Assignment 1 - OLJ Creation and First Entry

(a) define what social networking is (in your own words);

Social networking involves finding ways to connect and interact with others. It may be for personal, recreational, professional or educational purposes, but whatever the reason social networking allows for easier and greater communication and collaboration between people with similar interests.

With regards to this subject (and library professionals), social networking is about using online tools to find, connect and collaborate with others in the library field (and beyond). It enables the sharing of ideas – in the form of written words, pictures, videos, websites and other media – in an online, interactive community where users are active contributors, rather than passive viewers/consumers of information.

(b) list what social networking technologies and sites you already use (for personal, work and study purposes);

Competent/frequent user of:

Facebook

Youtube (viewer only)

Edmodo (Education SM site)

CSU Forums 

Member of, but not a confident or frequent user of:

Slideshare

Twitter

 

Recently signed up to: (for INF506)

Delicious

Second Life

Flickr

LinkedIn

 

Intend to look into:

Pinterest

QR Codes

 

(c) describe what you expect to learn from completing INF506.

Through studying INF506, I am hoping to expand my current repertoire of Social Media tools. There are so many out there, and I would like to gain the confidence and skills to be able to discern which are going to be the most suitable to meet my needs and those of my colleagues and students.

I’d like to gain a better understanding of how these technologies can be incorporated into a school library setting to not only improve the services of that library, but also to invigorate and inspire its users to become more active in using and contributing to the library, and in collaborating with each other.

I am hoping to gain a better command of and find new potential for the social media technologies that I am currently using. Once I have this confidence and knowledge, I am looking forward to being able to share it with those around me – colleagues, students and their families.