL. We had been talking about Etsy, then looked at Style together (because FB told me someone I know is in this issue). On our way to the right page, Helen noticed Etsy's logo in an ad and I recognized the graphics for the ad -- because my FB friend is contributing to the craft event it advertises and I had seen the event's graphic attached to my friend's name on FB.

By promoting her involvement with the event, my FB friend helps create buzz about it: not only have I seen an ad, someone I know is involved and suddenly I am thinking about going. How great would it be if library events had that buzz and cache? If people friend (it's different for places / businesses than people, but I'll use that word) the library, then we would promote events to them. If someone indicates they are attending an event, then everyone they know would see our logo and a message like "attending book club tonight" or "going to environmental film program at Tuckahoe" and a whole new image of who we are and what we do emerges.

PR always means getting your name out via different media: an article in the paper and TV coverage; a listing in Connections and a flyer posted in YA. Social websites are just one more format. (More on branding with FB, here.)