Week 10; Online Social Networks

I think there is great promise in social networking for libraries – but librarians need to put a lot of thought into this one before jumping into MySpace or Facebook.

 In Crossing Boundaries: Identity Management and Student/Faculty Relationships on the Facebook, Hewitt and Forte discuss the results of their two-year study of student-faculty relationships on Facebook. Although two-thirds of the students were comfortable with the presence of faculty on the site, the rest were concerned about invasion of their space and privacy. Librarians take note. Yes, it is encouraging to see libraries such as Ann Arbor on MySpace as well as Hennepin County and the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County on Facebook, but as Meredith Farkas points out in Libraries in Social Networking Software, it is not enough to just create a presence there. If libraries enter student space, they should do so for a good reason. Facebook users in Ann Arbor (unlike Charlotte and Mecklenburg County) can search the catalogue from their own territory. I like the way they have highlighted material of interest to the age group. I agree with Farkas that another good reason to be on FaceBook or MySpace is to invite feedback from users.

 I had no idea that Live Journal existed at Western. Great idea for bringing people together! And what an attractive site. But the site that I am most impressed with, though, is My Own Cafe. I love the way they have arranged it into useful categories for teens such as “My Community,” “Information Center,” “Entertainment Center,” and “News Center.” This is a great one-stop shop for YA information. It is nicely laid out with all kinds of useful links such as “great reads,” “college help,” and “career help.” Libraries that are interested in attracting more teen patrons should take note of this site.

A number of the articles this week discussed the safety issues surrounding online social networks. The general consensus that there is too much hype over predators and other dangers is probably accurate. I agree that the dangers have been exaggerated but I wouldn’t dismiss these concerns as easily as Roush does in The Moral Panic over Social-Networking Sites, or Boydd and Jenkins do in their article about the Online Predators Act. I wonder if any of these writers are parents. Yes it is up to parents to teach and monitor their children’s behaviour, but the sad reality is that there are way too many over-worked adults who are oblivious of their children’s online activities. I worry about gullible or at-risk tweens online.