Method 8

I do enjoy the Social Networking aspect of Facebook. I have had a FB account for a year or more at the invitation of my son and daughter-in-law and many of my young relatives who are off to college or building their families and careers in a scattering of cities across the country. It is a great way to keep up daily with those who are far away. When colleagues left the job and moved away FB became a favored way to keep up with several people at once. Many people "friended" on FB play a lot of games; Mafia Wars and Farmville seem popular. It is not for me because it seems too time-consuming but it seems like a fun way to stay connected with others.

I also explored the Group sites provided – North Texas Partners since that is my alma mater; I joined the Librarians and Facebook Group, as well as, explored the Librarians 2.0 Interest Group. The Library of Congress FB provided a good idea of how to keep a notice short and generate interest in an event. Texas Tech does a good job of spotlighting services, hours, and technologies provided by the library system while personalizing with quips about the football team or whatever is seasonal. These are great ways to get new ideas and explore how others use the technology.

Privacy does concern me however, I am not sure what to do about it, since I enjoy the participation experience more than being concerned! I do prefer to keep my personal life separate from professional life.

My community college has several FB groups set up – Alumni – Sports – various campuses. This could be an opportunity for my campus which has 6 libraries at various sites. It does seem like another venue for keeping connected with students and faculty on campus. Although, it seems like stopping someone at random on the campus saying “…did you know…”