Saturday, February 2, 2013

Thing 6: Online Networks

Thing 6 is all about social networking, which I feel fairly confident about already.  The two main networks they talk about joining are LinkedIn and Facebook, so I've got those covered.  The next ones they cover are for social networks for librarians, such as CILIP, LISNPN, and the LATnetwork. None of the librarian networks really appealed to me too much at this current juncture. I'm loath to join a network that I'm not sure will be very useful to me, and I don't think that ones which discuss mainly events taking place in the UK will. I do believe it's great for getting a sense of what's going on with libraries internationally, but I'm not sure what I hope to accomplish with that right now, so I think I'll leave it be. That said, here are my notes on these networks:

LinkedIn
I was intrigued by the article on how people really use LinkedIn, here.  I think that one of the most important features is the groups. I've joined the professional groups that I belong to--
VLA, ALA, and PLA. But also don't forget about alumni groups which can be good for getting back/keeping in touch with professors that could be useful if you're applying to grad schools, or good contacts for information in your field if you have questions to ask them in the future. Alumni groups can also be good to connect you across the country to people with a similar background as you, and if you're on the job hunt, or making a move somewhere, it's nice to be able to put your feelers out this way to a group of like-minded people.  I've seen a lot of instances where alumni really help out in one another's job search, and it's nice as a young professional or new professional in a field to be able to get the kind of support that these groups can offer.

Facebook
Already have this covered, I think, as I use it nearly everyday in my professional life to post updates on our library's Facebook page. I have a separate account for my work self and for my private self, which is also useful, and lets me keep my spheres somewhat separate.




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