Social networking is…. much the same as joining an old fashioned club – members share a common ground: an interest, relationship or profession. The major difference is that geographical boundaries are removed. For example, your cousin in Wisconsin can share the same experiences as the rest of the group.
I see a downfall being the digital divide which effectively replaces the geographical divide. Belonging to the group does require equipment – hardware, software and a reliable internet service, and a degree of know-how on the part of the member. A person lacking these requirements can be isolated from the group.
I already use…. Facebook to contact friends and family.
And….Yammer at work every day to keep up with professional conversations, developments in education and to share interesting articles with my colleagues.
And.... YouTube to help my son with guitar lessons or to view clips shared by friends
I expect to learn…. about Social Media on a number of levels: to discover the scope of tools available, and how to use these tools.
I hope to learn how Social Media can be used to aid and inform clients (in my arena of education, and how social media can both promote library services and become part of actual library services.
Finally I am very interested in the ethical issues surrounding social media: privacy, copyright and intellectual property, fitting social media usage into the parameters set by parent organisations, and how to avoid the pitfalls.
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