I can't remember if I told you that we were in New Orleans for the Thanksgiving holiday. Saw plenty of rebuilding going on. Imagine my surprise when some of my favorite Canadian singers, the Be Good Tanyas, had a YouTube video shot in the Big Easy. Cool.
I was inspired to visit YouTube because I've been making progress on the Privacy report, specifically the section on Library Directors (PDF). And YouTube topped the Social Media charts at 72% usage for Directors.
Plus I was pleased to see that for Directors ages 22-49, social networking site usage is on par with the rest of the U.S. population (38%). (p. 4-8) Awesome. We're normal. (Not that I'm a library director, but you know what I mean...)
But the plot thickens because this morning I noticed an article from CNET saying Gartner was warning companies not to invest too heavily in social networking infrastructure for business reasons yet.
Although Academic Library Directors are ahead of the curve: 27% of them (you?) report that you use Social Networking sites as part of your business. 23% of them (you?) use social media sites (like YouTube) as part of your business.
Of course, this is somewhat of a big DUH for academics, because we've all been going where the users are...and they are on Facebook and YouTube in droves. So we are, too. Likely Gartner wasn't thinking of libraries, when they issued their statement.
Or maybe libraries are the smallest birds in this business scenario...
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I have it on good authority that at a recent conference Gartner didn't provide wifi for laptops because that way people would stay focused on the presenter. Um, good luck with that. They are good for some marketplace information, but when I read Gartner I get this image in my mind of a 1950s dad-style guy in short sleeved shirts and horn rims.
Ha, that's a great visual. And yeah, your response tells me I am not totally off in left field on this. I can see how a corporate entity should not (yet) build a myspace-like platform for all their employees to connect with each other socially, without any business needs being met. Sure. But there are plenty of reasons to use current social networking services in interesting ways. As long as they're not creepy.
And on wifi at conferences--I recall shamefacedly that we have been unable (DEFINITELY WILLING) to get wifi during OCLC Symposiums, for example. Last time we were buried 3 stories underground in an bunker ballroom at the hotel. No wifi for anyone--presenters, staff, attendees. It was crazy!
Thanks for reminding us to take "experts" with a grain of salt and critical antennae raised.
"Unable" I can understand... most of these hotels were built pre-wifi and for that matter pre-Web!
and congrats on momhood!
Thanks FRL! Glad the water heater is happy again...
YAY! That's actually my very favorite song! I remember listening to that song over and over again in August of 2004 when my husband and I had to flee to New Orleans (only place with hotel rooms within 14 hours of our home) to escape a hurricane. It was really scary not knowing what happened to our home for a week. Little did I know that a year later, the place that had been our refuge from a hurricane would go through far worse.
There's something very comforting in their voice for me.
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