Twitter and Hash 23

As part of it's grumbling service provision today I can only get to see the most recent tweets for the Hash23 crew, but it's easy to see how Twitter plays well with real-time reporting - conferences, (both virtual and actual), events, that sort of thing. And the limit on characters does focus attention on making the message short and to the point. Good for discussions around a topic too, without flooding your email inbox.

Twitter

I like the site - it's very clearly laid out, and easy to sign on and use. It'll be interesting to see the full extent of a range of applications. Signed up for a selection of librarian tweets.

Linked In

Good for professional networking and able to supply possible useful connections by profession and place. Interesting to see just who is on the College network.

Facebook

Our Facebook site allows a two-way interaction between library staff and readers. We can post real-time information and get a reaction. At the same time we are developing a sense of involvement and community - all vital if we are to gain a better understanding of user needs. The feed from Library Thing gives a colourful display of recent acquisitions, and a look at other libraries using Facebook shows how this could be further refined. I liked Queen's College separate listing of acquisitions by current and old members, for example.

I'm sure there's scope for us to mount future podcasts on our Facebook platform.

YouTube

A strong presence on YouTube from the Saied Business School. Clearly they have realised that in a very competitive market they need to show that they understand the significance of social media. The mix of video clips with links to other aspects of the school helps present a fuller and more immediate picture of the programme offered. And the results speak for themselves, with over 500,000 upload views and 45,000 channel views. Effective marketing.

Podcasts

I'd already had some experience with these courtesy of my iplayer, but hadn't seen the range of material available from the 'cast sites. Good to see that the University has cottoned on to the applicability of the concept, with PodOxford for sixth formers, and was also very interested to learn of 'enhanced' podcasts from the English Faculty. In the college context I think an introductory podcast for induction would work well, with later 'casts covering more specialist topics such as an introduction to the Rare Books room. Podcasts win out on three counts: the majority of our students are used to working with mp3 players, and working with online digital content as part of their culture. Secondly, as with the BBC iplayer, the content can be accessed at a time convenient to the individual, and at a pace that suits them. Finally of course it saves a chunk of staff time if some of the learning about the library and its resources can be passed over to the student.

Del.icio.us networks

Easy to construct, and useful to see what another trusted Delicious user has decided is important enough to bookmark. The only danger of course is that the sites and information content can expand exponentially! I liked the ability to RSS feed from a particular tag on a site