Adventures in New Social Networking Stuff…Part Three: Second Life

Shirley Garcia

Student ID #: 11468539

Info 506: Social Networking for Information Professionals

Lyn Hay—Fall 2010

So I am writing this blog entry right after my second attempt at using second life. Both times I received a message stating that Second Life had crashed...it completely disappeared from my screen! This of course, was after repeated warnings from McAfee that second life was trying to bring in info from the internet. McAfee clearly did not want me to do this! Anyhoo…I hadn’t been on for more that 2 minutes when the crash occurred…I was trying to get to the CSU-SIS Learning Centre. I was also trying to friend 'LenaLotus Latte'.


Aaargh! I just don’t get this thing! I understand that it can be a creative and learning outlet. However, my personal opinion is that people spend far, far too much time involved in these virtual lives, so much so that I think they are missing their own lives sometimes. I feel this applies especially to children.


Remember outside???? Remember when if you wanted to have fun and explore you went and played with like leaves and bugs and kids and stuff? Remember ‘hanging out’? I come from a small town, very small in fact. There was never much to do here but maybe that has always been the beauty of it. If you were in your house as a teenager, you walked downtown and found, guess what REAL PEOPLE to talk to! Crazy I know, but it’s true. If you wanted information, aha! The library (which is where I learned origami by the way!).  

As learning tools, I understand the sheer awesomeness of Web 2.0. Wow here are convenient platforms to collaborate, create and explore. For brief recreation, escapism, whatever…that’s neat for a minute. For those with limited access to like people n’ stuff, well here is a way to interact in a social environment. Job searching, networking, great! As such, they become tools for enhancing real life. Again, I’m not a fan of being asked for my birth date and the promise of my first-born, but I understand the purpose of the tools as an enhancement to real life.

Ok, so I’m ranting out of slight frustration…yes I need to explore these tools more to gain a true understanding of them. Will I walk around in second life after this project….hmmm probably not. I’d rather walk around in the feet of snow left in the aftermath of the blizzard that just hit the Hudson valley region of NY State, which is where I am by the way.

Do I think it is necessary to understand the utility of these tools? Absolutely. They are being used. Understanding them is the only way to use them to the information professional’s advantage. How can a librarian properly serve her patrons if s/he does not have any knowledge of what is current? A good librarian knows the latest books his or her patrons may come in the library for right? Well the same would apply to these technologies.

I like blogging. I like wiki’s. YouTube makes me smile J I have reconnected with people using facebook. For now, anything beyond that is simply in the interest of knowledge of what is current to relate to the users of this technology better. Maybe I’m a little ‘old school’ as some might say. I’d rather press leaves in wax paper, have a cup of coffee with friends on the porch, feel the earth beneath my feet, maybe some yoga in the sun...

RSS Feeds

Shirley Garcia

Student ID #: 11468539

Info 506: Social Networking for Information Professionals

Lyn Hay—Fall 2010

The sites below give RSS feed options... 

Rockland County News and Announcements: Schools and Libraries

http://www.americantowns.com/ny/rockland-county/news/schools-and-libraries

This is a really neat website that gives you recent information on what is going on in Rockland County, NY (This is the county that I am from and currently reside). Separated into categories, you can choose among the subject headings (e.g., schools and libraries) and subscribe to the feed. Libraries include public and academic. I am adding this one to delicious!

Association of Colleges and Research Libraries (ACRL): NY/Metro Area Library Jobs and Events

http://acrlny.blogspot.com/2010/02/emerging-technologies-librarian.html

This site posts recent information on library related events and job openings in the NY area. A nice resource for individuals who may be job hunting within the field, or who are interested in becoming involved with related events. This blog replaced their listserv. I am adding this one to delicious as well. A great resource for my area.

RSS can enhance a library or information service’s ability to meet the information needs of its users.

While I have never used RSS feeds, my limited understanding suggests that they compile the latest information for the subscriber so that searching for the information becomes unnecessary. News regarding the latest happenings within the library and the area it serves, when complied into an RSS feed for the user, would allow patrons to easily access the information they are searching for (and may call a librarian [public/academic/school media professional] about). Perhaps making such websites known is the key to getting users to use these kinds of tools. Placing links to the home page of library websites, or advertisements of some kind within the library. I was actually thinking of printing this information on the bottom of check-out receipts—you know after or before the items checked out, just like receipts from retailers…hmmm just a thought….

Adventures With New Social Networking Stuff...Part Two: On Delicious….

Shirley Garcia

Student ID #: 11468539

Info 506: Social Networking for Information Professionals

Lyn Hay—Fall 2010

I have had several people recommend Delicious to me. Until this course however, I have never used it. I had been told that this website allowed easy access to favorite websites, and gave that the user has the opportunity to view similar websites used by other users. Interesting, but I couldn’t understand the difference (or perhaps I should say the advantage) between the favorites option on my tool bar, and the service the Delicious website offers. 

So far, from what I understand, the main differences between the tool bar’s favorite’s option and the Delicious website, is that (1) favorites are/can be organized by tags (which from my understanding contributes to a method of organization, categorization, and retrieval which is created by the contributing users), and (2) the favorites of others can be shared. I have found that the more tags have been assigned to a particular URL, the easier it is to understand what the link contains. This makes for the easiest categorization. That can be very helpful. This function is far more helpful that the toolbar’s favorites function. The favorites of others…I guess this can be interesting….for both personal, academic…etc.- purposes….I would think that having this ability would be great for research. This would allow a user to find websites, articles, and any other similar information. That’s very helpful.  The increase in information sharing. What information is particularly relevant would have to be explored. I suppose that’s where tags come in handy.

For the information professional…I was thinking that Delicious could be used for quick reference questions. It could be compiled over a period of time based on the questions received and what users find/have found relevant. Delicious can also be used by colleagues to share information on a variety of topics of interest within the field.

Information exposure…

Shirley Garcia

Student ID #: 11468539

Info 506: Social Networking for Information Professionals

Lyn Hay—Fall 2010

Perhaps one of my greatest difficulties with social networking websites is the exposure of personal information. Quite frankly, it makes me terribly uncomfortable. I honestly don’t know much about sites like LinkedIn, but they don’t really provide the potential user with a great deal of detailed information. It seems that you learn about this site by putting up your information. Private profile or not, I find this very strange. It definitely takes me out of my comfort zone. I understand the use for this kind of website in regards to networking with professionals in your chosen field, and reconnecting with individuals you know, but I still find the experience uncomfortable….I feel like strangers can get to know too much about me without knowing me. Besides, websites like this one can enable users to share experience that can be explained on paper, but it cannot describe what I feel are more important qualities. By that I mean the intrinsic qualities that make individuals effective at their chosen profession. I think this holds especially true within fields that center on human interaction. Again, however, I am still learning, and the best learning often comes when one is not within what they find comfortable....

Adventures with New Social Networking Stuff…..Part One….

Shirley Garcia

Student ID #: 11468539

Info 506: Social Networking for Information Professionals

Lyn Hay—Fall 2010

Aaaarggggh! Twitter!

Ok! I must be terribly honest. I never really understood twitter! I have never had an account, and I have been very apprehensive regarding the registration process. Twitter wants information I do not want to give…Like my full name! I don’t really understand twitter. From my understanding, this site allows the user to post whatever thoughts come to mind….I’m trying to figure out the use for this, both personally and for information professionals. The only way to find out, I suppose, is to jump in and explore. So ok here goes. Activating a twitter account….So I made sure that my e-mail address cannot be searched, and that I do not receive twitter updates to my email….baby steps :). As soon as I clicked on “activate my account”, I received a response that stated “twitter is over capacity. Please wait a moment and try again”. Huh? I haven’t done anything yet….confusing…. 

I have now logged onto our class at csu.edu….I know there is a “twitter channel”….clicking on reply has brought me to a home page and I already have two followers….see now I find that creepy….;)

After clicking on the reply button, I was brought to my home page, and it says something like “tell the world what you’re thinking!” All I wanted to do was reply! In the box, it says @lyn_hay….hmmm do I type before or after these characters? Ok…made a “tweet” and I have nno idea as to where it went…. Guess I’ll find out! :)

For fun, I wanted to find someone to follow. I went to Conan O’Brian’s website and clicked on his latest “tweet” and was directed to twitter. Interesting…very interesting…yay! I just figured out how to find Lyn_Hay…I am now a follower! Inch by Inch, I am figuring this twitter out….more to come :)

INF 506 Assignment #1

 

Shirley Garcia

Student ID #: 11468539

Info 506: Social Networking for Information Professionals

Lyn Hay—Fall 2010

Hello everyone!

This is my very first blog! I have never created one before, but I somehow knew exactly where to go to create one! I found that slightly odd ;)…

Anyway, this blog has been created for my Social Networking class, but I may decide to keep it for personal use after this course has ended. I suppose that my decision will be based on how much I enjoy blogging.

I love to write, so I am assuming that I will enjoy blogging. Putting my thoughts out for everyone to see is new for me, so I am interested to see how I respond to it J

This brings me to my class work…This is assignment #1.  The question has been presented in three parts, so I will answer it accordingly.

(a)    What is social networking?

                Defining social networking is very interesting to me. I think that the technology that enables social networking on the internet is constantly evolving and changing. As such, I am unsure if it is necessary to include the tools used in the definition of social networking. The tools—wiki’s, blog’s and the like allow access in a comfortable atmosphere. These tools create an element of privacy. Yes, the information is often made public, but the individual creating it can remain somewhat anonymous. This allows the creator to allow, ironically enough, more of themselves to come through. I think that individuals who engage in various aspects of social networking find the act of creating themselves in any way they feel adequate, a freeing experience.

                This brings to mind one of my recent experiences using You Tube, which until recently, I had never thought of as a social networking tool. I utilized it when I was looking for a specific song, video, or comedic clip when I knew that I probably wouldn’t find it anywhere else. While on You Tube, I stumbled upon a young boy (I believe he was 13) who had videotaped himself singing popular radio hits. Each video showed him in the same room (probably his bedroom), and each was purposely corny and hilarious. I became curious about this child who was brave enough to be silly in front of an anonymous viewing audience. So, I went to what I believe is called his 'channel'. On this page, I found comments and information about the poster.

                Yes, there was an occasional rude comment, but the majority were overwhelmingly positive. This thirteen year old boy had (if I remember correctly) over a million views (maybe millions, I’m not sure), and nearly as many followers. Aside from his videos, he also gave a limited amount of information about himself. As I read, he apologized for the fact that he would not post for a while. He could not post because he was having yet another brain stem surgery—he would not be allowed to turn his neck for a while. All I could think of was “wow, he is really brave.  It’s awesome that he has found a positive outlet; a positive community of people to have fun and make friends”. I used to think that social networking should be done in person. If you want to be social, go meet people! I did not think about individuals who perhaps cannot, for a variety of reasons, meet people face to face, or of those who simply would rather not. The internet has opened new doors for many. Not only is that really neat, it is something that I never thought of before.

                So, what is social networking? I think social networking involves creating connections with others to fulfill a specific need. This need can be an emotional and/or psychological one (loneliness, catharsis, etc-), or perhaps the need is more extrinsic (business, financial, etc.-). The tools are becoming more technologically advanced, allowing for more control and creation, which perhaps makes the experience more inviting and enjoyable, yet the human need for connection is what is of importance.

(b)   What social networking tools do I use?

Before reading the assigned articles, I didn’t really think that I used social networking technologies. That however, was based on my own naïve misconceptions on social networking. I have created wiki’s for several classes while pursuing my MLIS, which contained info from wedding cakes to books on Buddhism for children. I am on You Tube several times a week, and while I rarely check it, I currently have a facebook account. I used to have a MySpace account as well, but I have not used it in years. That account was entirely private, and while I can be searched on facebook, the amount of information I provide is limited; very little personal information is displayed. I am particular as to who I accept as a friend on facebook, and have very few pictures displayed. The site has allowed me to connect with individuals I have not seen in years, which is really neat. After, the connection however, I prefer the telephone and texting.

(c)    What do I want to learn from INF 506: Social Networking for Information Professionals?

Well there seems to be so many different types of social networking tools, I would really like to explore them, especially since I find some of them to be off putting (like twitter, which I have never used). I am interested in learning how these can be used safely and how information professionals can utilize these sites to create connections with patrons, and how they can encourage both learning and fun. If people who use the sites read more, as the class readings suggest through studies, how can this knowledge reach and benefit library patrons? How can information professionals reach out to their youngest patrons? Do young people know about what is available?

This would conclude the end of my first blog entry! Hope you have enjoyed it J I had fun writing it :)