#makeithappen: Cultivating and Maintaining Professional Relationships through Social Media

7/28/2019 #makeithappen: Cultivating and Maintaining Professional Relationships through Social Media

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#makeithappen:Cultivating and Maintaining Professional Relationshipsthrough Social Media

A poster session handout of the 2013 Alabama Library Association Annual Convention

Montgomery, AL, April 24, 2013

Lauren Dodd Hall ([email protected] @laurendodd)

&

Erin E. Boyd ([email protected] @eeboyd)Handout link:bit.ly/mih2013

AbstractIn the early 2000s, when MySpace was a teenage trend and Facebook was only for college students, social media

may have seemed irrelevant to ones career. In 2013, not only is it here to stay, it is currently one of the most

powerful tools professional librarians possess to network with their peers. Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and even

LinkedIn all contain special shortcuts or groups that facilitate professional development discussions without the cost

of attending a webinar or conference. If you are already at a conference (hi!), the conversations you initiate can last

well after a program or a conference has ended. For example, do you #makeithappen in ALA Think Tank, thelargest librarian group on Facebook? Have you ever spent a Wednesday night with #libchat? Do you Hangout

with your fellow instruction librarians on Google+? Come chat with us (in person) about utilizing social media to

engage with your librarian peers and create lasting connections.

Google+Create professional circles

Ways to Connect: Circles, Hangouts, Communities (i.e. Groups)

Circles: An easy way to organize people you want to interact with into lists. You can choose to

post status updates that are only viewable by the circles you choose. This provides a more

private, personal experience.

Hangouts: Start a free (!) video chat or video conference with up to ten people. Hangouts can

be done from your computer, phone, or tablet (Android or Apple).

Communities (i.e. Groups): Google+ offers both public and private communities. Here are

some librarian communities:

Instruction LibrariansFrom the group profile, A community for instruction librarians at any

type of library. Discuss technique, assessment, educational technology, and anything else related

to teaching information literacy. This group has also been known to host hangout sessions.

RDA Cataloging Community - A relatively new community for library and information science

professionals or students to come together to share ideas, tips, tricks or resources and to learn

about Resource Description & Access (RDA) or other issues related to cataloging and metadata.

Libraries and Librarians - A public community about libraries and librarians of all kinds that

covers local and global issues in librarianship.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://c/Users/eeboyd/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/2YHVQHSF/bit.ly/mih2013http://c/Users/eeboyd/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/2YHVQHSF/bit.ly/mih2013http://c/Users/eeboyd/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/2YHVQHSF/bit.ly/mih2013http://c/Users/eeboyd/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/2YHVQHSF/bit.ly/mih2013mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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ALA JobList - An extension of the ALA JobList site that also has places on Facebook, Twitter,

and LinkedIn.

FacebookPeople you know or have met

Ways to Connect: Chat, Events, Friends Lists, Groups, Messages, Pages

Chat/Messages: Messaging features within Facebook.

Events: Facebook events are an easy way to spread the word about upcoming events oroccasions. They can be created by anyone, and be open or private. The creator can invite their

friends, members of a group, or fans of a page.

Friends Lists: Facebook now allows you to create lists for each of your contacts. Create listsfor your family, close friends, and professional contacts and share information with only those

contacts.

Pages:Communities/entities can create their own pages for people to like and interact with.Many libraries/alum groups/associations have fan pages.

Groups:There are three types of groups: Open, Closed, and Secret. The table below illustrations each

groups privacy settings and who can join.

Image link:https://www.facebook.com/help/220336891328465

ALA Think Tank(open) - The largest active librarian group on Facebook. An informal group of

information sharing librarians whose motto is #makeithappen. Disclaimer: while they love
https://www.facebook.com/help/220336891328465https://www.facebook.com/help/220336891328465https://www.facebook.com/help/220336891328465https://www.facebook.com/help/220336891328465


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LinkedInDesigned to facilitate professional relationships

Ways to Connect: Connections, Groups/Discussion boards

Connections: Connections are your LinkedIn contacts. Connect with your coworkers, librarycolleagues, or former classmates.

Groups/Discussion boards: Join groups to interact with other professionals. Each group has adiscussion board for professionals seeking advice or sharing information. You can search the

group directory (or use the SimilarTo feature) to find a wide number of groups to join. See

the list below for a few library groups:

American Library Association - This is the LinkedIn group for the American Library

Association (ALA). The group currently has over 30,000 members.

LIS Career Options - Subgroup of the American Library Association LinkedIn group. Fromthe group profile, This is a forum devoted to exchanging information about LIS careers, both

traditional and alternative, for LIS professionals, students, and those aspiring to a career working

with information.

Librarians in the Job Market - From the group profile, This is a networking group about

potential available library positions.

INALJ - From the group profile, A positive space online for information professionals, library

staff and librarians looking for jobs to congregate and share tips and information.

Careers in Federal Libraries - A group specifically for those currently employed in--or lookingto be employed by--the federal government/government contractors.

Alumni/SLIS Groups - Find your former schools/programs on LinkedIn and stay up to date

with other alums, or offer current students advice.

Personal vs. Professional Considerations

Why social media?Its free, easy to use, and allows you to follow conference or webinar sessions whether you are

physically or virtually present. You can friend or follow colleagues during conferences to

stay connected.

What if I want to keep my account personal? The easiest way to keep your account separate is to create lists or circles to separate personal andprofessional contacts. For ultimate privacy, you can create a second account that is for

professional contacts only.


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Where do I start?"Ultimately, it's about experimentation. If you're already on Facebook, perhaps browse and join a

few of the librarian groups. Create a "librarian" list and post occasional statuses meant only forthat group. If you're new to Twitter, Google+, or LinkedIn, just sign up and start small. Follow or

add a few people to your list. Find groups to join, or read a #libchat or two without participating.

Find out what you're comfortable with. And have fun!"

How do I maintain my connections?The suggestion that we can offer is dont go off the grid for too long. Checking in on your social

networks on a regular basis will keep you connected to your peers.

Further Reading

Hack Library Schoolhttp://hacklibschool.wordpress.com/2011/03/15/libchat/

20 Essential Twitter Chats for the Library Crowd:http://oedb.org/library/beginning-online-learning/20-essential-twitter-chats-for-the-library-crowd

25 Ways to Use Twitter to Improve Your Professional Development:

http://edudemic.com/2012/09/25-ways-to-use-twitter-to-improve-your-professional-

development/

Do You Keep Your Facebook and LinkedIn Friends Separate?:http://blog.connectedhq.com/2011/06/01/do-you-keep-your-facebook-and-linkedin-friends-

separate/
http://hacklibschool.wordpress.com/2011/03/15/libchat/http://oedb.org/library/beginning-online-learning/20-essential-twitter-chats-for-the-library-crowdhttp://edudemic.com/2012/09/25-ways-to-use-twitter-to-improve-your-professional-development/http://edudemic.com/2012/09/25-ways-to-use-twitter-to-improve-your-professional-development/http://blog.connectedhq.com/2011/06/01/do-you-keep-your-facebook-and-linkedin-friends-separate/http://blog.connectedhq.com/2011/06/01/do-you-keep-your-facebook-and-linkedin-friends-separate/http://blog.connectedhq.com/2011/06/01/do-you-keep-your-facebook-and-linkedin-friends-separate/http://blog.connectedhq.com/2011/06/01/do-you-keep-your-facebook-and-linkedin-friends-separate/http://edudemic.com/2012/09/25-ways-to-use-twitter-to-improve-your-professional-development/http://edudemic.com/2012/09/25-ways-to-use-twitter-to-improve-your-professional-development/http://oedb.org/library/beginning-online-learning/20-essential-twitter-chats-for-the-library-crowdhttp://hacklibschool.wordpress.com/2011/03/15/libchat/

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#makeithappen: Cultivating and Maintaining Professional Relationships through Social Media