Market yourself market your library – Lori Reed

October 9, 2009 · Posted in Conferences · View Comments

Notes from the 2009 COMO conference in Columbus GA

PTA group has a facebook page that is very successful

Traditional marketing vs 2.0 marketing – 2 way exchange, ppl are talking about your library, whether you’re listening or not

Traditional market 4 Ps – Product pricing placement promotion

Marketing 2.0 4 Cs – consumer collaboration

Mistake ppl make is they jump right in & start producing – stop doing this, you’re putting the cart in front of the horse.

Build a marketing plan
1. Identify a need
2. Research – find out what other ppl or libs are doing to meet that need.
3. Identify the audience
4. Identify objectives
5. Identify message, what you do want to say?
6. find the right tools
7. implement
8. Evaluate – how will you know it worked?

Focus on number 6 the tools
Can your users find you?
Are you on google? Add your info if you’re not
List your library on free wifi hotspots sites Wifihotspotlist.com
You can list your programs and storytimes on Craigslist
Blogs can be used in a number of different ways, book reviews, video of children’s storytimes, tie community events to library books & other resources
Myspace
Facebook page – problem with admins
Flickr – announce that you are taking pics that they can do look at later, discussion on legality of images on flickr without a photo release
Youtube – training videos, patrons created, events etc
Eventful
Wikipedia

Need a team, its too much for a one person, it would be a full time job!

You need to monitor your brand

Gotoweb20.net

Keep your content up to date, if not get rid of it. Better to not have a precense at all than to have an outdated one

Don’t under estimate the staff time it takes, one person can not do it.

Stick to your message

Duplicate content
Talk to the users in their space

resources
davidleeking
librarianinblack

Keep up with Lori at her blog.

Tags: <como, comoga09, Libraries, library, market, Marketing, online, social networks>

Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy Warns of “Second Class Citizens” in the Digital Age

October 6, 2009 · Posted in Digital Divide, Transliteracy · View Comments

The Knight Foundation has released a new report Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy. A good deal of the content either is or could be applies to libraries. The entire report is 148 pages, you can also download a 2 page summary that includes recommendations like these

2: Increase support for public service media aimed at meeting community information needs. Read more …
6: Integrate digital and media literacy as critical elements of education at all levels through collaboration among federal, state, and local education officials. Read more …
7: Fund and support public libraries and other community institutions as centers of digital and media training, especially for adults. Read more …
10: Support the activities of information providers to reach local audiences with quality content through all appropriate media, such as mobile phones, radio, and public-access cable. Read more …
12: Engage young people in developing the digital information and communication capacities of local communities. Read more …
14: Emphasize community information flow in the design and enhancement of a local community’s public spaces.. Read more …
15: Ensure that every local community has at least one high-quality online hub. Read more …

The Foundation has also taken actions that affect libraries:

$3.3 million to improve free, public Internet access in libraries in 12 communities

$2.28 million in broadband access projects in underserved neighborhoods in three cities

Tags: <access, broadband, community, digital, Digital Divide, education, information, internet, knight foundation, Libraries, library, literacy, media, mobile phones, online, radio, recommendations, report, Technology, Training, Transliteracy>

My Problem with LinkedIn

May 11, 2009 · Posted in Reputation, Social Networking Sites, Social Tools · View Comments

and online reputations in general.

I have a profile on LinkedIn (as I do on many social websites) because many people and blogs I think highly of have recommended it. Now I’ll be the first to admit I’m probably not using it right and therefore not taking advantage of it properly. Here is something I noticed recently while updating my profile.

This is a section of my profile showing my position at MRRL. Three people wrote me recommendations (which I appreciate but I’m not sure what good they do)

After these kind people wrote wonderful things about me I can change my position anyway I like. In this case I made myself Princess of Georgia.

I know what you’re thinking, there is no Princess of Georgia and if there were it certainly wouldn’t be me. ;-) That isn’t the point. I can change my job description, title or any part of the position at any point on LinkedIn and those recommendations stay right there.

This is my problem with online reputations. As more of us establish an online identity, we interact more with others we meet online and we base our opinion of them on who they are telling us they are. Why does this matter? Because people have always been dishonest from the small tweaking of facts to outright lies. There is no one following me around the web ensuring I’m not fabricating facts. Even if someone suspected I was not the Princess of Georgia, what could they do? Maybe blog, maybe contact me, maybe tell their friends but those are pretty aggressive and don’t necessarily put the person doing it in the best light and most people just aren’t going to do it.

Because more professional opportunities are based on online reputations, this is important. We come to think of the people we interact with as colleagues and friends and we make recommendations or offer opportunities based on this relationship. Unfortunately there are some things you just can not know about someone unless you’ve worked with them.

I’ve received recommendations on my reputation and I’ve given them too. I’m not saying don’t do it and everyone you meet online is lying to you. I’m just reminding you of the old saying – “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog“.

Tags: <identity, linkedin, online, Reputation, social networking>