Social Media is something we all use, day in and day out. If you have ever used websites like Reddit, Facebook, Twitter or Google+, then you've used social media. Social media is a source that allows everyone - not just the socially adept - to interact and communicate with very little difficulty.
There are several different kinds of social media, and I will discuss just a few.
Social Bookmarking
Social bookmarking involves websites like Reddit, Del.icio.us and Digg. Websites like this allow you sort and save website URLs more efficiently than using a browser. They also make these bookmarks public, so your friends can go and see all your bookmarked sites, hence the social aspect. So instead of actually telling your best friend about the great website, you can just add it to your Del.icio.us account, and they can go and check it out on their own time.
Now, if you're like me, and you're super organized with your bookmarks on your browser, then maybe social bookmarking isn't the thing for you. I can pretty much guarantee that I will never use it for any personal purpose.
That being said, the benefits for something like a business or a library is great. Much like using a wiki, social bookmarks allow your fellow librarians/library technicians to see the websites you recommend with regards to things like cataloguing, multimedia equipment, news, etc. New websites that hold innovative ideas can be added, and very quickly they can be shared, and everyone in your workplace (library) can be on the same page. (No pun intended.) It's SUPER easy.
Social Cataloguing
Social cataloguing is a form of social media that goes beyond just bookmarking. It's like bookmarking for your stuff.
Are you a movie buff? Do you love Lady GaGa and Katy Perry? Well now, instead of just using iTunes, you can catalogue all your CDs, DVDs, BluRays, books, etc onto one website, allowing you to share your list of awesome items with your friends. You won't need to bring it up in conversation at all, because they'll be able to see everything you've catalogued in your account. Websites like LibraryThing allow this kind of socializing.
I myself have a LibraryThing account, but I got annoyed with it for some reason, and I haven't used it in over a month. But all I had to do was type in the title of the book I wanted to add, and it would come up with not only a list of possible matches, but editions to match the title. You can also look up subject, author, etc. You can create lists of books you want to read, or books your recommend.
Websites like LibraryThing are a great thing for libraries because it can get patrons more involved in the library. So the library could have a list dedicated to monthly recommended titles, or one to must-read books of all time, or something like that. It's very simple, and can create great opportunities.
Social Networking
We all know about this one; this is Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and anything in between. I can't think of a single person I know who hasn't at least heard of Facebook or Twitter. Myspace used to be the thing, too, before it was eclipsed by Facebook.
What's great about social networking for libraries is that it allows libraries to connect to patrons - and through them, potential patrons - to make more people aware of what goes on in the library, and involve the community. Again, this is something anyone can do; you don't need a degree in communications to use Facebook. On Twitter, whenever a library posts a Tweet, all of its followers will see that tweet, and get an immediate update about what's going on in the library. It's a great way to keep everyone up to date.
The downside is that, if you're like me and hate advertisements, you may just "like" the library page, and then hide it from your wall, so that you don't see any updates. People - like me - do this because it clutters up your Facebook wall, and then you can make heads or tails of anything. A lot of people will just add the library to say they've used it.
Conclusions
So social media has its ups and downs, but it can always serve some kind of purpose. Some may use it, some may not, but even a dummy can figure it out.
So what do you think about social networking?
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