[Web4lib] Facebook

Thu Sep 10 20:42:43 EDT 2009

I read about libraries trying Facebook all the time, and I've held off,
even though I use the site myself. Initially, I was hesitant because it
was another information silo to monitor, and I wasn't certain where the
platform was going. Of course it may change, but what I have seen since
the last revision of the site makes me want to steer clear of it. 

As pointed out below, you can publish new about your library (good)
which will show up in the feeds of your "fans" (good). What often
happens after that is some of your fans, who would not have communicated
through Facebook ordinarily start commenting, and possibly dialoging.
This can be good or bad, but consider this real life scenario.

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. We have several fine aquariums
here, but the best known is a little further south in Monterey. I saw
that other people I know had become fans of the Monterey Bay Aquarium
myself.

The Aquarium folks were pretty good. They didn't over post, and usually
what they did put in my feed was mildly entertaining and occasionally
made the think, "Ooo... pretty fish." Then one day they posted about how
they had trained their sea otters to do tricks for the public, and a
major meltdown followed.

One person posted a comment that they didn't believe training the otters
to do tricks was in keeping with the scientific and educational mission
of the Aquarium, which has a reputation of bring a fairly serious
institution that does hard science. Another person posted back that they
knew sea otters in captivity got bored, and this was a good way to
engage them. Someone else posted that it was cruel to keep sea otters at
all. Then the F-bomb started dropping, and pretty soon there were
hundreds of angry, opinionated, aquarium fans cussing each other out, a
pretty stark contrast to the high scale, family friendly experience one
gets making an actual experience.

So now I'm not a fan of the Monterey Bay Aquarium because of how their
fans behaved.

Basically, my point is this. If you're going to do Facebook for your
organization, you've got to think seriously about how you're going to
monitor comments and keep everything civil. Personally, I don't want my
patrons getting in swearing matches about some esoteric library policy
or spend time policing them. Perhaps I'm being too risk adverse, but I
don't want a negative online experience that I have minimal control over
damaging the reputation of my institution. Of course, others' mileage
may vary.

- David

---
David Cloutman <dcloutman at co.marin.ca.us>
Electronic Services Librarian
Marin County Free Library 

-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Bangert
Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2009 8:28 AM
To: web4lib at webjunction.org
Subject: Re: [Web4lib] Facebook

Michael,

Aside from the potential for interaction (absent from most library web 
sites),  it is about pushing information to students.

To expand on what Chester said, regarding putting the library where 
students will encounter it as part of their normal routines,
it isn't just about being at hand, but about not requiring them to come 
to you at all, anywhere, in order to learn of something.

If a student follows (becomes a "fan" of) the library FB page, updates 
to the page will show up in the stream of updates that is the student's 
FB homepage.
It is a way to reach into the stream of information that they are paying

attention to, to drop information they aren't seeking out in their lap.

As others have pointed out, you can use the FB page as a conduit for 
existing RSS or Twitter feeds.  Doing so puts these feeds in a form that

a student, rather than a 30 year old blogger, developer, etc., might 
actually use and monitor.

-Andrew

Mitchell, Michael wrote:
> What are the advantages of Facebook over Web pages on the library Web
> site? I'm afraid I really don't understand. I just don't see anything
> special there. I'm really asking, not trolling.
>
>
> Michael Mitchell
> Technical Services Librarian
> Brazosport College
> Lake Jackson, TX
> michael.mitchell at brazosport.edu 
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org
> [mailto:web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Leo Robert Klein
> Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2009 9:22 AM
> To: web4lib at webjunction.org
> Subject: Re: [Web4lib] Facebook
>
> John Fereira wrote:
>   
>> Christine Zeitler wrote:
>>     
>>> One of the academic libraries at which I work is attempting to
decide
>>>       
> if
>   
>>> they want to use Facebook to interact with the students.  
>>>       
>> I think that the more important question here is whether students
want
>>     
>
>   
>> to use Facebook to interact with libraries.
>>     
>
> Good point but increasingly it seems as if Facebook is more an entry 
> point for various types of communication, including friends of course,

> but also professional and personal interests.
>
> I mean, just looking at my own list, I've got the Chicago Historical 
> Society, a couple of my old schools and something called 'Static FBML'

> whose meaning I honestly can't remember.
>
> Assuming a similar collection (adjusted for age) on the part of our 
> users and I don't think it's too exotic if the library starts banging
on
>
> their Facebook door as well.
>
> LEO
>
> -- -------------------
> www.leoklein.com (site)
> www.ChicagoLibrarian.com (blog)
>
> aim/msn/yhoo/goog: 'leorobertklein'
> -- -------------------------------
>
>
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