23things plus 5 - #1 LinkedIn

LinkedIn the social networking platform for making business/professional connections has quite a following although I have a profile on LinkedIn I have not put much energy into building my connections. Like Tony I prefer Facebook as I feel more connected to the community I have created there.

I gave a talk last week on digital footprints after reading dana boyd and looking at the digital identity maps of likleafar and Fred Cavazza. In the presentation we discussed the importance of librarians having/developing a personal brand.

Tools like LinkedIn are useful for building your brand. Networking can be achieved in many ways f-2-f and online. We work in an industry that requires that we stay current with new technologies. However, I don’t imagine that LinkedIn will change the way I work like some of the 23 things we covered in 2007:

• igoogle
• google reader
• Facebook
• Blogging
• del.ici.ous

Deserting facebook in droves…

My friends are starting to desert facebook and I started to wonder who will be left when the exodus starts in earnest. I think most people have a facebook threshold/tolerance. Many of my friends have reached their threshold. I will stick it out for a bit longer.

“Real life” is much more interesting however, Ben posted this on his on his profile and it does make Facebook seem kinda creepy. We discussed it over a coffee and I am still convinced that it is just a social networking tool and it is how you use it that makes you a TOOL or not.

haiku #3

haunted by lost loves -
visceral anguish growing
bridling restraining new life

Dr Who Fans… rejoyce

I have been watching Season 4 and loving it. It is very topical - obesity, global warming, war etc… A friend posted this on his Facebook profile and I thought I would share it with you. Apologies for cross posting:

Enjoy - I did!

Lovelorn in the time of 2.0 and Facebook

I had an idea for a poem about being lovelorn in the time of 2.0 and how social networking and online dating is dominating the scene. But I haven’t gotten past the initial idea. I will return to the theme though.

However I did attend a workshop on using Facebook in your library. Kat Clancy spoke about her experience creating a Facebook app that people could load on to their Facebook pages to search Deakin’s Library catalogue.

At the time 184 people had installed the app and it now has 28 fans! Karyn Siegmann from Bayside Public Libraries noted that it was important that librarians played with new technology and had a presence in Facebook but wasn’t sure how long the Facebook wave would last.

I wonder if we should consider it? It might be like ‘live’ chat with librarians - do our punters really want to chat with us? I guess with the app you can decide whether or not to put it on your profile.

Is Facebook like Second Life… you play for a while and then *bang* you are over it?

Any hoo - worth thinking about…

I get the Primaries now…

As a Librarian I should have curiosity about about politics but I have always been quite apathetic. I tend to be left leaning as many are in education. In my youth I used to say I was an anarchist (well it was cool to when you were a punk) but I have since realised that some rules are necessary. I am a librarian for goodness sake.

But I do think we all should stand up and be proud that we live in a country where we can vote and can get involved in the democratic process. We are very fortunate.

In my short life I have discovered that human nature being what it is you can’t always rely on people to be altruistic. But I like to think the best of people and although I don’t always agree with the decisions made by our politicians I think they are a necessary evil. Bit like marketing.

Why am I talking about politics on this fine autumn day? I am going to publicly announce that I have discovered West Wing.

I know I am late to the fold. Yes - I have finally moved beyond my penchant for science fiction and comedy to the grown up world of the White House. It is intelligent and engaging television. I am addicted! I have added it to my growing list of obsessions… Facebook, Dr Who…etc.

After watching Series 6 I now understand what is going on with the primaries in the US and how hard it must be for the Democrats without a clear front runner for the nomination. The characters are complex - their drives, personal lives etc…. captivating.

It has made me consider that librarians actually have a terrific opportunity to get involved in national agendas and have their say. One of ALIA’s roles is advocacy. It is worth having a look at the issues that ALIA is taking an active role in.

However, there are other ways to stand up and be counted for example library blogs. Check out Libraries Interact they have put together a list of Aussie Library Blogs. It is a way you can add your voice to the dialogue around libraries, librarians and the work that we do. But the best way is to just get and there and get involved in the community around you.

Peace

Facebook Detox

My name is… and I am unable to give up Facebook. I did last nearly a week! Pathetic but true.

I went to the Ascilite conference in Singapore and gravitated to a group of people who all happened to be Facebook users. We did discuss the fact that I had deactivated my account and without much encouragement at all I reactivated that night. So it has been reactivated with networking in mind not because I don’t have a life. The conference is in Melbourne next year if anyone is interested.

Some learnings from Ascilite:

1. Repositories are big
2. Affordances of Mobile technologies ie PDAs, phones
3. Using Ipods, Wii, DS Lite for teaching and learning
4. Building true Communities of Practice
5. Rise of Gen C (Creating Digital Content) and their digital expectancy
6. Using gaming technologies/metaphors in learning

Finally, I think the whole idea of going cold turkey did not work for me so I will try…. a Facebook free week every now and again like a detox (although I have never detoxed in my life). It sounds worthy and makes it seem like I am doing something practical about my Facebook addiction.

Peace

Fell of the Wagon…

I hate to admit this but I reactivated my Facebook account for about 1/2 an hour yesterday. A bit of a set back but I really didn’t enjoy it. So I deactivated it nearly straight away. I realised I really wasn’t missing anything and that I had made the right decision. I can empathise with my friends who are giving up smoking and then have a sneaky one when out socialising. My excuse - I was bored.

Today I am leaving on a jet plane for a conference in a far off land. I am not sure if I will be able to blog whilst away but I am looking forward to listening to practitioners talking about social networking in a e-learning context. It should be a stimulating few days.

Before I head off I am off to Christmas gathering number one for the year and getting my Christmas decorations out and putting them up around the house. I love unpacking the boxes and seeing all the beautiful decorations again. I enjoy the rituals of a secular Christmas (a bit of an oxymoron).

I am not religious but our family has lots of little Christmas rituals. The first is decorating the tree and putting up decorations.

One day… without Facebook

I made it through the night without reactivating my Facebook account and it wasn’t too bad. I must admit I do miss it and was considering sending statuses to my friends… but that would just be sad. It seems the saga surrounding the Facebook status and the use of “is” is still continuing. I must admit I wasn’t a fan but you had to be inventive to get around it. So I might list some of my favourite statuses whilst I was using Facebook and then I will get it out of my system:

Kim is…

• on the long and winding road
• shiny and new like a version
• voting for the red power rangers
• back to life, back to reality
• wearing my new “Angels have the phone box t-shirt”
• worshipping David Tennant from afar
• changing careers and becoming a…. mystery shopper
• getting my groove back
• asking “do you want fries with that?”
• watching… Dr Who season 3
• thinking that the best things in life are free

Goodbye FaceBook

I have decided to go cold turkey and give up Facebook after reading another “friend’s” blog I decided that I was getting sucked into a time wasting vortex that was very unproductive. I did have fun but when you wake at 5.30 am and change your status something is seriously wrong….

I did try lots of different applications, meet some new people, learned much more about friends and colleagues, flirted online and much more but as for the social networking value, well, you know yourself if it is a useful tool in your life. I would much rather get out in the real world. Hook up with people for some face-to-face interaction.

I don’t have a large network overseas perhaps if I did it might be different. I am not saying I will never use Facebook again but for now I am going to try the real world.