Building Collaboration Communication and Community online

Meredith Farkas- Norwich University
Building Collaboration Communication and Community online

Blog: Information wants to be free

Consider definition of software: a tool must meet at least 2 conditions- allows online communication, syndicated, reused, remixed and easily learn and capitalize on other’s creations

Software:
Easy content creations and sharing
Anyone can edit
Online collaboration- google docs, wiki to create the presentation- collaborate on the web
Conversations have changes: don’t have to be part of a group- they take place everywhere. Blogs- comments- trackbacks- can trace conversation
Blog pulse

Online Conversations- IM – kids are on this all the time- just say they get stuck- they’ll ask someone on their buddy list we need to be more available in real time
Social bookmaking- del.icio.us


Wiki – great way to collect knowledge from diverse communities

Transparency- “rate my professor” – is this translating into the workplace? We are creating connections between people- Fastlane blog talks about what they are passionate about – executives at GM
“Written by executives not some faceless marketing person.”

Personalization- podcasting, news pages,
:When I use to subscribe to news papers- now we can roll our own newspapers with RSS feeds- she subscribes to about 200 blogs and news feeds- on our own terms

Portability
Information goes to them- shouldn’t we start delivering content using the tools people are using?

SS tools can:
o Disseminate Info
o Blogs- pushing information to people so much easier: Information about new service, reader’s advisor
o RSS feeds from catalogues – new books based on topics so people can subscribe to teat subject-
o Biz Wiki as subject guide makes it searchable or genealogy
o Pod casting; library news segments? Dowling College - interviews with interesting people, archivists, strange tidbits, fun and engaging

o Get feedback- start a conversation- Ann Arbor blog
o Director talks about the macro issue- she allows comments- great way to get an interaction between

o Facebook- every profile has a wall professor has asked students to post requests for the books they want. Right target audience- students- and then asks for authentic input.

o Giving a library a human face- blogs and Flickr
o Connect to users on human level- SJCPL uses personal language as if they are talking to a friend.

o Provides services to remote services:
o Chats services like QasndANJ. Others have added IM- patrons are already using so why not us it?
o Provides services where our customers are- look at
Brooklyn College Library- serves as a gateway to services from My Space
o Meebo – can chat online doesn’t have to sign up for IM – put in on the front page of your web
o Distant learners- push news information on a blog that s reflected on blog- in web

Use the tools our customers are using- cell phones- Louisiana SIMS Memorial Library has text a librarian- just text us!

Capitalize on knowledge of colleagues and users- look at Amazon- so much we can learn from our users- let users tag in catalogues, users who checked out this item also checked out, write a review, Would it help to collaborate with all libraries??

The message: if they are using it, then half the battle is a non issue.

Subject specialty wiki- each person keeps a wiki about their subject of expertise- c can talk about resources, references, etc…


Strategies for implementing:
o Avoid techno lust- use the tools that meet the needs of your users- what is lacking? Us the tool that solves the problem and meets the need

o Will it improve library services and will customers use it? Who are they, what are their needs and what competencies do they have?

o Involve staff at all levels in planning- must be made on al levels! Even less tech savvy because they may have to market or use and may offer insights that you might not have thought about.

o Involve II in planning-

o Play with new technologies to learn about them- PLAY
o Trust patrons and learn from them- very important to let them teach us- keep those comments open- sometimes there may be some horrible things said but will miss out!

o Consider maintenance and sustainability- easy to implement but not thinking about how we can maintain them.

o Do you need a policy?
o Marketing focus on the function ability- they don’t care about your new blog but would love to know about your new reader’s advisory. Answer the question- what will it offer them?