The Ubiquitous Librarian (Brian Mathews)

Is there a librarian in the vicinity? Geosocial Reference Services

I have been dabbling with two apps on my phone: Loopt and WhosHere. These programs allow you to create a profile and then see other people who are nearby and have the software installed on their phones too. I created a very librarian-centric profile and put it out there to see what would happen.

In two weeks I received four messages:

1. One was from someone unaffiliated with the school asking me to explain the Dewey System. He was joking around. DDS seems to be a favorite comedic theme for non-librarians. We then spoke (texted) about the “death” of print newspapers for about 15 minutes.
2. One was from a student asking me why the library closed on Saturday night.
3. One was from a student asking why he had to log-in all the time to get eJournals, even though he was on the campus wireless connection.
4. One was from a random person asking me “what’s up?”

All and all, not terribly successful, yet not a total bust. Two weeks isn’t really enough time to judge this little experiment. If anything, it shows that people are willing to contact a librarian who pops up on their screen. They might not be asking about tracking down citations but comments about service hours and proxy access are valuable. It’s a good start.

Geosocial networking or location-based networking services are on the rise. I read about them years ago in Europe and Japan. They seem to be very dating-driven right now in the US-- just like Friendster & Myspace started out-- people looking for companionship, but the potential for wider social interactions is possible. It is too early to tell if they are worthwhile for librarians. They have not caught on wildly yet with students, at least Georgia Tech students; the most that I’ve seen online during the day have been 10 students, but what happens when/if that number grows to 100 or 1,000? We’re heading into Spring Break next week, but I’m going to continue using these services through the rest of the semester. We’ll see if anyone else takes notices of the librarian among them.

Endorsement Theft: A social networking epidemic

This post isn’t about libraries, but rather in the realm of social information literacy

I’ve seen a dramatic rise in phishing on MySpace lately. Many people are getting their accounts compromised. What I am most fascinated by is the fake-friend-hacking concept, the idea of “borrowing” someone’s identity with the sole purpose of advertising, and of course also stealing more accounts. It’s a tactic to deliver spam through a thinly disguised cloak of assumed friendship. If a stranger tells me to visit a site, I probably won’t, however if someone I know told me about it, I would. That’s the core of social networking: people influencing people that they know.

The Con
Spammers create bogus accounts and become friends with tons of people. I call these “shell” account because they put just enough info to make them seem like believable people, yet they are simply out to get clicks. Next they will direct their “friends” to a site that essentially looks like MySpace, but appears to log them out. The individual thinks nothing of it (since this happens frequently) and logs into the replicated site and hence gives away their email address and password. There are definitely security concerns but again, I am fascinated by the process. Once they obtain access to these accounts they don’t change passwords or tamper with the profile, they simply use it to invite people’s friends to visit external websites. This is endorsement theft because what they are stealing is trust and authenticity: a person’s character. It is the equivalent of someone sneaking a false article in a peer-reviewed journal. Elsevier tells us it is legit research so we believe them.

This has actually been going on for awhile now on MySpace. It’s creative because they are not only using email messages, but also message boards (individuals), bulletin boards (all friends), and group boards to spread their message; it’s a multiplatform operation. So watch out and don’t trust anyone online!

 

“Library” groups are like Star Trek to me

I have nothing against library groups on social networking sites, however the message you are sending is ‘our library is cool, join our group/be our friend.' These groups can be valuable tools for spreading information and interacting with patrons, however…

… it's like Star Trek to me. You're going to have your regulars, your fans, people who use and enjoy the library, and who identify with that culture.

I am not very interested is these folks. Well, actually, I am, however, we have people and processes in place to cater to this population and fortunately we are moving toward becoming an experiential organization. (Yeah, the trend used to be learning orgs, but now I am officially kicking off the experiential organization craze right here!) Personally, I am much more interested and focused on generating new users. I want to tap into groups of people who never visit the library, or do so rarely, and attempt to convert them into being more frequent users. Obviously the old ‘library' message doesn't resonate with them, so instead of repeating/rehashing/regurgitating the same old ideas, we need to translate our value for them. (In a nutshell, that's what my book is about, Paul .)

Some people love Star Trek, some people are obsessed with it, and some people absolutely hate it. And then there are people like me in the middle—I might watch a little if it's on TV, but I would not make any special effort, and I could maybe name 5 characters on the show, but I have no idea what the planets or galaxies are called. I think library users are the same way. Some patrons are really into the library and some are content to never step foot into our buildings or to click on our websites— but it's that great middle that I'm interested in, the casual user.

So sure, we should set up ‘library' themed groups on Facebook (etc) however, I am just less enthusiastic about this because we're preaching to the converted – and indeed, we want to increase patron loyalty, to offer them something unique, and make sure we continue to meet their needs, but it's that open frontier of potential users that inspires me.

Alright, I can't go out with Star Trek analogy – here is a classic from the Atl for you all to enjoy.

Sin, Death, & Resurrection: a Facebook update

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I spoke with Mike Murphy—the VP of Sales at Facebook. He was very sympathetic, but ultimately could not provide a solution to the library profile question.

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, my Facebook account was disabled. Apparently I was guilty of spamming users. I disagree with that accusation, but we'll leave that to the linguists to debate.

After a volley of emails, I was able to get my account reinstated. It's a delicate matter because I need to use Facebook as a social utility for the book . I can't post too much information, but here is my advice to you:

Scratch everything I said in the CRL News article . Essentially it is a direct violation to email a student and advertise a service or event. If they join a group, then they are fair game; it's consensual. But for me to look up all incoming freshmen who are computer science majors and introduce myself as their subject librarian, promote Safari Tech Books, or invite them to a workshop, open house, or an event, is grounds for termination.

We cannot use the ‘courses' feature to find students in a particular class (that we know includes a project or research assignment) and send them a message with tips, suggestions, supportive material, examples, or even to offer of assistance; this is prohibited by Facebook.

Direct marketing is grounds for expulsion.

I was actually pretty bummed about this for several days because I've been a champion of Facebook for over two years. But this downtime got me thinking…has my effort paid off? Sure several students ‘friended' me and many responded to my messages—but none of them have used Facebook to contact me since then about the library or assignments. My objective of appearing in their space has ultimately failed. While they don't mind me there, they don't recognize me as a librarian. If I offer help they'll take it, but they won't ask for it. Maybe I didn't ‘spam' them enough? I guess I am starting to question ‘be where the patron is' now.

So back to Facebook--- “profiles are for people, groups are for everything else.” That's their philosophy and we have to adhere to it. I'm probably going to experiment with a group next, but only if I can get others onboard here. Personally, I think groups are lame. Groups are more for symbolic expressions of a person's identity, rather than interactive communication portal. Belonging to a library group is not cool.

I have much more to say but it's a delicate matter. Maybe once Vivendi buys them out they'll stop being so elitist and realize the positive intentions of librarians. Until then...

Facebook Update

I had a good initial phone conversation with Mike Murphy today. He understands the value of library profiles, but his concern is where to draw the line regarding the types of organizational/institutional profiles that can be created.

The next step is talking with the Customer Service Department to discuss possible solutions.

I'll keep you posted. Thanks to everyone for the comments and emails. Please continue to share ideas & experiences.

A Night with Facebook: Mike Murphy's pitch for social networking

Mike Murphy, Chief Revenue Officer of Facebook, gave a great presentation about social media and the opportunities to engage users.

Here are my notes from his talk:

General Stuff

• Facebook is the 7 th most popular website in the United States .
• 10 million users and over 50% of them sign in daily.
• The value of social networking is that it allows users to do everything they want online, all in one place (how about a federated search?)
• Each person has less than 1% of access to the total facebook user base— it requires confirmation to see beyond your network -- privacy control is spectacular
• People are real on facebook—it's not a fantasy world like other sites. You are the representation of an actual person and your activities are geared toward interacting with real people who you know.
• The next feature coming out will be the ability to load photos directly from your cell phone to your profile.
• Why did YouTube sell for $1.65 billion? The share button. Technology is the easy part— it just requires bandwidth and storage space—the sharing feature allowed for the distribution of millions of videos to millions of users. They creating a community rather than just hosting content. (Which of these are we doing with our databases and online resources?)
• NBC sued YouTube over Saturday Night Live sketches – they should have been excited that people were talking and sharing content and would probably tune into the show again—YouTube helped make them relevant.
• They have had three graduating classes and find that alumni still use their accounts, but less frequently. They are considering how to evolve the product for the post-college user.
• Web/Internet policy (and direction) is being changed by those who grew up with it, rather than by those who built it.

Generational Stuff

• A Proctor & Gamble Executive stated that this is the “let it go” generation. In terms of marketing—let the big brain message go—allow the user to do and think what they want.
• “Studies show” that this is the most generous generation of all time—they care about social causes and the environment . (Hmmmm, you would not know it from MTV's My Sweet 16)
• They are open to sharing opinions—they will respect you, if you respect them
• Social media = active sharing online. FB enables users to share social opportunities.
• The way they talk with friends is a blend of pop culture and serious life matters—lots of focus toward making decisions.
• The old school way people got news was via Walter Cronkite (the one voice that was respected). The next wave was through expert opinions, such as a variety of magazines. With this generation it's through friends-- friends determine what's news, what's important, and what's cool.
• The Great Shift --- if you remember traditional media, you're on the outside—digital media is the thing now—they are net natives—grew up with it, we're all immigrants.
• People are interested in what other people are doing- they want to be aware.
• Why are people transferring time away from real life activities and into social networks? It's generational. Users say it's a short cut—they scout people before attending college or class—it is not a replacement for bars, sports, clubs, etc, but a replacement for the small talk—you already know what people did over the weekend or what's new, because you don't have to ask.

The Controversy

• In September (2006) they received 700,030 unique complaints from users when FB launched a new “feeds” feature. Essentially it collates the updates of all your friends on to one page. The aim was to quickly allow users to see at a glance, what's going on in their social world. They hoped to enable users to spend less time on the site, instead of jumping around between profiles, they could get updated on everything all in one place—but the opposite happened, people started spending more time online.
• Facebook responded in less than a week with stronger privacy controls.
• Even though they got bad press—it could have been worse:
  1. Worse if we made changes, there was no response, yet they were upset.
  2. Even worse if users didn't notice the changes.
  3. And still worse if users didn't care that the changed occurred.
• Because they were so outraged, it shows the impact of the tool.
• FB blew launching the feeds because:
  1. We didn't focus on educating our users about the privacy issues.
  2. We didn't tell the community that it was coming.

Why should marketers care?

• Find ways to share the idea of your product
• If a user is interested in you, they look
• If a user likes it, they will engage
• If they love it, they'll share with friends - that's the home run
• Users create a personal brand
• Find ways to get the user to be defined by your brand
• Friends influence purchases and activities
• You have to give the user a reason to care/share – find a way for them to endorse your product – turn 1 impression into 1000 impressions
• Become part of their experience—learn from it
• Listen without fear—they care, they will respond and will appreciate that you asked
• They don't like to be told what to buy – they want to find out for themselves
• Advertise to the group—not to the individual
• Leverage the benefits of influence (peer pressure?)
• People say they don't hate advertising, they just hate ads that suck—good companies make it work—make it relevant.
• Find a way for users to love your offer, your product, your brand, or your company, and they will endorse it— that's the mutual value of sharing.
• Big is the enemy of cool.
• Interesting example with Chase Credit Cards—they have a sponsored group, which students can join. Within this group they can pool their credit card points—choosing to donate them to a cause or charity or to buy a new big screen TV for the frat house. (An idea I have: what if we could offer $.50 off on a certain coffee product within our café, if they are a member of our facebook group? Push that message and other similar incentives strong in January when they come back from winter break. Grow the membership and once we have them, we can use the FB group to push our agenda (classes, software, events, research help, etc) as well as other frequent discounts, offers, and maybe even a Member's Only event.)
• Users care about what their friends are doing—find ways to make them passionate about what you're doing –offer events and opportunities for participation—get them talking about you.
• Social influence = endorsements = free advertising

Company Stuff

• innovate -> promote -> listen -> innovate -> promote -> listen <repeat>
• Companies say their intranets sucks— asked FB to help them build something more interactive. They declined, but said, they all know each other very well because they all use Facebook—it creates unique interaction between staff.
• No copyright protection abroad, so every country has their versions of FB that look and work the same way. They have great penetration in all the English speaking countries though, so focusing on that.
• FB does not provide research for companies about products, interests, or trends—that's not our business—however they look for ways to provide a conversation between a company and the user. Facebook allows companies to purchase sponsored group memberships.
• The company is run by seventy-five 22 year olds. Starting out, they hired smart people and let them figure out what needed to be done. Once the product was right, then they focused on the business side.
• The youth was thirsty for leadership
• Mike Murphy, was the youngest executive at Yahoo! and is now the oldest at Facebook (he's in his 40's.)
• Two people have hacked the site and they hired both of them.
• They allow engineers and software programmers to build the projects they want, they decide what is cool, what needs to be done, and where it should go next. They frequently have hack-a-thons, in which teams stay up 24 hrs working on a project and the best ones get added to the system.
• Half the time, they develop applications that are not used for the intended purpose—rather than correct user behavior, they build around how people want to use the features (OPAC and database vendors, please read this statement!)

I asked afterwards: Why are you shutting down library and departmental accounts? (And exampled the problem.)

“Hmm, not sure, sounds like a good idea, let us get back with you.” So Stay turned – if they are really as responsive as they claim, they'll see the value of libraries and other campus service entities.

Hangout with me on Halloween

I'm doing a Blended Librarian talk next Tuesday (Oct 31, 2pm EST ) titled: Conversations with Patrons: Extending Your Library's Presence Online

This is my official description:

“ Google, Google Scholar and Wikipedia are emerging as favorite research designations among undergraduate students, while library resource usage seems marginalized. Is it really easier for students to find what they need on those free Internet sites? Where do they turn for help? How can libraries increase usage and relevancy? Are there new modes of instruction effective for the Net Generation? This free, one-hour Blended Librarian webcast explores the social nature of the web and advocates using social networking sites and student blogs to better understand and assist patrons. Blended Librarians need to add Web 2.0 technologies to their skill set, and this presentation will help get you started. Included will be strategies for assessment, marketing, reference assistance, and instructional opportunities. Find out how to expand your library's web presence and interact more directly with students.”

But I'm starting to think it's a bigger topic than the time allotted, which is actually about 30 minutes. We could do a whole conference on this topic, but anyway, I'm aiming to talk about 3 things:

• What we can learn from student blogs and the larger concept of listening to patrons?
• What's up with MySpace and Facebook? They're so trendy that it's almost uncool to talk about them any more.
• Why do library websites fail?

It's free, so check it out. It's also a live interactive program, so come heckle me if you want.

I'm also doing a phone-in segment about social networks for the Soaring to Excellence Program, Best New Technologies: Keeping Up with the Storm this Friday. You have to pay a lot of money to watch the show, so I'll just give you a recap on this blog.
Update: It turns out this might be free for you-- see the post below. Steven Bell and Aaron Schmidt have a really interesting program put together. Check it out if you can.

Ok, that's enough self promotion for now…

Libraries and Online Dating

I've really gotten into the Online Dating Insider: Online Dating Industry News blog. Theoretically, there are some similarities— just as we're trying to match people up with the appropriate information, online dating sites seek to match users with appropriate partners.

From a business perspective, I'd guess that you would not want to be too successful with match-ups, because you'd rather obtain and maintain paying customers. I've heard a similar argument about libraries, in that we make our systems too complex as a means of job security. Let's put that aside for right now.

Here are some ideas inspired by this blog:

Federated Searching
He touches on the need for federated searching. Users tend to sign-up for multiple sites. He stresses that it would be useful if a customer could search all the sites they subscribed to via one interface. He also claims that it would be easier for the users to create one profile and have it applied toward each site. Standardization anyone?

How many times have we heard this about our databases? Unfortunately, the few federated searching programs I've looked at have fallen short—particularly in the areas of science and engineering.

Also, what if the user could create set of criteria and could instantly (and continuously) run a search with various vendors? Let the user create an uber profile, which could work with all the sites? Are we talking about dating or databases here? It doesn't matter, the concept is the same for both of us.

I'd like one place to control and access all content. Instead of going to a handful of sites and looking for X, Y, and Z—manage one portal that runs those searches and collects hits—as well as manages your profile and finds items of potential interest. We're seeing this with RSS and sites like bloglines, but it's not as refined as it could be. Personally, I think that's the next push—compatibility to match customization.

Events-based Dating
He claims that events-based dating sites are growing in popularity. This is where people can see who's going to local gatherings and choose to attend or not. It takes the pressure off meeting someone individually and structures it around a larger social experience.

If you read my blog, you know I'm always looking for new ways to stretch the library experience. The traditional events that libraries offer are speakers, film series, book clubs, and poetry readings—but why not push the concept? Why not a weekly trivia night? Or a regular repel down the library tower night? We also have a very large Indian Student club – could we cater to them somehow?

In some ways we're doing this by hosting Teaching Assistants in the evening, but I'd like to find other inexpensive and popular ways to get people in the library regularly. What if we could organize “unofficial” weekly reviews for the larger classes, such as Chemistry and Calculus? Or a weekly meeting of the Improv group to test out new material? Or broadcast the ESPN Thursday Night game?

Ideally, students would come in and socialize for a bit, participate, and do something to create a positive experience associated with the Library, and then study or do some type of productive work. The network, via facebook, is in place… we just need to get the ball rolling. There will always be quiet spaces for students who desire that, but can we also offer regular (weekly) student-focused, student-run events that blend the social and academic experience? How can we crossover into a dyanamic player in student life? When will we become events/action driven, rather than resource driven?

Who's Online Now?
A common feature on most dating / online social networking sites is the ability to see who's online at that moment. This invites instant communication. What if we did this for our databases?

What if we created some type of java based meta chat that launched when the user comes in via the proxy. This could be a small interface, embedded or floating, and open to all users currently online, regardless of which product they are searching. The librarian mindset is that we would need to monitor this space, anticipating questions, and the burden this would place on staffing. However, I'm not so sure that is necessary. Maybe provide a button that users can click to “ask a librarian” – but let's experiment with open online social space. I'd be curious to see the types of questions people ask—and more so, the answers they might get back. This would help build toward the AI future of the reference encounter.

Of course, this would be anonymous, unless users wanted to create a name, and there would need to be a way for users to close and/or block themselves from the chat—but ultimately it has the potential to be a helpful feature. Yahoo! Games offers this—in which you could be playing pool, poker, or whatever, and everyone on the server shares a common lobby space. Why not apply this to what we're doing too? If we can't always be there to help, maybe someone could be?

Sample: 

Other Topics

These didn't fit directly into the library sphere, but they are still interesting from an “information science” perspective:

• Myspace is hurting the online dating industry, for now, but only a portion of it, young 20-somethings that will never make it to paying dating sites because the value proposition is so off for them.
• Dating sites need to get rid of stale profiles. Six months is stale. Embrace the dynamic nature of the real-time web. A dating site database is not a card catalog, it should be a guided, rich multimedia experience, with a profile stream that flows like water.
• Mainstream dating sites make all the money, while more and more people are meeting on local or niche sites. The problem is, I want to belong to both, without paying multiple times.
• People don't join a dating site because of an expert. I would like to see how much more money sites make when they hire said "experts." (This is based upon the concept that you can pay to have someone help you craft a profile.)
• Where is the next generation of personality testing? How come I can't collaborate and take a test *with* someone?

Maybe it's just me, but when I read this stuff, I can't help but think that there are parallels to a lot of the same issues and concepts we're dealing with too. Anyway, this is a little insight into the types of things I'm reading these days.

Using MySpace to Teach Information Literacy

Sure, online social networks have potential for outreach and advertising, but can they also be used for instruction?

A common annoyance on MySpace are friend-spammers . I'm not sure what the slang term is, but these are essentially profiles created to direct viewers to another web site. This isn't always as malevolent as the media likes to hype . The most common examples include profile customization tools, web cams, and unsigned bands.

It's sad to see that people actually believe these profiles are real. Users want to believe that some model-hot girl is lonely and sought them out for friendship. And even though she “doesn't really use MySpace much,” encourages you to view her other website. There is tons of this type of thing. Different photos, different angles, different approaches—but all and all, the same objective: click here!

The sad thing is that guys actually fall for it. You can tell because they post public messages to these spam accounts along the lines of “Oh you are so hot—let's meet up this weekend.” People want to believe the fantasy so much, that they can't see they're being deceived.

So, why not start a class looking at such a profile and evaluating it? That's the core of information literacy right? We aim to teach practical skills and lifelong learning, so why not apply it to a common college student experience?

Look for the flaws. Analyze and evaluate the material. Does the fact that she's linking to a fee based site raise any flags or do guys skip the content and focus on the seductive photos? Is there anything in the content that seems false or cliché? What is the overall message or theme within the profile? Why would someone create this profile? How do they profit/benefit? How about those 900+ friends she has? Approach this from the ‘man behind the curtain' via the Wizard of Oz and expose the truth.

Sure, there is some sexual undertones and I can already see some librarian scowling at this idea—but you'd probably have a better chance of capturing their attention and engagement with something like this, rather than starting off with Boolean searching subject headings, and the OPAC.

It also allows you to segue into more traditional content—something like this:

Ok, so let's step out of MySpace now and see how we can apply this to your assignment. Let's say you're doing alternative fuel sources. Here is an article I found online . It seems pretty legit, they've got all these statistics, they've done the research and they even cite a more scholarly publication they've written, which we have right here . So what do we think? They're saying it's not worth it. That ethanol and biodiesel from crops is too much work. Obviously we're not scientists, but what can we tell from the evidence? What can we tell from the way it is presented? Is there bias? Is it creditable? Do we just accept this or do we want to get a second opinion?

Wired magazine just published this article , which essentially refutes the idea—claiming that ethanol is efficient. They also state that the researchers of the original article have ties to the oil industry? How does that change our perception? Why would the oil industry want to discourage alternative fuels? Can we trust Wired? What's their agenda?

This opens up discussion about critical thinking, analysis and resource types. I'd stress the point that you can't believe everything— that you have to read between the lines. Accumulation of articles and information is the easy part, but forming your narrative, your output, that's the real challenge. Then you can go into the old: “I'm going to give you some tips, suggestions, and short cuts for finding resources. Let's start with Academic Search Premier…” And so on.

If MySpace is too risqué, maybe use Apartment Ratings . How many of you live in apartment? How many of you are happy? How many are looking for someplace else to live? Then talk about what's important. What are the key features you look for? Is there a balance between location, price, and comfort? Apartment Ratings is interesting because it's open for comments – for the users by the users. Here is an example: Summit at Lenox . It repeatedly gets negative ratings and comments, is this one person who really hates the place or is it consensus? Notice the post on 04/11/2006 that states:

"The Summit at Lenox sold their property to a new owner and its like a whole new community! All the buildings, elevators, even the pool has been renovated! Maintainance responds to problems promptly and the staff is really nice. I was about to move out and now I'm glad I didnt!"

This is obviously insider perspective. But people can see through it. In the comments posted to this opinion, people see the lie. Get students talking and thinking. Who do we believe? Does is place really suck or is it ok? Does anyone live there? Has anyone seen or visited this place?

Aim to make critical thinking practical and relevant to them, before boring them with journals and database searching.

Of related interest:

• Gun Control
• Male Pregnancy
• Why Most Research Findings are False
• The Sokal Affair
• UCLA Library: Hoax? Scholarly Research? Personal Opinion? You Decide!

Any Atlanta Readers Want to Listen to a Facebook Exec?

I recently joined the Atlanta interactive Marketing Association ( AiMA ) since my professional interests have been sliding further toward marketing and mixed media. AiMA has brought in some interesting speakers, including execs from MySpace and MTV.

On Oct 25 they're bringing in Mike Murphy, Chief Revenue Officer of Facebook (and a former Yahoo! VP). It will probably be a good talk, although I am biased.

If you want to meet up beforehand and grab a quick dinner -—let me know.

• Cost: $25
• Date: Wednesday, Oct 25th
• Time: 6:30 pm
• Location: GT's Global Learning Center
• Attire: Business casual

I highly recommend you register online because these events draw a couple hundred people.