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.

Blog Week 7

What are some of the weaknesses of tagging for making content more findable? (Tags = blogpostwk7, blogpostwk7n4)


The major weakness behind tagging content for findability is the fact that it is an ad-hoc action; unstructured and off the cuff. Categorization in the traditional sense was created to produce a logical, ordered, and consistent system of organizing and also finding data. Granted, anyone who's studied the history of librarianship knows that cataloging was not originally intended to be used for such things, but it's had hundreds of years to become that, so we'll ignore that part. Ultimately, cataloging is an effective, but somewhat slow means of organizing and retrieving data.

Tagging is fast and easy, but there's not as much thought put behind the work. It's a case of throwing it out there, and then letting the search engine do the rest of the work. That's fine and good in most cases, but when you're trying to build a consistent, professional database for storing materials, this just doesn't work. The more technical issues of aboutness become major issues; especially when you start splitting hairs over the intended meanings behind particular words. Sometimes those aren't universal, and you come up with a big mess in terms of organization.

That's not to say that tagging is bad, but it's important to consider what it's being used for. When tagging is used for personal photos among friends, blog posts (like this one), etc; then it's just fine. Your friends generally know what you mean when you mark something with a tag and they just go with it. But, when you're creating a database collection for a much larger group of people to use, you have to stop assuming everyone knows what you're talking about. Often in my opinion, tagging becomes overloaded with terms to represent its content when all it does is just create more confusion. Want a real life example? Website metatags during the early days of the browser wars between Netscape and Microsoft. Websites become overloaded with tags that often had nothing to do with the content of the page, and there was no rhyme or reason to it all. The result? No one could  find anything. You think search engines are bad now? Be glad you never had to use Hotbot or Alta Vista back in 1995.

Week 6 Post - My Space and Facebook

Do you think libraries should be building presence and providing services in MySpace and/or Facebook? Why or why not? (Tags = blogpostwk6, blogpostwk6n1)

In a short answer, yes. Most librarians and educators may not like it, but the fact of the matter is that the face to face point of interaction is dying with the physical book. People don't interact like that anymore when they're looking for something. They'd rather find the information online. People will always ask questions, and they will always look to someone or something for help, and google or any other search engine will never be good enough to answer all of those questions. That's why libraries need to build themselves online through websites, facebook, twitter, and myspace, or whatever other social media site is out there. That's how libraries will start to find ways to provide services. The medium of communication is changing and libraries need to change with it, or risk becoming obsolete. There is no point to having a library and the world's most extensive and reliable databases and archive systems if we can't get that information into the hands of those who need it.

Worse still, there are already online interactive reference services out there, but those are PAID services. The last thing the people need is to find that they have to PAY for the kind of services they used to get for free. This will serve to marginalize people who don't have the money even more than ever before. Our job as librarians is to defend and uphold the people's right to know; that has always been our mission. The internet and social media in particular is the new battlefield for our struggle, and if we lose, in the end, the people lose.

Week 5 Post - RSS

How can librarians get their patrons to use RSS and/or understand the benefits of it? (Tags = blogpostwk5,blogpostwk5n3)

One way is to start offering short classes in the use of internet appliances such as tablets, and use that as a platform for teaching patrons about RSS. Some libraries are starting to provide tablets that can be checked out at the desk for use in reading newspapers and periodicals. If personal account logins on the tablets could be set up, it might make it possible for patrons to set up personal RSS feeds to recover the information they're specifically interested in following, right on the tablets themselves. By doing this, you can highlight the benefits of a much more dynamic, simple, and efficient way of finding the news articles and points of interest that they are most concerned with. Once patrons recognize the benefits of this, it becomes easier for them to adopt RSS feeds as a means of following news.

Another way, and also one that will no only save money, but also time, would be to phase out physical periodicals whenever possible and get an institutional digital subscription to replace them. Patrons may complain at first, but once they realize there's little choice, they generally make the transition.

What's the use of twitter?

 How can you envision using Twitter in a library or other information organization? (Tags = blogpostwk4, blogpostwk4n2)

Twitter can be used as an excellent way to interact with patrons in terms of information queries. If a patron was to look for resources regarding a given subject, twitter can be highly effective in allowing a librarian to respond to the patron's question and provide possible resource titles, citations, and links. By doing this, a library can quickly and effectively meet patron reference needs in a way that is extremely convenient to modern day students, especially. Also, as twitter presents its information (posts) in a linear fashion, it makes it very easy to meet patron requests at a reasonably relaxed pace. In a time where resources are limited, twitter can prove to be a very useful tool for public and also academic librarians.

As is common among most organizations, twitter can also be used as a very effective way to promote events being held at public library institutions as well. Letting people know about what is going on and when, as well as leveraging the "retweet" function by having followers retweet the announcement posts in order to spread word of mouth can be extremely useful in ensuring a good turn out at events; something that can often prove key to justifying funding for the next fiscal year.

Addressing potentially controversial issues such as changes to circulation policies can also be a very useful function of twitter. In cases where libraries, in response to funding cuts, must cut back service hours, twitter can prove to be an excellent forum to discuss the hows and whys of the situation with the public. This can enable a constructive dialog regarding the issue with out the potentially heated tensions can can arise from face to face conversations. (Believe me, I would've loved to have had this back when I worked at the library!)

Twitter can also prove to be a great way to solicit suggestions for library programming and events. It does not simply have to be a solely self-directed activity driven by library staff; engaging the public by allowing them to constructively make suggestions and have their say is also important. People living in a web 2.0 society are used to not only receiving information, but also engaging it, and creating their own. If patrons feel they can make meaningful interactions and contributions to the library, then it makes the library all the more valuable to them. It's important to consider that especially in this case, librarians and staff must be careful of walking the fine line between being receptive to suggestions, and at the same time, avoiding the problem of over promising on every single idea that sounds halfway decent. While it is the patrons' library, in the end, the staff are the ones that have to run it, and implement any ideas or changes that may occur.

Exercise 2 - Blogs

1. What do you see as the differences between the five blogs I asked you to subscribe to in terms of the type of blog and the type of post (genre, length, etc.)

In the library with the lead pipe
Semi-Academic format and writing style, but its subject matter and content tend towards more a non-
traditional, progressive thinking approach to library management and operations. Attitudes generally
skew towards a younger generation of librarians: Gen-X and Gen-Y.

Librarian's Commute
Personal librarian's blog regarding their issues and concerns with the various idiosyncracies that
occur in the line of duty. Generally a sounding board for the blog's sole writer's thoughs and
concerns. Much of this sounds akin to someone simply blowing off steam regarding their personal
issues and concerns over work. A very personal blog in that respect.

The Distant Librarian
Tech services oriented blog geared primarily towards providing information on potential resources for
online tools, as well as commentary on tech trends in the field of librarianship. The blog takes on a
largly informative tone in its writing style.

Librarian by Day
Industry management oriented blog geared towards higher level library staff, likely library
directors. Emerging internet technologies and their implications on librarianship are addressed, but
they are portrayed as opportunities rather than threats, as many traditional librarians would see
them.

David Lee King
Similar to the Distant Librarian blog, both focus on technology, but King's blog places especial
focus on user experiences in regards to the library tech experience. In addition, the blog focusses
on how to engage patrons through the use of social media technologies. Like many other librarian
blogs, the implications of new and growing technologies on librarianship are also addressed.


2. What types of posts do you find most appealing to read and why?
Generally, I find posts on listing specific technologies and software interesting, as they introduce
me to potential tools that would prove useful to me, but I otherwise would never know about. This is
especially handy as to me, it is a modern day extension of librarianship. Finding pertinent, useful
resources for users in all forms, is the essence of library service.


3. What library blogs did you subscribe to? Please include a 1 to 3 sentence description of each one.
Gizmodo
This is a science and technology blog with a slant towards emerging consumer electronics and other
such products. Much of the content discusses editors' thoughts and interests in new technologies and
their potential uses, as well as simple speculation on rumored products and features.

Tame the Web
This is a blog run by Michael Stephens, an MLIS instructor at SJSU. The blog is aimed at discussing
ways to make libraries relevant as a community institution and not an information repository as it
has been for centuries prior to the advent of the internet. The focus of this blog is on promoting
this community service model as a way of enabling libraries to survive in the future.

ReadWriteWeb
ReadWriteWeb is a technology analyst blog that discusses the latest news affecting internet
technology. This can include internet political legislation, corporate user policies, online service
models, etc.

4. Based on the blogs you chose, what are some of the characteristics that you think make a library blog successful?
A unique voice that stands out from the typical AP newspaper style of writing, one that is more
conversational is one of the first keys. Engaging, relevant content that can clearly articulate why
it is important to the blog's readers is also important, and will keep them coming back for more. But
most of all, the blog must contain resources that lead to useful tools for the library blog's
readers. The blog's writers must keep up with the latest technologies and show what is out there and
immediately relevant and useful to the readers. By doing this, the blog provides value to the readers
and gives them a reason to come back to the blog and treat it as a valued daily resource.

Oh Brave New World and What Tweets in it...

Week 3 Post
What do you think of Twitter? What are some of the positives and negatives of the medium? 

Twitter is one of those "newfangled" internet mediums that I look upon with an equal mix of curiosity and also leeriness. Certainly, it is a very effective medium for communication to get a message out quickly and effectively. It's very similar to a facebook status page in that sense, but even more efficient. You can simply put out the message you want regarding an event (either personal or professional) and everyone following you will know instantly. In a sense, it's a highly efficient alternative to texting everyone at once. In a professional capacity, twitter is very useful for putting word out about events and interacting with a fanbase in an off the cuff fashion, without the need to put much time and energy as one would a blog or a facebook page.

The downside of twitter however is the character limit. At 150 or so characters, tweets are meant to be quick and to the point, and often in internet shorthand. For longer, more detailed comments, that would be where blogs or websites come into play. In that sense, twitter works best as a compliment to a website or blog; not necessarily a replacement for one.

Blog Post - Week 2

What should an organization do when they find negative things being written about them online?

Ultimately an organization should assess the nature and source of the negative comments written online. If they are on a random person's blog or forum, then it should be ignored as just a minor issue, not important enough to deal with. If the negative post is on the organization's own forum/facebook/twitter, or is by a major public figure, then steps should be taken to respond to the criticism quickly and professionally. If the statements are true, apologize for them and assure them that steps are being taken to fix the issue. Concrete details of what is being done is also important. However, if the statements are false, then diplomatically explain exactly what is in fact going on to prevent the truth from being misrepresented.

Exercise 1 - World Wrestling Entertainment

World Wrestling Entertainment and the Internet

Background Context

The advent of communications technologies such as the internet and social media have placed the consumer in an unusual position. Prior to the advent of digital self-publishing, the vast majority of information a person gained about a given company was largely limited to what was readily available through newspapers, radio, and television. All of these mediums were largely a receiving medium, ie; one where the user receives information, but has little direct impact on it in regards to issues of presentation or fact. Everything that was known was in this way limited, and also tightly controlled. Simply put, a person learned as much about a given company as the company wanted them to know. Insider information was often strictly controlled, and even when insiders wanted to speak, there were very few avenues for them to do so.

The advent of the internet and social media changed this. Now, in many ways, an interested person can often gain almost as much, if not more information on a given organization or industry than those actually in the industry ever thought possible. Startlingly, sometimes even more than the actual organization itself. This can often lead to a PR nightmare for the organizations involved. The struggle by organizations, particularly for-profit organizations to maintain control over the flow of information is extremely difficult. To communicate with one's customers is to reveal information, and in doing so, making the customer more informed than perhaps the company would like. Finding the optimal balance between the two is critical. 

In the case of an organization like the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), it can easily serve to help or harm the company. While it is true that Professional Wrestling, or Sports Entertainment, as some have called it, is indeed scripted (not fake; NEVER call it fake in the presence of a professional wrestler; very painful and dangerous consequences can and have occurred over the years as a result), the key to this field is maintaining the illusion of reality, otherwise known as "kayfabe". Clearly, if a person wanted to see people beat each other up, and then it is discovered that the contest is scripted, then the tension surrounding the competition is moot; hence the need for the maintenance of the illusion. 

The unusual situation of the WWE, arguably the only remaining successful professional wrestling company in the world, is that it knows it must maintain kayfabe to keep credibility and keep their fanbase engaged. At the same time, they must, like any organization, constantly seek to expand product awareness to increase the number of customers for their product. Appealing only to a hardcore audience is ultimately a detrimental act guaranteeing only diminishing turns on one's bottom line. In our contemporary age, the WWE, like any other company, is forced to utilize social media to reach out to new potential fans. The risk for them, however, is the possibility of revealing too much information, and thus breaking the carefully maintained illusion of reality. 

The dynamics of maintaining kayfabe are made much more difficult with the fact that the internet is a two way medium; often with the audience speaking more than the business itself. In regards to the WWE, for every online posting through twitter and facebook made by the company and its talent, easily hundreds more comments and articles are posted by the company's fans. Specifically, hardcore wrestling enthusiasts who have extensive information about the inner workings of the industry known as Smarks (Smart Mark).  In some cases, the smarks have contact with, or perhaps even are, actual insiders in the industry itself. 

Exercise Answers

1. What are people saying about this organization online? What tools are they using to talk about the organization?

The vast majority of people discussing the WWE online are what the industry considers smarks. Most of these smarks discuss matches, and insider information on the inner works and internal politics of the WWE. Discussions over the past ten years have largely been commentary on what is perceived as a general decline of the industry and the overall quality of the WWE's product. The vast majority of these discussions take place in internet wrestling forums, and even on old usenet boards or irc chatrooms. Relatively little in the way of social media in terms of facebook or twitter is used. 

2. Is the organization responding to these people through social media? If so, how effective do you think they are?

The WWE generally attempts to reach out the the general populace as a form of pop culture entertainment and does virtually everything in its power to ignore the smarks, also known as the Internet Wrestling Community (IWC). Often the WWE has an adversarial relationship with the IWC as their views tend to differ very strongly regarding the direction the company is going. In this sense, the effectiveness of the WWE in its social media efforts can be regarded as either poor or mixed.

3. What social media tools is the organization using to proactively communicate with their user base (rather than just responding)? How effective do you think they are in building relationships and engaging their customers online?

The WWE's usage of social media is almost exclusively limited to its use of twitter. Supplemental materials are provided through internet videos on its own websites. The talent more often than not uses twitter to further the image of rivalries in its storylines and maintain kayfabe. As noted in #2, the WWE tends to be very weak at engaging its fanbase online and can even have a somewhat hostile relationship with it, feeling that the online communities are not worth the effort. The general population, in a bid for mainstream recognition is more often made aware of the WWE through merchandising and crossover promotion with celebrities than actual social media.

Welcome to the lab!

Hi everyone, and welcome to the lab. This blog will be used for the purposes of assignments for LIBR - 246 assignments, and will contain my comments and reflections regarding assignments. It's looking a little sparse right now, but over the course of the semester, I'm hoping that will change. Take care, and have a good semester!