Amy’s Weblog

So, I’m going to be very boring, and I’m just going to answer the questions asked.

• How can social networking be used by MLA to connect members
  • I think it can be used to increase our potential networking. Recently, I decided to attend the Social Networking event in Baltimore.  I went to my Facebook account and remembered that I had met someone at the annual MAC meeting that lived in Baltimore, contacted her, and now I’m going to stay with her during the mini-conference.  I think this is a great way to keep up with the people we meet at conferences and to share idea, application, and even events.
• Should your library have a Facebook or MySpace page?
  • I don’t really think there is a need for it at this point and time.  Before I would take the time to create a Facebook account for the library, I would want to know if it was something the students would use. Also, I would need to find out what sort of applications I or the IT department here would be able to create to add value to a Facebook profile. So far, all the articles I’ve read and discussions I have been in about Facebook or Myspace for health sciences library has said that it is not really something worth pursuing.
• Are there privacy concerns for individuals when using social networking sites.
  • I think there are privacy issues with regards to everything.  People just need to be aware of the issues and then respond to them accordingly. You don’t have to put your whole life story up on the internet. You put up what you want people to know. 
• What did you like or not like about your experience with Facebook or MySpace.
  • I have finally given into using my Facebook account for professional networking as well as private personal communications, and I am pretty happy with it. The applications are silly and frustrating when they don’t work, but overall, I think it’s a great tool, and I look forward to using the event function more in the future. As to Myspace, I still see that as a more fun and free form of keeping in touch with people.  I also like that Myspace has so many more options for customizing the way a page looks and etc.