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MySpace and other Social Software Technology for Outreach and Education

Marlo Young, MLS, Univ. of CA San Diego Tiffini Travis, MLS, CSU-Long Beach Kate Peterson, MLS, St. Cloud State Univ. MN LOEX of the West 6/8/06

Accompanying Handout: http://gort.ucsd.edu/myoung/LOEX06handout.pdf

Presentation Overview Learning Outcomes

• Define social software technology and social computing • Understand social computing trends within higher ed. and among college students • Learn how to apply social software technologies to create new learning opportunities and access to the library

EDUCAUSE Horizon Report 2006

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Key Trend: Dynamic Knowledge Creation and Social Computing Tools and Processes

-No longer in their infancy -Tools easier to use & more widespread -Practice of online communication and collaboration has increased as tools matured -Facilitate digital P2P exchanges, communities of interest & learning, collaboration

EDUCAUSE Horizon Report 2006

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Social Computing

The application of computer technology to facilitate interaction, collaboration and/or working in groups.

*Students naturally co-exist in virtual and physical worlds. Social Computing is a construct for educators & researchers

Social Software & Computing Examples

• MySpace, Facebook, Friendster • Other online communities, ex. Second Life, dating • Blogs, video blogging • IM, SMS, TXTng • Wikis • Discussion boards • Video and photo sharing tools/services • Social book-marking apps, folksonomies • RSS • Mash ups • iTunes & iTunes U

Web 2.0 = new tools, collaboration, personal expression

User Participation, Content Generation, Virtual Communities on the Rise

EDUCAUSE Horizon Report 2006

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Social Computing

The promise has been —and continues to be —more effective knowledge generation, knowledge sharing, collaboration, learning, and collective decision-making.

The promise is beginning to be realized in the areas of distributed learning, research, and campus work settings.

Social Search Technology

• Forthcoming search engines will combine (virtual) community, personalization, and social networking models… • Will allow users to direct questions to a specific universe, such as a group of friends, rather than to get automated lists of results from a generic search engine. • User participation, content generation, collective decision making, community

Utilizing Virtual Social Networks and Communities to Reach and Teach

MySpace, Facebook, and an Undergraduate Digital Community

Virtual Social Networks & Online Communities

• Social spaces that typically integrate multimedia tools • Facilitate communication, info-sharing, connectivity, community, social networking • MySpace open to anyone • Facebook open to college students and alumni only

Daily Show Trend Spotting: Social Networking

click link or image to play

MySpace & Facebook for Outreach and Learning

• Profiles – Individual user profiles: can establish for a library and/or individual librarians • Groups – Can be started by anyone and for any purpose: pre existing college-specific groups and subgroups • Bulletins & Event Announcements – Can be posted to friends or to an entire group in your profile’s network

What Are You Trying to Achieve? How will this service be integrated & promoted?

○Different ways to utilize and adopt these tools ○ General Library Portal vs. Individual Librarian Profiles

MySpace Profile as a Library Portal Links can be imbedded in MySpace Profiles directly to your services Individualized URL ideal for Calendars can be Marketing added to your profile

Individual Librarian Profile

Social Sharing/Learning College Group Posted Topic

Student lost a library book and can’t finish his paper!

Teachable Moment

Facebook

• Created in 2004 by a student at Harvard • Cross between a blog and a yearbook • 12.4 million users: 2/3 of U.S. college students have an account • Facebook claims that almost every U.S. college/university has a presence in the site • Experimenting with business networking space for employers & employees

Individual Librarian Profile Facebook does not have portal capabilities as in MySpace; However great for targeted communications, promotions, networking

Student Support Service Using Invite Feature Student Using Facebook Flyer Feature

Virtual Learning Community for Undergrads

• UCSD’s Sixth College • Contemporary liberal arts curriculum infused with digital literacies • “Digital Learning Ecology” community website • “Study Break” discussion forum and news topic to virtually promote the libraries, personal contact, and IL within the site

Study Break News Item to Promote Library Events

Study Break Forum Index 10 month pilot project averaged 1,000 views/month

Google Print & Copyright Issues Student Commentary

Library Classification vs. Folksonomies Discussion

Student Comments on Coursework Applicability

What Makes Virtual Networks & Communities of Value for Libraries?

• Personalizing & promoting libraries, librarians • Facilitate & extend opportunities to communicate, collaborate, and learn in virtual spaces that students utilize for play and school • Interactions and communication allow many users to read questions, answers, as well as contribute and offer their own advice

Blogs and Wikis

Outreach, Learning, & Connections

Blogs for Educational Purposes

• Colleges, Universities, & Libraries are hosting blogging services • Limitless applications – From individual journaling online to entire class blogs to learning community – Improve literacy and technology skills – Improve critical thinking skills – Can also be applied to library outreach & comm.

Stand-Alone Application to Supplement Instruction

Blog to “Announcements” in Course Management Systems

example of ‘mash up’ computing application

Wikis

• Type of website that allows users to add, edit, remove content very easily & quickly • Referred to as ultimate collaborative tool • Many different settings for software, from totally open to more restrictive • Free software hosted on third party server vs. purchased software hosted on campus server

Wikis within Libraries

• Number of uses: -Student group project possibilities – FAQ page—updated by librarians and students – Book, database, (etc.) reviews by students, faculty, librarians...Amazon-like – Events communication, book discussions, etc.

– Dynamic internal documents content management system

…limitless applications

Collaborative page about teaching with wikis

Wiki to create FAQs for college blog service

Instant Messaging Services

• 85% of 15-25 yr olds have at least 1 IM account • Most IM clients have voice, video, co-browsing • Trillian lets you send and receive messages to all major IM platforms • MEEBO, a web-based client, works from any computer • Individual Librarian vs. Library Service

Text Messaging Services

• A.K.A. SMS-Short Messaging Service for cell phones • Can TXT w/friends, receive alerts • Can search the web and have an answer sent to cell phone ex. business, residential listings, directions, facts, etc.! • Altarama’s SMS service made for libraries

Student Survey Results

CSU Long Beach –CA St. Cloud Univ. –MN 29 undergrads polled 92% use MySpace 24% use Facebook 24% use other sites 38% have blogs 76% read blogs 20 % have webpage 30 undergrads polled 12% use MySpace 85% use Facebook 3% use other sites 2% have blogs 23% read blogs 21% have webpage 100% instant message 68% instant message

Issues to consider…

• Match objectives to technologies • Student preferences, access • Workflow, staffing & maintenance • Cost • Spamming/security • Assessment (formative / summative)

Conclusion

• Social Computing Tools provide librarians with a lot of opportunity • Extend the library’s reach, communication • Create new learning opps. for students • Personalize the library • Foster community, dynamic P2P info-sharing • Tools can be integrated into IL, outreach, public services, & marketing programs