Week 13: Best Practices

Here, at long last are some of my thoughts on best practices for social software in libraries.

1. Look for utility first - Although I'm excited by the notion of a new technology that completely changes the way people interact or behave in a library environment, I expect that most technologies will develop more incrementally. For that reason, something like a wiki, which can be immediately engaged as a tool for community information, is more attractive to me than something like Second Life, where the shift in behaviour would be that much greater. I've read many articles about technology and design where the authors caution against thinking of software like a hammer or any other tool. This may make sense for people designing the systems, and who want to let their creativity lead them to new and unexpected places, but as an end user of a system, I still want to ultimately be in the driver's seat.
     I remember reading the technology section of the paper back around 1998, when everyone was predicting that the Internet would move from a "pull" system to a "push" one. It didn't quite turn out that way (the increasing popularity of RSS notwithstanding). In short, I'm much more excited by "low hanging fruit" than I am about "the next big thing".

2. Always about the users - Chris has already said a lot about this that I agree with. Basically, before I implemented any new technology, I would make sure that it was a good fit with my patron base. RSS, as one example, is a technology that I love, but I also understand that for many people it's going to take more effort to implement and use than they are willing to expend. Because RSS is such a low-maintainance thing once it's in place, I'm still pretty excited about its possibilities. But every decision on technology should look for a good return of time and resources invested. The contentment of the patron base is the best determinant of a good investment.

3. Where am I?/What is this?/What's the purpose of this? - Google doesn't necessarily bring users into your system through the front door. If you've got a blog/wiki/forum, it's wrong to assume that everyone landing on that page will know what it's about. There's a thin line between elegant simplicity and being completely obscure. I've found that I get very frustrated when I land on a page that is intended for people "in the know". I think it's necessary for librarians to look at their web presence with "soft eyes", and try to find those places where the design assumes familiarity.