CPD23 - Thing 12 - Puttting the social into social media

Over the past few weeks, with the riots in the UK, we've seen many of the downsides of social media as Twitter and other social networking sites were used by people keen to instigate looting and violence. In light of this, social media is being analysed by the popular press and the public closely and the questions raised by Thing 12 are very topical.

However, we should remember that the whole concept of social media is not new. The US writer and critic, Howard Rheingold was one of the first people to coin the term 'virtual community' back in 1993 in the early days of the web before general public use.

The benefits of social media in building up networks

Looking at social media from the context of professional point of view there are undoubtedly some advantages from a professional development context by providing:

- opportunity and space for 'reflective practice' via blogs - being prepared to be naked and stand above a parapet to share our opinions. (As discussed in CPD23 - Thing 5)

- saving on formal training costs for instance by providing access to online presentations via Slideshare, instructional films or 'webinars' on Youtube or Howstuffworks or via podcasts such as the TED website or even enabling you to watch a 'live streaming' of a conference.

Many more benefits are highlighted in Debby Raven's article on social media called "Opportunities not to be missed" published in CILIP Update, July 2011 (pages 43 to 45). The article emphasises that using social media professionally can help

• share ideas and develop communiations
• as reference source particularly for up to the minute ideas
• source of engagement eg with policy officials who might otherwise be remote

I'd definitely recommend reading this article if you haven't yet as food for thought to justify to managers why using Twitter and blogging is far from a waste of time!

(And HOT OFF THE PRESS published on 22 August 2011 - a new three page article written by Phil Bradley looking at the social media resources you should use as a librarian. He also covers how we should social media differently and why it is vital we participate in as many networks as possible and become filter authorities, since this is how we will be better able to influence. Its also in social media where the future of search technologies is moving towards)

My own experiences of a truly SOCIAL online networking space

Until now (before CPD23 Things), I've been a very shy blogger and am only just getting comfortable with using it in a reflective context. Personally blogging makes me concentrate on conveying carefully what I think and want to say (unfortunately not always well expressed). Overall it helps me open my thoughts and see connection points and I hope to stick with it!
To be honest, I've  also not really taken the opportunity to follow conferences or discussions online via Twitter or other web-streaming sites though I'm aware that this is becoming a way of engaging with a wider professional community online. In fact, when I was involved in organising the Network for Government and Information Professionals (NGLIS) conference in April 2011, we promoted a Twitter hashtag (#opengov2011) to enable attendees to blog about the event which was referenced in CILIP Update and in the information professional blogosphere. This enabled any one not able to attend to get a sense of the main learning points and created a bit of a buzz.

From my limited experience, if used wisely, using Twitter to tap into a conference can be beneficial in changing the event dynamics by allowing attendees and others to get more involved (such as by being able to tweet speakers and ask questions).

If you want to know more I'd recommend checking out Bryony Taylor's blog which provides a great list of 10 reasons why Twitter is great for conferences. She's also posted a summary of the 5 ways I use social media for professional development which provides food for thought.

Being involved with CPD23 Things has encouraged me to start to follow other bloggers and to post comments where I wouldn't have previously. As a result, I've come across people working in areas that I wouldn't normally come into contact with through work. I've picked up a few new followers on my Twitter feed and likewise am following new people and new ideas. So some benefits it seems personally.

Some disadvantages

I am dubious about social media being a unique answer to professional prayers. In reality social media actually oils the wheels for people to connect up in real life and offline. Correct me if I'm wrong but I get the impression that the higher you progress careerwise, the less social networking skills are valued and the more that face to face contact and interactions count. I guess this depends on sector and profession but until the web 2.0 generation start getting into senior management, I suspect that there is still a large cultural change to be made in encouraging people to build a sense of community online.

Another big downside of social media is that it a fast ephemeral medium. When posting, you have to be thoughtful about tone, language, credibility and sense of authority. When participating in online communities, you need to be wary of privacy controls and have some measure of determining who you are communicating with online.
Does social media really foster a sense of community?

To answer this question fully we have to look at what 'community' means. Community is defined as a group of likeminded individuals such as a village, members of sport team, your workplace or school, a group of friends with whom you share a hobby or other interest. People (on and offline) tend come together if they have one or more of the following:

• shared interests
• shared problems
• shared values
• shared information

All in all communities need a  shared sense of purpose and passion. Online social media groups can of course have all these characteristics (examples that spring to mind include Mumsnet, TripAdvisor).

I don't think that social media communities necessarily need to meet up offline in person to succeed, although this really depends upon the original motivation for the group. Sometimes the best connections are regardless of time and geography with people you might never meet. It depends on trust which is lacking everywhere sometimes.

New social media can spring up all the time, but to really succeed and prosper, all communities (on and offline) need to have a shared sense of momentum or leadership. This might be created in a number of ways, such as by generating debate and consistently ensuring that for instance blog posts are repied to. Alternatively, there might be the opportunity for meeting offline at events. There needs to be a 'buzz' created by giving the impression that there is lots of interest to participate. (Hence Google+ approach of being an invitation only community currently as it builds up interest and mystique before being opened up to the wider public). But somebody somewhere needs to invest time in creating the space to make the community work eg by building webpages, posting comments, providing feedback.

Basically, just as you don't go generally go to a party or a pub on your own, I don't think people join online communities if they have no interests - the what's in it for me question!?

When you join a community, you are investing part of yourself and your time so you also need to be mindful of joining something that has value for you. I think there is a higher risk for social media sites to be ephemeral and a waste of time because there is either no momentum and not enough critical debate or shared communication or lack of relevant information.

Ultimately, whether social media fosters a community sense is both yes and no - and depends on lots of factors and answers to our own personal questions - does the group meet our needs? does it look interesting? is it worthwhile?

Hyper-reality

Social media - we have to remember is the modern day technological re-working of what people have been doing for centuries ie communicating, forming networks and communities of likeminded individuals except that now it is a hyper-reality - where there is more of everything eg more news, information, scandal, comment, opinion and everything is speeded up.

Since I am now touching on the world of philosophical debate (and the concept's of Jean Baudrillard, 'the French philosopher who spoke about hyperreality as 'more real than real') it might be a great time to finish before getting too deep....

CPD23 - Thing 6 - Online Networks

There is a lot of personal reaction to online social networks and rightly so. Given that social networking sites have become such a big part of our lives in a relatively short space of time, we should step back and think as users and information professionals about how we use them, how we post, the messages we convey and what that says about us, and also about who and how our data is being used.

On the whole, I am inclined to have a healthy engagement coupled with some scepticism about online social networks. Here's a quick summary of my experience of some specific tools:

Facebook

I already use Facebook and have done so for over 3 years. I find it very useful to keep in touch with old friends and family and share news and photos.

Increasingly I also use the 'Like' and Groups functions to keep in touch with charities and other community or interest groups that I choose to receive news about such as The Kennel Club, RSPCA, Handpicked London, BBC Breakfast as well as a few work related feeds from the likes of the FCO and others. I think the development of Facebook for organisations and groups to use makes it a very powerful tool and for this reason alone I am not currently convinced by the need for another tool like Google+ since it seems like a 'me-too' application. I am careful about monitoring my privacy settings and also ultimately about the pictures and posts that I put up. People can be very quick to take things out of context sometimes and it is interesting to know who responds.

LinkedIn

Again, I've been a member for a while but in different ways. I'd agree with LinkedIn's founder, Reid Hoffman who describes 'Facebook as the backyard BBQ; LinkedIn is the office'. Initially I found LinkedIn less user friendly to use, but over the past few months I've been using it more, particularly again by subscribing to particular interest groups. I subscribe to a wide range of professional groups such as Sue Hill Recruitment, Export Control Professionals Europe, UKTI, LIKE, KIM Professionals and much more. One of the powerful aspects of LinkedIn is the ability to request recommendations from colleagues and other contacts.

As part of assessing my experiences of using the site for Thing 6, I asked a few of my LinkedIn contacts for recommendations - and many thanks to those who have contributed - all your comments are very much appreciated. I think recommendations are probably one of the most powerful aspects of LinkedIn. If you aren't yet convinced by it, I'd encourage you to think about doing so, since it is increasingly used by recruitment professionals and employers (and is an aspect of how we present ourselves).

I wouldn't say I've cracked using LinkedIn totally though since I need to find a happy medium about checking updates from groups (especially when you are subscribed to so many). I don't like being inundated all the time with emails about new postings especially if they are not always relevant to my day to day work. Secondly I also feel that my profile lacks a pithy summary of my skills (who knows maybe it will help me get a new job) and I intend to look at ways to enhance my profile.

Other online networks

I don't use either LISNPN, the network for new professionals in the library and information sector or Librarians as Teachers network - basically because I don't really fit into either category of information professional since I've been qualified for over 10 years and work in government.

CILIP Communities is also not high on my radar - I don't make a habit of checking it daily although I do appreciate the weekly updates from CILIP which includes a summary of latest news from the CILIP Communities blogs.

I am however signed up a few government online networks including Civil Pages, which is a private social media network for civil servants. Likewise, I am signed up to the Communities of Practice for public service which is the hosting forum for a number of online groups in connection with my day to day work such as the Dotgov workspace for those inolved in webpublishing on the Businesslink, Directgov and NHS Direct websites and other government groups such as a consultations forum.

Room for new online networks?

Despite my scepticism of Google+, who am I to predict the future?

For what's its worth, I do think it is interesting to remember social networks like Friends Reunited which were really popular a few years back but which have lost their way slightly with the rise of new upstarts. (ps does anyone really still use Friends Reunited? Answers on a postcard please...!) I am sure that as long as there is money to be made from online social networks, as long as people feel disenchanted with existing tools and companies (eg Facebooks use of our data) and as long as somebody comes up with new software or a a new business plan, there will be an ongoing stream of new social media tools.

Some basic questions I have about social media are:

• how do you keep people constantly interested in new aspects of an online network?
• how do you keep realtionships personal if you have more and more followers and friends?
• how do you bring on board those who express no interest in digital networks?
• how do we keep productive with the allure of online networks to distract and occupy our minds?
• how will it continue to develop via mobile applications?
• how will it continue to map onto existing connections in the real world?

I think it will be interesting to keep informed about the ongoing debate and also to look back at previous viewpoints. For instance, keeping tabs on other bloggers thoughts about the future media in 2011. If you want to know some good places to keep tabs on current trends, I'd recommend keeping an eye on discussions on the TED network or taking note of the Social Media Today online community. For those who are interested in what we used to say a few years back about social media take a look at a Guardian panel  discussion which took place in 2009 and caught my eye - called 'After social networks, what next?'


Two final thoughts

Charles Darwin once said "It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change".

Finally I came across this cartoon (taken from Where's My Jetpack - via theduffyagency) in which, Future Man  explains social media and also provides some food for thought for the future: