Why Use Social Media & Cloud Computing Tools?

I was finally inspired to actually write something on a blog as I think about how to share the possibilities of social networking, collaborative tools, and cloud computing in a library environment. By adding gadgets to this blog with lists and links I can invite people to explore in my playground. I can show that even though technology is involved, it's not hard or complicated. You just have to jump in and try, adjust as you go, see what others are doing, and keep your end goal in mind. Michael Stephens is a good person to follow if you're interested in these topics. Check out his New World of Librarianship. as a starting point.

Librarians connect people to information and foster community. These collaborative, social, "in the cloud" tools do the same thing. Shouldn't librarians take advantage of this and lead the charge? Here are a few thoughts...

• E-mail is one-directional and static. Why not have an open conversation on an interactive blog? Or start a discussion on Facebook or Twitter?
• Instead of multiple people editing a document and creating multiple versions, why not all collaborate on the same document at the same time?
• Need to help someone save a document but they don't have a flash drive? Show them Google docs. Save and access online.
• Instead of paying big bucks for a scheduling system why not explore what is available for free?
• Want to do a customer survey? Several free, easy to use tools for that.
• Why not sync your work Outlook calendar with your family's Google calendar? And wouldn't it be great if you could add library events to your own calendar?
• How about finding a great book in the Library catalog and being able to share a link to it on your Twitter feed or Facebook account?
• Want to share book reviews and have customers participate? Try GoodReads.
• Want to share a storytime with more people? Record it and then save it to a podcasting site. No hardware or software required, no huge bandwidth hit to your web server. Just link to the podcast.
• Want more people to know about a great Library program? Spend $10 for a Facebook ad that will target people near the Library.
• Frustrated by how much Photoshop costs? Try gimp, it's a free alternative. Nothing to install since it's web-based.
• Want to save time by not creating a new titles list every week? Set up an RSS feed to pull out the latest information and display automatically.
• Want to get a buzz going about the Library? Post a crazy or compelling video on You Tube that will spread virally.
• Want more people to use the online resources the Library has? Make it a conversation, make it collaborative (user reviews, tags, ratings, share icons), make it easy to connect to and with other tools.
• Need better staff communication? Use a tool like Yammer so staff can converse and share information just within your group.
• Do you wish that everyone could easily share informaton on your Intranet and that it was accessible anywhere? Switch to a blog.
• How about using Twitter for proactive customer service? Set up a search for the word "library" within a 25 mile radius and respond when someone is looking for a book or not happy about something.
• Want to adjust to how people are accessing information? Create a mobile version of your library's web site.
• Need to network with people? Try LinkedIn or Facebook.
• Looking for information on a topic where visuals would be helpful? Try slideshare.net or You Tube.
• Trying to build community support for a large project? Build the tribe. Encourage and energize online communities of supporters.
• Want to keep up with current ideas and technology? Use a feed reader and follow interesting blogs. Follow interesting people on Twitter, and follow their links.

Most of all don't be afraid to just try. Get out there, explore, and play!