Category: social media

Libraries, it’s time to quit Twitter. For real.

I never imagined that I would be writing that headline. I have been on Twitter/X since 2007. I have used it not only regularly, but heavily. It has been instrumental for professional connections and communication for me. I’ve maintained accounts not just for myself, but for several other institutions, businesses and organizations. While parts of… Continue reading Libraries, it’s time to quit Twitter. For real.

Your library’s online audience really isn’t everyone

Libraries can provide services to many different populations.  As library staff, we often want to help as many people, in as many different ways, as possible.  While this is admirable, it’s hardly realistic, particularly when resources and time are limited commodities. Your library may have had to make some decisions about where to focus its … Continue reading Your library’s online audience really isn’t everyone

Make your library’s social media posts better in 5 easy steps

For the past couple of months, I’ve had the pleasure of working with a small, selective cohort of library staff from public libraries in Tennessee. Each week, we look at important concepts in social media and content marketing, and then review their assignments, which are based on the previous week’s concepts. It’s been a great… Continue reading Make your library’s social media posts better in 5 easy steps

My relationship with Facebook: “It’s complicated”

It is part of the global Internet infrastructure now. Safiya Noble, a University of Southern California professor and author of Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism I often fantasize about deleting my Facebook account.  I don’t think I’m the only one: between the “timesuck” factor and the constant security breaches, the #DeleteFacebook hashtag has risen… Continue reading My relationship with Facebook: “It’s complicated”

Social media isn’t what it used to be…and it never will be again (Part II)

(Read Part I here) The decline of sharing In his 2015 book The Content Code, Mark W. Schaefer points out that even great content isn’t enough. “But epic content simply earns a seat at the table today. The real power only comes to those who can create content that connects, engages and moves through the… Continue reading Social media isn’t what it used to be…and it never will be again (Part II)

Social media isn’t what it used to be…and it never will be again (Part I)

INTRODUCTION For the past few years, the vast majority of news from the social media realm has been in a positive vein. Popular formats and platforms. Demographic shifts between channels. Social media influencers. And, overarching the more granular changes, the continual rise of social media use. Until now. 2018 has marked the beginning of something… Continue reading Social media isn’t what it used to be…and it never will be again (Part I)

How to set better library social media goals

What are your library’s social media goals? At first glance, the answer to that question might not seem all that difficult.  And, if I ask you (or other library staff) this question, you might come back with answers like these: “Increase program attendance” “Get circ stats up” “Make people aware of the library” Those are… Continue reading How to set better library social media goals

Stop diminishing your library’s brand: unify its voice

I get to present workshops and courses fairly often, especially on social media-related topics (when you write books about a subject, people generally want you to talk about that subject).  One question that has come up repeatedly from attendees is the question of having separate social media accounts for separate physical locations.  Or, sometimes, it’s… Continue reading Stop diminishing your library’s brand: unify its voice

New social media rules for us #olds

A common question from librarians is “Where are the kids online?”  Of course, the answer to this question changes regularly. Teens shift their allegiances to social media channels periodically (remember when all the teens were on Facebook?).  The short answer though, right now, is that they’re pretty much on Instagram and Snapchat. With this latest shift,… Continue reading New social media rules for us #olds

10 facts about social media that might make you think

Because, numbers.  Do any of these numbers change how you think about your library’s social media strategy? Facebook: Facebook’s monthly active user base is expected to surpass 1.43 billion in the first quarter of 2015.  (Source ) Facebook still skews heavily female (Source) Believe it or not, Facebook is still tops for teens (Source) But…Organic Facebook… Continue reading 10 facts about social media that might make you think

5 fast ways to up your library’s Twitter game

I spend a lot of time on Twitter.  Nevertheless, it is a tricky social media tool to get right.  Things move so quickly, and engagement is perhaps more elusive than on some other platforms.  I’m always looking for new tips, so I’m sharing some of my recent finds. Use up (nearly) all the characters.  In SimplyMeasured’s… Continue reading 5 fast ways to up your library’s Twitter game

Tool Tuesday: Tagboard

Last fall, I was tasked with trying to pull in all of the social media stuff tagged with a state convention’s hashtag into one, easy-to-digest display.  My was first thought was along the lines of “Oh, I guess I’ll go dig around in the APIs for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and see what’s possible.” This… Continue reading Tool Tuesday: Tagboard

Asking the wrong question

“Any suggestions on how to get more followers? I’d like to get more for the [insert social media site here] account I created. Thanks!” I see a fair number of this kind of question on library forums and from people who have participated in my social media webinars and courses.  And, every time I see… Continue reading Asking the wrong question

Is Pinterest actually *right* for your library?

Don’t get me wrong:  I love Pinterest.  I have spent countless hours curating interesting content, trying Pinterest recipes and crafts and admiring inspirational posters and the creativity of others.  However, when it comes to libraries using it, I have some very mixed feelings.  As so many libraries have hopped aboard this particular bandwagon, I wanted… Continue reading Is Pinterest actually *right* for your library?

Is Facebook still free?

The answer to that question is, in short:  Sorta.  Kinda.  Maybe. This week, Facebook announced a new feature for Facebook Profiles (individual users–people–not Facebook Pages for brands/organizations).  Users now have the option to “promote” their posts, meaning that more people are likely to see them in their feeds.  The cost of doing so, per post,… Continue reading Is Facebook still free?

5 reasons why your library shouldn’t be cross-posting

I know, it’s convenient to use the exact same, exact content for your library’s Twitter and Facebook accounts.  And, yes, I know social media takes a lot of time! But, if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.  And that means that your library needs to stop cross-posting the exact same content.  Here’s why:  … Continue reading 5 reasons why your library shouldn’t be cross-posting

Here comes the Timeline (don’t run screaming)

Love it or hate it, yet another major Facebook shift is upon us–the advent of the Facebook Timeline format for Pages (it’s already been involved with our personal profiles for some time, as Facebook time goes).  If you haven’t enabled it yourself for your library’s Page, it will shortly be forced upon your library’s Facebook… Continue reading Here comes the Timeline (don’t run screaming)

Pin your hopes on Pinterest?

Every so often, a new social media site starts to make the rounds on the hype circuit.   The latest of these is a new service called Pinterest.  Pinterest is still in beta, and is currently invite-only.  However, despite this, it made Time’s 50 Best Websites of 2011 list. Pinterest is an interesting tool, for… Continue reading Pin your hopes on Pinterest?

Stop checking in

I want to admit this, right up front.  This is more of a rant than my usual, more considered posts. I want you to stop checking into your own library on Foursquare.  Or Gowalla. Or Facebook Places or Google Latitude or whatever location-based app you’ve got.  Just stop it.  You’re missing the point of these… Continue reading Stop checking in

Time to queue up for Quora?

Quora is somewhat new (heck, it barely left beta 6 months ago), but already has gained major traction.  Wikipedia describes Quora as an “online knowledge market.  ”  If you’re familiar with Yahoo! Answers or Ask MetaFilter, those are also examples of such a market, making Quora a direct competitor to these popular services.  So, what… Continue reading Time to queue up for Quora?

Lock those virtual doors

What would happen if your library closed up at night and purposefully left the front door unlocked?  Every night? Eventually, some unscrupulous individual would figure it out.  He/she would have the run of the library at night, and could easily cause damage or property loss at an astounding rate.  The reputation of your library would… Continue reading Lock those virtual doors

Making the most of your social media effort: Part II

(One concern I hear a lot of is “How do we find time for this social media stuff?  We don’t have a full staff anymore and we’re already going nuts trying to do the things we have to do!”  There’s not a single, good answer that fits every library.  But, for those that have prioritized… Continue reading Making the most of your social media effort: Part II

Making the most of your social media effort: Part I

(One concern I hear a lot of is “How do we find time for this social media stuff?  We don’t have a full staff anymore and we’re already going nuts trying to do the things we have to do!”  There’s not a single, good answer that fits every library.  But, for those that have prioritized… Continue reading Making the most of your social media effort: Part I

What’s this TokBox thing?

Last week, I had the opportunity to speak about teens, tweens and social networking at the NEO-RLS Youth   Services Symposium.  One of the newer tools that I mentioned had everyone puzzled–no one had heard of it.  That tool is rising in popularity with teens, and it’s called TokBox. Many of you are probably familiar with… Continue reading What’s this TokBox thing?

Broadcasting with Qik

As more people start using smartphones (e.g., Droids, Blackberries, iPhones, et al), we’re also starting to see a lot more applications that can be downloaded and used on them.  One I’ve been doing a bit of experimenting with is Qik (prounounced like “quick”).    While the tagline for YouTube is “Broadcast Yourself,” I feel that might… Continue reading Broadcasting with Qik

Figuring out Foursquare

Physical locations in combination with the web are starting to hit it big, and is predicted to seriously take off this year.  One example of an application that is rapidly heading that way is Foursquare. From Wikipedia: Foursquare is a location-based social networking website, software for mobile devices, and game. Users “check-in” at venues using… Continue reading Figuring out Foursquare

[GUEST POST] Can you see me now? (Or, how transparent are you?)

Today’s guest post is by Bobbi Galvin, Customer Relations and Support at OPLIN. The Global Language Monitor  has released its list of Top Words 2009.  Coming in at #10 is TRANSPARENCY. Transparency in this instance means putting all you do (at least all of the interesting stuff) out for users to see…then welcoming the comments,… Continue reading [GUEST POST] Can you see me now? (Or, how transparent are you?)

A tale of social media woe

Recently, a frustrated librarian contacted me because she wanted to discuss a situation that had occurred at her library.  After hearing her story, I asked her permission to recount it here (and to keep identifying details confidential). In essence, here is her sad tale: Her library had a MySpace account.  The librarian friended anyone who… Continue reading A tale of social media woe

Building social capital

If your library is on Facebook, Twitter or other social media site, congratulations.  You’ve started down the road to helping your library engage in new forms of communication and public relations.  However, just being there isn’t enough, and it may not help you in the long run.  It’s time to take the next step:  building… Continue reading Building social capital

Social Media in 20 Bite-Sized Pieces

“Winners take imperfect action while others are sitting around perfecting their plans.” –Kevin Nation Be the voice that is remembered, not just heard. Don’t take yourself too seriously.  Be willing to put yourself a bit “out there.” Be human.  Corporate speak is unacceptable. Don’t be schizophrenic.  Either talk from the perspective of your organization or… Continue reading Social Media in 20 Bite-Sized Pieces