Week 13 Blog Post

Training Video Review: AutomaticGeek's Smart Library - Training On Facebook



This training video I found is for how to control your friend settings and privacy settings on facebook. The information here is very well presented and informative, but the overall delivery of the content is quite boring and disjointed. The narrator's delivery is rather weak and stiff, making the video even more boring to see that one would think possible. Come on people, this IS a video on how to use facebook, afterall.

The material is presented clearly and effectively, and the screen cast based zooms used to better identify the options on facebook are very well done. What the video lacks in presentation, it makes up for in clarity and content.

Another major point to note in this is the fact that the narrator also makes it a point to remind the users to refrain from adding personal information that would be otherwise unsafe to add online; a good tip, and one you've probably heard from your parents and teachers for years by now, but still one that needs to be said. Glad it was included there.

My major point of contention regarding the video, aside from the utterly boring narrator is the completely non descript title and pointless description added below the screen. The title describes little if any of the content, and the description sounds more like a solicitation for an online pyramid scheme. This leads me to call the intentions behind this video into suspicion, but , athte very least, the video is good at what tries to do.

If this video could be remade, I would recommend that the video's audio be recorded by a narrator whose voice is not the sonic equivalent of NyQuil, for one. Having a more active and conversational tone will prove to make this video much more valuable and useful for a topic that is admittedly, underrepresented and very much needed.

You can take a look at the video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3dRwNTgnyk

Exercise 5 Post

This is my screencast posting for how to use twitter. Enjoy!


http://www.screencast.com/t/ZKoPXcydLsb

Week 12 Blog Post

  What do you think about anonymous users in an online community? How about lurkers?


Ultimately, the nature of anonymous users in an online community, operative word there being community, is something of an inherent contradiction. It is not technically possible to have a community, which is based on the sum of interactions between known or semi-known entities, if the users are anonymous. That being said however, it does not change the fact that the internet is a place that has no hard and fast rules, per se; it is a place where users may do what they like and how they like, and the only real rule is that the user must face for the consequences of their actions, for good or for ill. Philosophically, I find that anonymous users in any community are fine as long as they are not disruptive to the normal operations of the community. People interact the way they do on the internet not just because they want to feel safe in their interactions, but also because they choose to function on their own terms, rather than someone else's. If an anonymous user is causing trouble in the community, it is a simple task for the administrator to simply block the user's IP address to prevent them from ever so much as even getting on the website ever again. Not really a problem.

The case of lurkers, like anonymous users, is similar. Lurkers often are there because the overall conversation within the community, particularly its content, is something interesting and compelling for them to take a look at. They generally cause no harm by existing and looking, and should not feel forced to contribute if they don't want to. Ultimately I subscribe to the idea that a lurker will become a contributor on their own time and terms when it is acceptable for them to do so. Often all it takes is the right forum and the right thread topic to compel a lurker to at last say something. In addition, often lurkers are the way they are to learn to get used to the community's culture and rules, so as not to cause any unnecessary trouble.

I also tend to note that a major reason for my views is a result of my general interactions with internet communities over the last 15 years.  There's an interesting misconception on the part of the mainstream population, who feels that the internet is this strange and mysterious community that all belong to a singular organization such as "Anonymous". This is nonsense. The social structure of the internet is an inherent paradox; it is not structured at all; it is anarchy; an environment without government or effective rules. People are allowed to do what they like and accept the consequences for it. This is an uncomfortable concept for many, but it is the truth. There is no organization out to get you; no larger online conspiracy; no "Anonymous" who plots the downfall of western civilization.

Want to know what "Anonymous" really is? It's me, it's you, it's anyone who has ever acted or performed any kind of function or communication online. That's it. There's no sign up sheet for this; no rules, no secret handshake. This is why when the media talks about the idea of an "Anonymous" I find it absolutely ridiculous. They treat it as somekind of organization when really it was a random group of people who decided to do one thing or another in a haphazard form of coordination (most of which is accidental). Last ranting point; there is no such thing as an act of "Anonymous" IRL, or in the real world. Inherently, you can't be anonymous offline, there for it is no longer an action by "Anonymous". So who is anonymous again? You, me, and everyone else on the internet. Who isn't? Everyone when they do something offline. Welcome to the internet, fellow Anonymous.

Week 11 Post

What are the pros and cons of tagging in library catalogs?

The upside of tagging content in library catalogs is that by doing so, one can elaborate on the "aboutness" of an information resource after the fact. Doing so can enable a degree of flexibility in describing materials after they have already been added to a collection. This can enable users to find information more quickly and easily, as the tags can be progressively added to further elaborate on the information resource's contents. Tagging, when coupled with a keyword based search engine, can make it easier and faster to retrieve records in materials. User submitted tags can also prove to be very helpful in getting more perspectives on the contents of a resource. For example, after a user returned a book, having read it to completion, a user can then add tags to elaborate on its contents, and thus creating more representative records of the material. This can prove to help improve services at the library and optimize limited library resources. Naturally, since a team of librarians cannot possibly read all of the materials in a library's collection, user submitted tagging can prove to be a very cost-effective way to create more detailed information records.

The downside of tagging in library catalogs arises from a general lack of procedure and structure pertaining to how exactly tags will be created. If a tag is added to a system, it is important that the tag is not only representative of the content contained herein, but also that it may become problematic if a tag added is similar if not identical to a tag that already exists in the record. For example if someone writes a tag for "cow" and then someone else writes a tag for "bovine", should both tags exist? What if other records with similar content only contain one or the other tag? How will that work? This can lead to very inconsistent retrievals when it comes to library records. The the system also contains a form of thesaurus functionality to consider such entries and add them across the board to all similar records, this might not be an issue, but I am unsure as to whether or not such technology exists. Another major issue is what to do if a user decides to add inappropriate if not offensive terms to a record for fun. Often times user-tagged systems are not well policed, and this can lead to very troubling implications later. It is important for staff to keep close watch over records for such issues; possibly by adding a user submitted flagging function for offensive tags.

Blog Post Week 9

Ms. Purviance's presentation was a basic discussion on the meanings and inherent value of social media in a concerted marketing effort. The presentation discussed the basics of what exactly social media is, and also discussed major usage trends among the mainstream demographic audiences on the internet. She was also able to articulate within the presentation the advantages in engaging a user base through the use of social media, as well as how to measure the success of a social media marketing campaign. Measurement of a campaigns success could be reliably measured via conversion metrics such as the ratio of site views versus online transactions, and several others.

In general, I agree with Ms. Purviance's thoughts on social media; they are indeed effective and needed ways to drive interest in an organizations activities in a way that could potentially lead to a better bottom line. There is no doubt in my mind of this. In the 21st century, it is necessary to use social media to not just talk at your audience, but engage them in a genuine and meaningful way. People need to feel like they're a part of something in order to feel more motivated to actually contribute to your bottom line. As odd as it sounds, it's important to make them feel good about themselves as they spend their time and money on you and your brand.

What I find problematic about the use of social media tools is how to articulate the necessity of such things in a public library environment. Budgets are being tightened all the time, and social media, especially outside of the bay area, is perceived as still being a frivolous online activity. How does one go about explaining to government officials who are looking to cut your budget and look good to a cash-strapped public, why it is important to spend time and resources on things like facebook and twitter. It seems like a difficult perception to fight against in this case.

For marketing purposes, as I have stated in other posts, I do indeed feel that libraries would benefit most from facebook and twitter as a way to engage communities, and also extend library services beyond the reference desk. Doing so could prove to be the future and the key to libraries' survival in the years to come.

Marketing Critique Paper

Binh Tran

Marketing Critique – San Jose Public Library

For the survival and success of an organization, marketing is an integral component, regardless of its mission statement. The ability to advertise its existence, promote its agenda, and increase its value in regards to cultural currency can often prove to be key to the organization increasing its access to actual monetary currency as well. This can be achieved as a result of acquiring new sponsors, fund raising supporters, or even simply increased foot traffic as a result of an extensive marketing outreach campaign. In the non-profit world of public libraries, marketing is equally important, as doing so can increase patronage and thus not only achieve organizational goals, but also highlight specific operational needs and provide to city government officials a tangible need for additional funding.

In this sense, the San Jose Public Library system accomplishes this task with varying degrees of effectiveness. Beyond the use of name brand recognition, newspaper, and television, SJPL, based upon initial survey of its efforts, proves to be fairly effective in the use of the internet to promote its existence and agenda. SJPL's staff has clearly made significant progress in its efforts to use a wide variety of social media technologies to market itself as a community learning organization, with an emphasis on patron services and public participation.

In order to reach its patrons and the general populace of the City of San Jose, the San Jose Public Library has embarked on a fairly extensive online marketing campaign utilizing RSS Feeds, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and online video sites such as Blip. The library has devoted the largest amount of time and resources to marketing via Facebook, Twitter, and RSS Feeds. Both facebook and twitter have been used extensively to promote awareness of public events at SJPL's various library branches, as well as bring specific, but related issues to the attention of the SJPL's online followers. A number of these issues range from possible legislation potentially affecting libraries, to information on city hall meeting dates for budget hearings regarding the library. RSS Feeds have been used to not only bring information to patrons regarding any news about the library, but also information on any and all updates to the specific collections that are of interest. These collection specific RSS Feeds make it possible for patrons to stay abreast of the latest additions to the library's children's or non-fiction collections, for example. Virtually all major library functions have regularly updated RSS feeds to inform the public of anything going on at the library.

In addition to the largely informative marketing provided through the aforementioned Facebook, Twitter, and RSS Feeds, the library also engages in producing content for patron consumption as well. This content largely consists of pictures of events through Flickr, videos on Blip, and also podcasts. The production values of these efforts are largely amateur level, but they do possess a certain degree of personal charm, and are effective in highlighting specific activities and events at the library. The downside of this however is the fact that each of these efforts, largely driven by individual branches, feels a bit too personalized. The content reflects more of an individual library's interests than an overall content policy developed by the library system as a whole. It is difficult to note this as necessarily a negative, however. Despite the overly personal tone of each individual work, it is clear that these pieces of content do reflect the specific communities each library branch serves. While it may seem unprofessional and disjointed, it does also significant value in each branch's mission to serve their community.

Overall, the content and efforts produced by the San Jose Public Library System's online marketing campaign is effective in reaching the communities that are already aware of its existence and participate in its activities, but it may be seen in a more negative light to those that do not. The materials are largely aimed at those who are already active patrons, but do little to reach out to those who do not often go to the library, but may have a reason to want to do so. The overall tone of the library system's marketing makes it come off as friendly, but also somewhat idiosyncratic and even a bit cheesy. Due to the wide variety of content, there is a general lack of a strong brand identity, despite its name recognition.

As a general online brand, its identity is very weak as well; few are aware of the the San Jose Public Library System beyond the confines of the city itself. While this may seem outwardly unimportant, this is critical in the grant writing process. No outside organization is going to give money to a group that is largely unknown outside of its own small corner of the world, so to speak. Certainly at this point, the San Jose Public Library System does not get nearly as much online recognition as the New York Metropolitan System, or the Library of Congress. While those may seem unfair to compare to, it certainly does not mean that the SJPL should not at least try to strive for that kind of notoriety.

In order to achieve a stronger brand, greater efforts must first be made to make the San Jose Public Library's online image stronger and much more professional. An extensive overarching policy regarding content, including media formatting, resolution, and watermarks should be created. While all content should be unique from each other, the “window dressing” as it were should have similar traits, much like a company's standardized letterhead for official materials. In addition, it is recommended that the SJPL should hire a professional graphic designer and web master to reconstruct the system's various online pages (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) Proper graphic design adhering to a standardized aesthetic design is important to convey a strong, professional image that inspires confidence in the brand. Choosing a standardized color scheme, mascot, and logo is also very important in the construction of the library's identity, not only online, but offline.

Works Cited

San Jose Public Library Blip.tv Page - http://blip.tv/san-jose-public-library

San Jose Public Library Facebook Page - http://www.facebook.com/sanjoselibrary 

San Jose Public Library's Podcasts - http://sanjoselibrary.libsyn.com/ 

San Jose Public Library RSS Updates Page - http://www.sjpl.org/updates

San Jose Public Library Twitter Page - https://twitter.com/#!/sanjoselibrary

Week 8 Post

What are some of the possible barriers to internal collaboration in organizations? (Tags = blogpostwk8, blogpostwk8n1)

There are several possible barriers to internal collaboration within the structure of an organization. One of the first, is the general structure of an organization. Some organizations can be very fluid, with resources and personnel being moved around easily to meet the needs of a project, but most organizations tend to be more rigid. Organizations tend to be more compartmentalized, however. Resources tend to be limited to control under specific section heads and managers. The result is that attempts at cross-departmental internal collaboration require a lot of scheduling and agreements among managers. Communication is extremely important in this respect, but also somewhat difficult due to the requirements for organization.

Personal issues are also always a major barrier to internal collaboration as well. Though we ideally hope to have our personnel act in the most professional behavior at all times, sometimes reality sets in and it simply isn't possible. Personal issues and professional rivalries can and sometimes do get in the way of work.

Differing skill levels in various talents, most notably in regards to technology is also a major barrier to internal collaboration as well. The use of tools such as twitter, wikis, and sharepoints can prove to be great ways to share information and expertise. However, ut it can also be very challenging if staff members are not all equally capable in the use of technology, as it is the basic platform for most if not all forms of internal collaboration in the present age.