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MySpace is YourSpace: Virtual Social Networks & Library
Outreach
Marlo Young, MLSTiffini Travis, MLS
Kate Peterson, MLS
California Academic & Research LibrariesAnnual Conference 4/22/06
• Discuss social computing & networking trends among Net Gen college students
• Provide examples of e-outreach that facilitate library communication, awareness, & personalization through social networking and computing tools
Virtual Social Networks
• Refers to a category of software applications that help connect friends, business partners, or other individuals together using a variety of online tools
• Comprised of various social familiarities ranging from casual acquaintance to close relationships
EDUCAUSE Horizon Report 2006
• Social Computing
The application of computer technology to facilitate interaction & collaboration, a practice known as social computing, is happening all around us.
EDUCAUSE Horizon Report 2006
• Social Computing
The promise has been—and continues to be—more effective knowledge generation, knowledge sharing, collaboration, learning, and collective decision-making.
The promise is beginning to be realized in the areas of distributed learning, research, and campus work settings.
EDUCAUSE Horizon Report 2006
• Social Computing
The emphasis is on the social part of social computing: what makes this phenomenon interesting and long-lasting is the way it facilitates an almost spontaneous development of communities of people who share similar interests.
Social Networking & Computing Examples
• MySpace, Facebook, Friendster• Other online communities, ex. Second Life, dating
• Blogs, video blogging• IM, SMS, TXTng • Wikis • Discussion boards• Video and photo sharing
tools/services• Social book-marking apps,
folksonomies• Podcasting
Web 2.0 = new tools, content creation, personal broadcasting
Daily Show Trend SpottingSocial Networking
Social NetworksResearch & Theory
• Suggests that the social network of an individual is their primary resource
• Strength of Weak Ties-“Open” networks, with many weak ties & social connections, are more likely to introduce new ideas and opportunities to their members
-Weakly tied-together members tend to communicate less frequently, be more different than similar, and provide both more new information into the network and more access to other social networks
Strength of Internet Ties
• People use the Internet to seek out others in their networks of contacts when they need help
• The connectedness that the Internet and other media foster within social networks has real payoffs
Pew Internet & Am Life Project
Virtual Social Networks& Library Outreach
MySpace & Facebook
Alexa.com
Social Networking SitesUsage Data
MySpace & Facebook
• Social networking spaces that integrate bulletins, message boards, blogs, email, images, video, pix and music
• MySpace open to anyone
• Facebook open to college students and alumni only
Virtual Communities, Socialization, Personal Expression
Outreach vis-à-vis MySpace & Facebook
• Profiles– Individual user profiles which allows you to “add
friends”
• Groups– Groups can be started by anyone and for any
purpose- most universities have groups
• Bulletins, Event Announcements– Can be posted as a user or in a group
Many ways to promote your presence to students: in-person & virtually!
MySpace• Largest online social networking portal on the
web: 69 million users
• Ranked in Top 10 websites globally
• Primary age demographic is 16-34
• Contains 50,000 subgroups, including colleges & college-specific subgroups
Facebook• Created in 2004 by a student at Harvard
• Cross between a blog and a yearbook
• 12.4 million users: 2/3 of U.S. college students have an account
• Facebook claims that almost every U.S. college/university has a presence in the site
Student Support Service Reaching Out via Facebook Student using