Reflection

Introduction

Information professionals are observing an amazing change in the cycle of information thanks to the emergence of Web 2.0 technologies.  Spennemann notes that the internet has moved from an exclusive geek environment to a mainstream communication (2006, p. 101).  INF 206 has altered my opinion on the value of Web 2.0 tools both personally and professionally.  This conversion has developed as I immersed myself in social media applications and read about the applications and implications.  My blog, The Learning Curve, has documented my thoughts on various aspects as I progressed, and this final reflection recalls three points of discovery in my journey:  Sailing the 4Cs, Choose Just Five? and Five Key Points for Social Media Policy.  The discussion then focuses on my development as a social networking information professional, and concludes with an observation of the implications this has for my career.

Sailing the 4 Cs (19^th August 2011)

In this blog entry, I reflect on the four social media principals: conversation, community, collaboration and content creation.  Understanding the culture and purpose of social media enables information professionals to fully utilise Web 2.0 tools.  I examined Arizona State University (ASU) Library and their use of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, finding that they achieved most of the Web 2.0 objectives.  Of particular merit are the YouTube clips “The Library Minute” (ASU, 2011).  However, Facebook and Twitter are surprisingly unimpressive as far as engaging client interaction.  Reuben cites a similar observation noting that “we haven’t found a definitive way to use Twitter for marketing in higher education yet” (2008, p. 5).  I am keen to ensure that in my own organisation, Facebook and Twitter are used for more than marketing.  Achieving the four Cs of social media will require input which engages clients, not just preaches at them.

Choose just five? (19^th August 2011)

Meredith Farkas impressed me as one of the most inspirational figures in the library industry today.  The task of selecting just five pieces of advice from her keynote speech (University of California, 2007) was challenging but I distilled her advice down to the following five points:

1. Know your users
2. Don't just focus on technologies
3. Build participation
4. Build a learning culture
5. Create a risk-tolerant culture

In my daily work, I am often complimented on my customer focus, and so the first three points speak to that aspect of my style: they each focus on people and encourage conversation and collaboration. Organisations which have “harnessed the power of the web to harness collective intelligence … are making their mark on the web” (O’Reilly, 2009, p. 2).  If my social media work can engage clients in conversation and collaboration, then my organisation will benefit from better customer relations and the customers will benefit from our enhanced understanding of their needs.

The last two points are effectively a wish list for my workplace.  One of the most challenging aspects of this subject for me has been finding the time to dabble, play with and learn about the various social media tools on a deeper level.  I therefore advocate allowing all staff the time at work to explore these tools.  Furthermore, rather than risk-taking, my organisation tends to focus on minimising risk, to the point of being overly restrictive.  Whilst I acknowledge the need to protect certain information, I found the National Library of Australia (NLA) Social Media policy an enlightening document, which has been written to allow all staff to “find a voice in social media” (2010, Objective).  Similarly, the British Central Office of Information (COI) has prepared a guide for using social media which my organisation could use for inspiration: like the NLA Policy, this guide encourages engagement to provide “better user experiences” (2009, p. 4).

Five Key Points for Social Media Policy (9^th October 2011)

I have included this blog post as the final point in my journey thus far.  Boiling the subject down to five key points for policy demonstrates the level of understanding I now have of social media – the power of the tools and the traps.  Examining several policies developed by organisations, in particular NLA (2010) and COI (2009), I distilled these into the major points which appeared to prevail across all platforms, covering:

1. Online behaviour
2. Client needs
3. Copyright, confidentiality, privacy
4. Clear can do and can’t do guidelines
5. Using the 4 Web 2.0 principals (community, collaboration, conversation and content creation) to add value for the client

These five points transport my learning into real world activities.  Using social media professionally is one aspect, but having the knowledge to develop social media policy requires a deeper understanding of two cultures: the workplace, and the online world.

My development as a Social Networker

Looking back to when I first created The Learning Curve in July 2011, I was utilising Facebook, Yammer and YouTube.  My uptake of these tools was very recent and was in fact only in preparation for INF206.  I was somewhat sceptical of social media and of the supposed benefits to my workplace, and I was also a little shy, so more inclined to “lurk” rather than participate.  Three months later, I have added Twitter to my tools of choice, using this as a professional connection and personal learning network.  I contribute more often to my organisation’s Yammer network and Diigo will continue to be my choice for bookmarking, especially for future university studies. 

I am far more aware of the need to separate work and home life and this has happened naturally with Facebook being my “friends and family” tool, Twitter my work tool.  I have a Google+ account but have been unsuccessful in developing this as an effective tool thus far.

An honest appraisal of my progress as a social networker would be “developing”: I have a long way to go, but have made a good deal of headway.  The greatest change has been in my attitude to social media: scepticism has been replaced with knowledge and enthusiasm.  As a result, my participation will not cease once the subject is finished, in fact I will likely increase my usage. 

Implications for my career

Social researcher, Hugh Mackay makes an interesting observation’ “the more ‘wired’ and ‘linked’ we become, the more we crave compensatory human contact …  the library can be the nexus between both…” (2002, p. 306).  My own work style is significantly customer-focussed, and so Mackay’s words resonate.  Farkas concurs with this focus on the customer and not the technology (University of California, 2007).  It is for this reason that I am thrilled to be on the Social Media Committee.  I bring to the table sound knowledge of all aspects of social media, learnt throughout this semester and am therefore able to offer balanced, informed comments and suggestions. 

Wittenberg urges librarians to acknowledge their users as content creators and use Web 2.0 tools to curate digital information (2007, para 10).  In other words, Web 2.0 offers librarians an opportunity to become a pivot in the digital information cycle.  Like many higher education institutions, my organisation is cautious about the use of social media and a perceived loss of control (Reuben, 2008, p.7). I am keen to use my knowledge to minimise risk by contributing to policy creation, allay fears, and therefore open the doors to more collaboration with our clients.

As well as being part of my library’s Social Media Committee I am also developing a staff blog which will inform staff and aid in building relationships across the four campuses.  Furthermore, I am currently writing a proposal to transfer the work instructions to a wiki, with the aim of making this a living, collaborative document – easily updated, with the opportunity for staff to add notes and tips to enrich the information.  I note that wikis have enjoyed a certain amount of success with COI noting that their wiki is “heavily used” and has “improved efficiency and quality of briefings” (2009, p. 9). 

Conclusion

Social Networking for Information Professionals has been a most enjoyable subject: one that has truly achieved the principals of Web 2.0.  The interaction between teacher and students has been above and beyond any other subject I have studied so far, thus effectively demonstrating the value of these tools.  Most impressively, this subject has had a direct impact on my career, opening the door to using social media in the real world.  It is exciting to be a part of this new era in the information society: information professionals must ensure that they are part of Web 2.0, and not left behind.  We have an important role to play, and cannot simply rest on our laurels: our clients will not wait for us to catch up.  For me personally, this subject does not end here – this is just the beginning, and I am keen to not only continue using social media tools in the real world, but to continue learning and evolving my social media skills as old platforms evolve and new ones are developed.

References

Arizona State University (2011). The Library Minute [video file]. Retrieved August 19, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/user/librarychannel#p/a/CA6A813AA9C9A574/2/oh         yqXAhLgsM

Central Office of Information (2009). Engaging through social media: A guide for civil     servants. Retrieved September 20, 2011 from      http://coi.gov.uk/documents/Engaging_through_social_media.pdf

Mackay, H. (2002). Australia at a turning point. The Australian Library Journal 51(4) 303-306. Retrieved August 20, 2011 from Cengage          http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/gtx/publicationSearch.do?year=2002            &pageIdentity=searchResults&searchParamsString=R1^Locale%28en%2CUS%2C%29       %3AFQE%3D%28sp%2CNone%2C3%29303%3AAnd%3AFQE%3D%28iu%2CNone%2C         1%294%3AAnd%3AFQE%3D%28sn%2CNone%2C9%290004-          9670%3AAnd%3AFQE%3D%28vo%2CNone%2C2%2951%24^AdvancedSearchForm^D            ateDescend^T002^null^20^1^1&type=getIssues&serQuery=Locale%28en%2C%2C%2       9%3AFQE%3D%28JX%2CNone%2C28%29%22Australian+Library+Journal%22%24&se         archTerm=The%2BAustralian%2BLibrary%2BJournal&currentPosition=0&prodId=EAI          M&userGroupName=csu_au

National Library of Australia (2010). Social Media Policy Retrieved August 8 2011 from             http://www.nla.gov.au/policy-and-planning/social-media

O’Reilly, T. (2009). What is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next   Generation of Software. Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website July 18, 2011         http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html

Reuben, R. (2008). The use of social media in higher education for marketing and            communications: A guide for professionals in higher education.  Retrieved      September 20, 2011 from Google Scholar http://api.ning.com/files/B8JtjZRFNA4TdC8-z6IyshG4xLRmCpbN*xtJQO-  FZK*BxGvcjSx5PY5hMkqXy6Hjsoax1- SycWfO1yToIwK1ey1b6*LW3wXz/socialmediainhighereducation.pdf            

Spennemann, D.H.R. (2006). The internet and daily life in Australia: An exploration. The Information Society 22 101-110. doi: 10.1080/01972240600567204.

University of California Berkley Events (2007). Building academic library 2.0 [video file].             Retrieved August 15, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_uOKFhoznI&feature=player_embedded

Wittenberg, K. (2007). Credibility of content and the future of research, learning, and      publishing in the digital environment. The Journal of Electornic Publishing, 10(1).    Retrieved September 20, 2011 from  http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-       idx?c=jep;cc=jep;rgn=main;view=text;idno=3336451.0010.101              

Five Key Points for Social Media Policy

When developing a Social Media Policy for your organisation, consider the following:

1. Online behaviour does not need to be different from behaviour in any other arena: it is simply another form of organisation/client communication.  Staff should always exercise good judgement and act responsibly, just as they would with a phone call, letter or email.
2. The client needs should always prevail: policy should reflect an understanding of clients, their needs, and the online community or network.
3. The policy should address issues of copyright, client privacy and confidentiality, proprietary information.
4. Policy guidelines should empower staff: whilst social media policy should accentuate the can do, including clear instructions on what staff are cannot do actually enables staff to act with confidence and without fear.
5. The use of Social Media should do more than create another organisational billboard; it should add value to the client experience.  Being mindful of the principals of social media - community, conversation, collaboration and content creation - ensures that the client engages on a meaningful level with the organisation.

Finding Authentic Information in a Socially Networked World

Let's face the cold reality: in the socially networked world, digital natives no longer look to teachers or librarians to guide them.  Most rely on peer recommendations, or use other websites to validate the information they have found independently using Google or Wikipedia. Many are more adept at navigating the digital world than we are.  Even the way digital natives visually and mentally process digital information differs to previous generations (Lorenzo, 2007, p.3).


Does this make the information professional obsolete?  It does if we allow it to.  We can throw up our hands, retreat behind our dusty book stacks and bemoan the fact that we are no longer considered the white knights of the information society.


OR we can examine information seeking behaviour in our client base, enter their worlds (or networks), and adjust our methods of operation.  Web 2.0 is all about community and content creation - "doing it for themselves".  Who better to be the curators of content than information professionals?  If we are to call ourselves "information professionals" why would we avoid being part of the most fast-moving and exciting area of the information cycle - i.e. Web 2.0?


Information professionals are best placed to be finding authentic information on the web, and directing our clients to it.  Many worthy resources may have actually been sourced or curated by our clients.  In this case, we can both share and give credit where it is due - thus forging a better relationship with clients.  Our collections have not changed in substance - whether in print or digital form, we are still able to apply our principals of collection development: accuracy, currency and a balanced argument.


Being part of the network, and therefore involved in the online conversation also enables us to push out authentic information and the message of information literacy.


Finding Authentic Information in a Socially Networked World relies on 2 key responses to Web 2.0:


1) Information Professionals must become part of the community of information curators and creators.


2) Information Professionals must respect and capitalise on the value our users can add to the information cycle.


Lorenzo, G. (2007). Catalysts for change: Information fluency, Web 2.0, Library 2.0, and the new education culture. (March). Retrieved October 3, 2011 from Charles Sturt University website http://www.edpath.com/images/IFReport2.pdf