INF506- Assessment 3: Evaluation & Reflection

Evaluative Statement

Your evaluation of the use of social networking/media in the professional environment will demonstrate your understanding of the concepts studied this session. You should give a concise overview of the challenges and opportunities as well as the issues that may be encountered by an information professional working in this environment.

Word count: 772

Technology has become a normalised part of society (Dijck, 2018) and although some reports suggest that SM growth seems to have plateaued in developed countries (Pouschter, Bishop & Chwe, 2018), there is no denying that SM platforms continue to impact day-to-day life. With the development of Web 2.0 and social media (SM) platforms, allowing for multi-way communication (Schwerdtfeger, 2013), professionals continue to network by sharing content, collaborating and creating a community. It is imperative that all information professionals, therefore, understand and are aware of a variety of SM platforms, uses, programs and practices, as well as the ethical, social, cultural and technical aspects of the SM environment. I will be evaluating the usefulness and challenges of Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, specifically, as Assessment 2 provided me the opportunity to utilise these in a professional sense.

The development of SM as a driving force behind commerce, communication and even education is predicted to continue to influence determination of organisation success in the future (Chen, 2019; Barnhart, 2020). Capitalising on the SM phenomenon, organisations have invested resources into developing successful SM marketing strategies and user-friendly applications, allowing for ease of user access (Adner & Kapoor, 2016) in an effort to develop connections with communities and improve audience awareness (Barnhart, 2020). By developing SM strategies and policies (Hebblewhite, 2017) and opening lines of immediate communication with their audiences (Chen, 2019) organisations have cultivated communities of ‘influencers’ who can share posts about their products and services (Influencer Marketing Hub, 2019).

The ongoing development of SM commerce has opened paths for new and developing job opportunities in fields that did not exist before, such as application developers, social influencers, social media managers (Nisar, Prabhakar & Strakova, 2019) and policy makers (Hibblewhite, 2017). Additionally, the development of analytical tools on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have allowed organisations to collect information and track and manage performance improvements (Barnhart, 2020; Nisar et.al., 2019) and successfully connect and maintain relationships with audiences (Chen, 2019, King, 2015). Use of this tool can allow organisations to adjust their profiles to suit their branding, allowing for a cohesive ‘voice’ across all SM platforms and helping develop relationships with their targeted community (Bunker, 2017).

As the sheer amount of content posted each day continues to increase, particularly in relation to visual images on Instagram, concerns have arisen in areas such as intellectual policy and copyright licensing, resulting in the redevelopment of Creative Commons licensing to protect creators, companies and institutions online (CCA, 2013). Privacy and the disclosure of personal information has also been reviewed recently with an increased demand for notification of the use of ‘cookies’ on websites and a push to privatise the gathered information (Shankland, 2020), which is currently used to tailor advertising on most SM platforms. For example, Instagram has a disclosure policy identifying exactly what their cookies are and what they are used for. Organisations must be aware of the risks involved in not being complaint with both copyright and privacy regulations, as they are held to account by law (Big Commerce Essentials, n.d.) and ensure that all staff members are aware of procedures, limitations and policies in place to protect against accidental breach of law.

While SM has developed to easily disseminate information, the development of SM policies is vital to avoid posting incorrect information that could, potentially, lead to reputation damage, legal liability or even a loss in profits (Hebblewhite, 2017). There is an increasing awareness of ‘fake news’ in SM with academic studies invested in uncovering how to ‘undo’ fake news cognitively (De Keersmaecker & Roets, 2017) and libraries investigating how to educate their students on spotting false information (Holmes, 2018). With 28% of 18-24 year old’s using SM as their only source of news (Social Media College, 2018), it is important organisations create genuine and informed posts in order to develop trust in the community and positive relationships (King, 2015).

Although there are undoubtable risks involved in using social media for business, there is no question that it is a useful tool, coupled with inclusive, aware policy, that can help boost business sales, market awareness and act as a networking platform to connect with audience and community. With 17.9 billion people purchasing goods via e-commerce (We Are Social Ltd., 2019) last year, it is reasonable to suggest that SM, with its ongoing development of analytic tools, business accounts and tailored advertising, will play a key role in the continued growth of e-commerce in the future. As such, it is important that information professionals be aware of both the challenges and opportunities involved with SM platforms in order to best manage their organisations SM presence.

Reflective Statement

Your personal reflection will document your development as a social networker as a result of studying INF506, and the implications for your development as an information professional.

Word count: 773

Critical reflection is recommended to assimilate new information and improve professional practice (Attard & Armour, 2006) and throughout INF506, I have had the opportunity to reflect on my understanding of social media (SM), networking and how these can be used in a professional sense. I have immerses myself in multiple SM platforms, theories and tools and have been able to link them to an educational context. On reflection, I would like to adapt my broad strokes definition of ‘social networking’ in Assessment 1 to:

‘Active engagement with Web 2.0 and social media platforms to form professional contacts, share information and develop resources.’

My expectations for this course included developing expertise in mainstream SM platforms and encountering new platforms, both of which were achieved throughout the learning modules, readings and assessments. I now know what other schools are using and which platforms work best for them as a result of discussions on the INF506 Facebook page and peer blogs on CSU Thinkspace. I have come to realise that not all SM platforms work for every organisation and trial and error is completely acceptable. Reflection on these discussions has helped begin my SM strategy planning for my school library.

I was confident in navigating Facebook and Instagram at the beginning of this course, however, I was completely unprepared for the detailed analytics involved with business accounts. Utilising Facebook for communication in the INF506 group and sharing resources was an excellent way to further familiarise myself with the platform and gather develop relationships with peers. I have learned that Facebook can be utilised for professional development, education and communication, which can then be documented to record staff and student progress. Additionally, the analytics allow monitoring of individuals access and contributions to the profile, which would be useful in determining student engagement and involvement.

I found it much easier to develop content on Instagram than any other platform as I am a highly visual person. I feel that targeting a visual audience will result in greater involvement, without relying on large amounts of text or links to follow. Instagram would be best used in an educational library environment to share new and notable books, highlight authors and promote library events to students and parents. Again, involvement with this profile could be tracked using their provided analytics.

I also developed a Twitter account for the same assessment but remain sceptical of its value in education as the statistics say most users are outside of my target demographic (We Are Social Ltd., 2019; Social Media College, 2018) and, although images and short clips can be uploaded, I did not like the layout or the fact that most posts required a link to other platforms for more information.

Developing the idea of a brand across multiple platforms throughout Assessment 2 allowed me to understand how successful SM organisations connect with audiences and develop communities (King, 2018; Bunker, 2017) that result in increased positive market exposure. The idea that each platform can present the same information in different ways was intriguing to me and I realised that, of the three platforms I had chosen to use, none were identical in their layout or purpose. All three reached different audiences who were interested in different forms of media. I was intrigued to learn that each post needed to be tailored to each specific platform to achieve maximum exposure and spent some time on discovering the best scaffold for each profile.

Finally, the most important thing I learned throughout INF506 was that the development of SM policy is vital in establishing any SM strategy. Hebblewhite (2017) discusses some of the areas of risk for organisations who do not establish policy early on, including staffing organisation, over-saturation and privacy and copyright regulations. It is clear that any omissions or accidental breaches of copyright or privacy legislation is taken very seriously, with further pushes to privatise ‘cookies’ that can tailor advertising experiences to the individual (Shankland, 2020). In an educational environment, privacy of information means the use of any SM platform must be considered carefully and policy must be developed to protect and monitor staff, students and the education organisation. It is not enough to understand privacy in a generic sense, staff in all organisations involved with SM must be aware of documents such as Creative Commons and what it means for their development of posts and interactions online.

INF506 was an eye-opening subject that has helped me to better understand social media and its uses. It is my responsibility, now, to pass this understanding, as it continues to develop, onto fellow staff members and continue my own journey to become an informed information professional.

References

Adner, R., & Kapoor, R. (2016). Right tech, wrong time. Harvard Business Review, 94(11), 60-67.

Attard, K. & Armour, K. (2006). Reflecting on reflection: a case study of one teacher’s early-career professional learning. Physical education and sport pedagogy, 11(3), 209-229 DOI: 10.1080/17408980600986264

Barnhart, B. (2020, January 06). The most important social media trends to know for 2020 [blog post]. Retrieved from https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-trends/

Big Commerce Essentials. (n.d.). What are online business laws? Available from https://www.bigcommerce.com.au/ecommerce-answers/what-are-online-business-laws/

Bunker, L. (2017). Picking a platform and finding a voice. In S. W. H. Young & D. Rossmann (Eds.), Using Social Media to Build Library Communities : A LITA Guide. Blue Ridge Summit, UNITED STATES: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

CCA- Creative Commons, Australia. (2013). About the licenses. Available from https://creativecommons.org.au/learn/licences/

Chen, J. (2019, January 18). 7 social media trends to watch in 2019 [blog post]. Available from https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-trends/

De keersmaecker, J., & Roets, A. (2017). ‘Fake news’: Incorrect, but hard to correct. The role of cognitive ability on the impact of false information on social impressions. Intelligence, 65(1), 107-110. doi: 10.1016/j.intell.2017.10.005

Di Gangi, P. M., Johnston, A. C., Worrell, J. L., & Thompson, S. C. (2018). What could possibly go wrong? A multi-panel Delphi study of organizational social media risk. Information Systems Frontiers, 20(5), 1097-1116. doi: 10.1007/s10796-016-9714-2

Hebblewhite, N. (2017). Implementing an effective social media policy. Governance Directions, 69(3), 167-169.

Influencer Marketing Hub (2019, February 01) What is an influencer? [blog post] Retrieved from https://influencermarketinghub.com/what-is-an-influencer/

Holmes, R. (2018, April 10). How libraries are reinventing themselves to fight fake news. [blog post] Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanholmes/2018/04/10/how-libraries-are-reinventing-themselves-to-fight-fake-news/#751cbde8fd16

King, D. L. (2015). Analytics, goals, and strategy for social media. Library Technology Reports, 51(1), 26-32.

King, D.L. (2018). Innovation & Education: Central role of libraries in our digital communities. Retrieved from https://www.davidleeking.com/innovation-education-central-role-of-libraries-in-our-digital-communities-cildc/

Nisar, T. M., Prabhakar, G., & Strakova, L. (2019). Social media information benefits, knowledge management and smart organizations. Journal of Business Research, 94, 264-272. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.05.005

Poushter, J., Bishop, C. & Chwe, H. (2018, June 19). Social media use continues to rise in developing countries but plateaus across developed ones. Pew Research Center. Available from https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2018/06/19/social-media-use-continues-to-rise-in-developing-countries-but-plateaus-across-developed-ones/

Schwerdtfeger, P. (2013, March 17). What is Web 2.0? What is social media? What comes next? Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iStkxcK6_vY&feature=youtu.be

Shankland, S. (2020, January 14). Google Chrome’s privacy changes will hit the web later this year. CNET. Retrieved from https://www.cnet.com/news/google-chromes-privacy-changes-will-hit-the-web-later-this-year/

Social Media College. (2018, May 30). Social media revolution, 2018. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qpcdywb6Hw&feature=emb_title

Van Dijck, J. (2018). Introduction. In J. Van Dijck (Ed.), The Platform Society. Retrieved from Oxford Scolarship Online.

We Are Social Ltd. (2019) Digital in 2019 Australia. Available from https://wearesocial.com/au/digital-2019-australia?mc_cid=2627112634&mc_eid=632bbf90f7

January 22, 2020

INF506 Assessment 2 (Appendices removed)

Scenario

‘You own a small bookshop. You would like to attract more interest from the local community. Design and develop a social networking community that would allow you to do this.’

Biv’s Bookstore is a small, locally owned store that has been in the community for over 25 years. The store has previously had no social media (SM) presence of its own and is hoping to use its SM launch to advertise its 25 year grand re-opening.

Aim

To use SM to attract more interest from and develop better connectivity with the local community to develop more interest in the store and improve sales.

Stakeholders

To determine the stakeholders (Barbara, 2017), the PESTLE tool was chosen (Stakeholder analysis and management, n.d.) (Appendices 1.1). Three major stakeholders were identified; staff, patrons and the wider community (Appendices 1.2). While staff and patrons are the immediate stakeholders in terms of business and profit, the wider community, including neighbouring shops, council, community groups and local residents are vital stakeholders to be considered in this strategy proposal in that they provide an opportunity for further interest in the store. These parties could potentially become Blockers or Opponents if not addressed appropriately, or even Followers or Advocates depending on the success of the SM strategy (Stakeholder analysis and management, n.d.).

Stakeholder Needs

Each stakeholder requires different considerations for this strategy to succeed but the major factors will be communication and transparency (Chen, 2019).

Management and retail staff

It is important that store staff feel a sense of excitement or ownership over a new initiative to ensure engagement and increase chances of success (Half, n.d.). By developing a project management team, staff are given the chance to invest in the projects success as well as demonstrate and receive credit for skills previously unidentified eg photography, social media expertise etc.

For those staff not directly involved with the project, regular communication meetings will be held to share progress and expectations of store staff in promoting SM platforms (see below timeline).

Regular clientele

Current customers will need to be made aware of the developing community and its benefits. As the large majority of current clients are elderly, staff will need to support the use of SM platforms and even devices in-store and online. While this will initially be part of all staff roles, it would be useful to have a tech-support role assigned to someone in the project team. Awareness of the new community can be promoted by word-of-mouth and by hand-outs or business cards displaying SM platform icons, usernames, hashtags and HQ code for easy access (Cole, 2016).

Target clientele (parents of young children & teen audiences)

The targeted new clientele needs to be made aware of the new community across all SM platforms. Again, use of word-of-mouth and hand-out/card strategies will work for the immediate community. Online, it will be useful to follow similar accounts (Civitello, 2018), including libraries and community groups to place Biv’s Books in viewable range of potential customers. Awareness can also be raised by following authors, illustrators and publishers whose books are stocked in Biv’s Books. Finally, by featuring books on each platform targeted for the chosen audience, using hashtags to attract attention and offering staff and client reviews of different books should increase engagement of targeted audiences.

Community groups

Developing the awareness of community groups can be established by liking or following their pages online and by also speaking with organisers face-to-face and leaving business cards or hand-outs. By co-organising or supporting community events physically and online via SM platforms, community engagement should increase as many SM viewers prefer to interact with socially minded companies (Smith, 2012; Joo, Choi & Bayek, 2018). Attending community meetings and offering the use of a community space can also increase community group awareness and connections with the store.

Platforms

Instagram, Facebook & Twitter

These platforms were chosen as they are some of the most commonly used SM platforms (Williams, 2018), easily accessible and easy to use (Adner & Kapoor, 2016). While Youtube is one of the highest used SM platforms in America today (Pew Research Centre, 2019), it was not a practical choice for the business. Instead, Facebook proved to be a consistently high contender, Instagrams’ popularity has grown over the past few years (Alfonzo, 2019) and while Twitter is more widely used by academic and professional demographics (Pew Research Centre, 2018, Statista, 2019).

To ensure increased connectivity, all three platforms have been linked together on each page so readers can access, follow and enjoy each page more easily. The same photographic logo was used across the platforms as can clearly be seen in Appendices 3.1-3.3, as was the development of similar hashtags and usernames to ensure easy recognition of the brand despite varying tones (Civitello, 2018).

Targeted Audiences

Instagram

According to Pew Research Centre (2018), Instagram is used most commonly by 51% of people aged between 18-29 and 39% of people in high school and below to gather news and information, making it second only to Snapchat as a trusted SM platform. It is for this reason that this program is targeting teenagers and young adults to increase their interaction with the store and SM. The content will be targeted at this younger audience through posting popular teen and young adult texts with eye-catching, attractive cover designs to capitalise on the high-visual appeal of this platform.

Facebook

Facebook attracts more users between the ages of 30-49 (Pew Research Centre, 2018), a demographic that is likely to already have children (Australian Institute of Families, n.d.) and so this platform has been targeted towards parents with young children. By featuring attractive children’s books with bright colours and staff reviews, offering targeted specials in this genre and connecting with community groups who specifically support various types of family units, I hope to increase the awareness and engagement of this demographic.

Twitter

Twitter attracts a similar demographic to Facebook, with 42% of 30-49 year old users accessing it for news and information, but a further 35% of college students and 41% of people with advanced college degrees rely on it as a trusted information source (Pew Research Centre, 2018). As such, and assuming that this demographic is made up of academics and professionals, the targeted audience is professional adults with an interest in reading for pleasure.

Why not email?

While Smith (2012) suggests that Millennials prefer advertising via email, the above three platforms were chosen over email communication because they are three of largest SM platforms in the world at this point in time, meaning they are three of the most accessed applications on smart devices, allowing for immediate and easy usage. Additionally, each possesses the capability for viewers to contact the page managers directly with comments, questions or complaints without the need for email accounts or additional windows (Ogechi, n.d.).

Risks and Strategies

Butow, et. Al. (2018) point out that although the above platforms are becoming more and more popular, there is a risk of oversaturation and content being lost amongst the masses. It is therefore, necessary to develop a comprehensive SM plan to ensure the success and individuality of the pages, as demonstrated below.

Cullins, Jarvey and Gardner (2018) discuss the dangers of image licensing online and that incorrectly credited or used images can result in enormous fines or account closure. As an immediate necessity, I would investigate Creative Commons and the related legislation in order to protect the store and the SM platforms (Appendices 4).

Timeline

First (1 month)	Soon (2-3 months)
· Project summary: § Identify aim § Identify stakeholders- stakeholder analysis § Determine project leader/s and support staff § Investigate publishing permissions and processes · Research book shops on various platforms and compare what works and what doesn’t · Develop holding statements to use across all platforms eg Closed due to… · Review platform analytics at end of month · Develop written timeline for SM development · Determine tone, theme and content for EACH platform · Determine linking element for branding across platforms; logo/colouring/layout/hashtag? · Create a content calendar-new release dates, sale dates or promotions/events · Experiment with content during this time to determine style/s receiving most activity	· Review analytic data from each platform at the end of each month · Review and add to written timeline for SM development · Begin to develop detailed content strategy with aim in mind- new-look store, relaunch and 25 year anniversary content · Add to content calendar · Connect with community groups on SM to discuss partnership events- invite to 25 year relaunch
Later (6-9 months)	Eventually (10-12 months and onwards)
· Continue to review analytic data at the end of each month and record any high-achieving posts · Adapt content strategy depending on audience response · Review SM timeline and add/adapt depending on achievements/setbacks · Invite the community to offer suggestions on new stock/interested topics/who they would like to see more of in the store · Invite community members and staff to contribute book reviews and stories about the 25 years prior (memories).	· Approach local authors to offer reading space for promotions- livestream portions or collect questions from the public for author to answer · Encourage staff to provide reviews on books within the store-livestream/photos/tweets

Creating the sites

Butow, Herman and Walker (2018) provide a detailed explanation on how to establish Instagram as a driving force behind business. By applying these concepts to SM as a whole, I aim to establish a professional, accessible and attractive SM presence across multiple platforms.

In an effort to keep the platform content simple and consistent, I chose to post the same content across all platforms to begin with. This was done by manually posting on Twitter then setting up the same post on my phone for Instagram, which also linked to the BivsBooks Facebook account. By posting to Facebook and Instagram at the same time, I was able to reduce the time spent on developing and sharing content. I did not like the Share option for Twitter on the other platforms as it is only sharing a link and does not include images or videos.

The ‘Business’ style profile of Facebook was chosen to separate the page from the ‘Standard’ pages used as personal pages. Additionally, it allows for readers to view and contribute reviews, events and community connections in clearly defined sections of the page, rather than trying to crowd them all together.

For inspiration on content, I researched similar accounts across all three platforms and collected data on the types of posts each account used, their varying sizes and analysed the more successful methods of communication, e.g. posts with images versus posts with links (Appendices 2). I was able to determine which methods already in use would be suitable for experimentation on the chosen platforms (see commentary in red, Appendices 2). I also researched academic articles on social media marketing and found that posts with images and invitations to respond to posts increases the interaction rate of a page while posts with a higher number of hashtags were accessed more often (Lies & Fuss, 2019). As a result, I adjusted the content on the platforms to reflect their target audiences, e.g. Facebook is targeting parents of young children (Appendices 3.1b) while Instagram directly targets a teen audience (Appendices 3.3a).

Marketing

By tying the SM launch with the 25 year relaunch and redesign of the store, there rises opportunity for complete rebranding, which is something that can be utilised across all platforms, including SM. By ensuring a consistent flow of information across all platforms, the store provides viewers with a familiar, recognisable brand, no matter the context (Civitello, 2018) and personalised content at targeted audiences should increase the interact of those audiences with the corresponding platforms (Smith, 2012). Additionally, by linking the rebranding with the grand opening, the business is provided with an interest piece or event to gain further interest from the local community (Appendices 3.1a & 3.2a).

Studies have found that sharing or posting about community events (Joo, Choi & Bayek, 2018), posting positive emotional messages on social media (Lies & Fuss, 2019) and purchases that support or help others (Smith, 2012) elicit the most engagement from users. As part of the content calendar, I intend to schedule regular uplifting images or messages and announcements about community involved events (Appendices 3.1b). This also provides an opportunity for further connections to develop between the store and targeted local community groups.

Civitello (2018) suggests examining and specifically determining who you ‘follow’ on SM as this can influence your audiences likelihood of following similar or the same groups, and vice-cersa for audiences of other accounts. Appendices 3.1c and 3.3b demonstrate the types of accounts Bivs_Books has followed in an effort to create links with the online community. Appendices 3.1b demonstrates two posts that make contact with the community in different ways; the first offers a discount in-store in return for SM likes, follows and attention, the second brings to the attention of the audience an issue in the community and an avenue for donation, from which the page does not profit at all, except for in gaining traffic.

Issues

Creating a Professional Facebook page was quite simple, as I could do it directly from my personal profile. Unfortunately, Instagram proved to be more difficult. I was required to create a new Instagram account, after much searching, then convert it to a Professional Account and attach it to my Instagram App as a secondary account. Additionally, Instagram offers to connect the new Professional Account to Facebook but each time I tried this, when I went to Facebook, the attached page appeared as an error. After much perseverance, I was able to link the two.

Like Instagram, I was required to create a new account on Twitter and then link it to my original account. The difficulty here is that I also had to create a new email account as mine was already linked with an account and cannot hold more than one account. One way around that is to enter your mobile number, so long as it is not already linked to your personal account. Also, I investigated becoming ‘verified’ on Twitter as it seems that most genuine businesses have the little blue badge, however, a notice on Twitters Help pages says they are no longer accepting any new applications, I suspect due to an overwhelming number of current applications.

In trying to create a branding across all platforms, I had difficulty in lining up the Usernames across platforms as ‘BivsBooks’ was taken on Twitter and ‘Bivs_Books’ was disallowed on Facebook due to the underscore. As such, I settled on ‘Bivs_Books’ for Twitter and Instagram while the Facebook page is recognised as ‘BivsBooks’.

Evaluation Strategies

As seen in the Timeline, there are multiple opportunities for evaluation of SM platforms and content strategies via analytic analysis to support and enrich the business (Half, n.d.). Utilising the analytical tools on each platform, regular assessment by owner, project leader/s and project team will determine the success rate of each platform in a) increasing community group engagement and involvement and b) how well it has engaged with its targeted audience, e.g. the number of followers attracted in certain demographics. Eventually, SM platforms will also be assessed as a whole in how they are impacting sales and foot traffic.

References

Adner, R. & Kapoor, R. (2016) Right tech, wrong time. Harvard Business Review, 94(11), 60-67. Retrieved from: http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=118866680&site=ehost-live

Alfonzo, P. (2019) Chapter 4. Instagram in the library. Library Technology Reports, 55(2), 33-44. Retrieved from: https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/docview/2186951579?accountid=10344

Barbara, A. (2017) Getting started. In The no-nonsense guide to project management. 49-70. Fecat. dio: 10.29085/9781783302055.003

Butow, E., Herman, J. & Walker, C. (2018) Instagram for business for dummies. Retrieved from: https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/instagram-for-business/9781119439813/03_9781119439813-intro.xhtml

Chen, J. (2019) 7 social media trends to watch in 2019 [blog post]. Retrieved from https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-trends/

Civitello, A. (2018) Seven steps to smarter social. Public Libraries, 57(3), 11-12. Retrieved from: http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lih&AN=130352885&site=ehost-live

Cole, L. (2016) Bibliotech as the re-imagined public library: Where will it find you? Paper presented at: IFLAWLIC2016-Columbus,OH, Connections. Collaboration. Community. in Session 213- Metropolitan Libraries.

Cullins, A., Jarvey, N. & Gardner, C. (2018) Who owns that Instagram pic? Hollywood Reporter, 424(6), 42-42 Retrieved from: http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=127898883&site=ehost-live

Half, R. (n.d.) Employee engagement strategies. Retrieved from: https://www.roberthalf.com.au/management-advice/team/employee-engagement

Joo, S., Choi, N. & Baek, T. H. (2018) Library marketing via social media: the relationships between Facebook content and user engagement in public libraries. Online Information Review. Retrieved from: https://www-emerald-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/insight/content/doi/10.1108/OIR-10-2017-0288/full/html

Lies, J. & Fuss, S. (2019) Factors influencing the success of social media posts: A quantative analysis of over 60 million Facebook posts. Journal of digital and social media marketing, 7(2), 137-147. Retrieved from: https://www-ingentaconnect-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/content/hsp/jdsmm/2019/00000007/00000002/art00006

Ogechi, A. (n.d.) Contemporary issues in social media marketing. Social Media Marketing. Retrieved from: https://www-taylorfrancis-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/books/e/9781315563312/chapters/10.4324/9781315563312-21

Pew research centre (2019). Social media fact sheet. Retrieved from: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/

Smith, K. T. (2012) Longitudinal study of digital marketing strategies targeting Millennials. Journal of consumer marketing, 29(2). Retrieved from: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/07363761211206339/full/html

Stakeholder analysis and management. (n.d.). Stakeholder analysis toolkit. Retrieved from: https://www2.mmu.ac.uk/media/mmuacuk/content/documents/bit/Stakeholder-analysis-toolkit-v3.pdf

Statista. (2019) Global social networks ranked by number of users 2019. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com.statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-numbers-of-users/

Williams, M. L. (2018) The adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in academic libraries: A comparative exploration. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science. https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.1177/0961000618788725

January 22, 2020

INF506 Module 6- OLJ Task 18: Thoughts for the future

OLJ Task 18: Thoughts for the future

Choose one of the resources above and write a 400 word analysis that addresses the following issues:

What is the potential for the future of an organisation you are familiar with?

What impact might the future have on us as information professionals?

Word count: 403

Article: Innovation and education: Central role of libraries in our digital communities. D.L. King (2018).

King (2018) noted that Centennials, a population that has never been without the internet, are beginning to enter the workforce while, behind them, a new generation are entering schools with an even more ingrained knowledge of technology and the internet. King (2018) also notes that as part of the ‘4^th industrial revolution’ the development of handheld devices and compatible software is on the rise and implies that these are a foundation step towards something more in technology, with 85% of jobs in 2030 having not been invented yet. As such, education must adapt in order to prepare students to become informed global citizens (Foley, 2017) for a future that is as yet undetermined (O’Connell, 2013).

Potential:

Already, the development of large-scale technology-based assessments (Christensen, Shyyan & Johnstone, 2014, p.23-31; NAPLAN Online), the inclusion of digital technologies in the syllabus and integration of technology in classrooms and the curriculum (NESA, n.d.) have demonstrated the ability of the education sector to adapt to change.
By establishing an inter-connectiveness between technologies used in school and at home, schools are acknowledging the rise in digital normalisation (Lee, 2013) and supporting students in developing transferrable skills that can be used outside of the education environment and in future careers.
School libraries are already developing online digital catalogue systems for students to access books online at any time of day or night (Craver, 2002), there has been an increase in the development of student investigative skills to determine fact from ‘fake news’ (Cook, 2018) and a focus of ethical understandings and cyber safety in students when engaging as digital citizens (Combes, 2019) in education standards (NESA, n.d.).
The use of this technology inevitably means an increased digital presence in classrooms, for example the use of Google Classroom and Google Drive as apart of learning, encouraging students to take increased ownership of their education (Plotinsky, Oct 10, 2019).

Impact on information professionals in education:

New roles may develop as technology continues to do so, for example, social media monitors or committees.
New skills and training may be developed or required, as will programming changes and school plans.
Ongoing upgrading of technology and software programs to ensure student skills development and engagement continues.
Online social skills development may become part of the curriculum as education addresses ethical and safety considerations online.
Integration of new technologies, for example AI into programs and classrooms.

References

Christensen, L., Shyyan, V. & Johnstone, C. (2014). Universal design considerations for technology-based, large-scale, next-generation assessments. Perspectives on language and literacy, 40(1), 23-31. Retrieved from https://primo.csu.edu.au/permalink/61CSU_INST/cbhpm/proquest1514905016

Cook, H. (2018) School library shelf life under threat in cyber era. The Age, Melbourne. Available from https://www.theage.com.au/

Combes, B. (2019). Information- change and issues: Barbara Combes. ETL401-Introduction to teacher librarianship- 201960. Retrieved from https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42381_1&content_id=_2899453_1

Craver, K. W. (2002) Creating cyber libraries: an instructional guide for school library media specialists. Available from https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/00330330310500775/full/html

Foley, R. (2017) Spread of fake news prompts literacy efforts in schools. St Louis Post- Dispatch. Available at https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/spread-of-fake-news-prompts-literacy-efforts-in-schools

Lee, M. (2013). Digital normalisation, school evolution and BYOT positioning in the school library. Retrieved from https://www.asla.org.au/resources/Documents/Website%20Documents/ACCESS/Access-Commentaries/access-27-4-commentary.pdf

NESA- NSW Government Educations Standards Authority. (n.d.). Digital technologies and ICT resources. Retrieved from https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/learning-areas/technologies/coding-across-the-curriculum

O’Connell, J. (2013) RDA for school libraries: the next generation of cataloguing. ACCESS. Available from https://www.asla.org.au/resources/Documents/Website%20Documents/ACCESS/Access-Commentaries/access-27-3-commentary.pdf

Plotinsky, M. (Oct 10, 2019). Creating a classroom culture of shared ownership. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/creating-classroom-culture-shared-ownership

Social Media College. (n.d.) The social media revolution. https://youtu.be/1qpcdywb6Hw

January 21, 2020January 22, 2020

INF506 Module 5- OLJ Task 13: Information trends

OLJ Task 13: Information trends

Watch the video and identify five (5) examples of ‘shifts’ or trends that can have an impact on how individuals behave as a digital citizens. Then outline (in around 400 words) how you believe these behaviours can impact on the need for, and development of, information policy in organisations to address these behaviours. You may wish to explore these from either a user/customer perspective or employee/employer perspective, or a combination of both, and you may wish to consider this task within the specific context of your own library and/or organisation, or you can address this task in general terms.

Word count: 434

1) 28% of 18-24s use social media as their main source of news

2) 54% of Facebook users only use their mobile to access the platform

3) 88% of Facebook ad revenue and 86% of Twitter ad revenue comes from mobile ads

4) 95 million photos and videos are posted on Instagram every day

5) 3 billion snaps are sent out each day

How can these behaviours impact on the need for, and development of, information policy in organisations to address these behaviours?

Di Gangi, Johnston, Worrell & Thompson (2018) discuss what can go wrong in social media and, from the above list, two things that stand out to me are the risk of over-sharing on social media in an effort to compete with the enormous amounts of content being produced each day and unreliable user-generated content.

As the sheer amount of content posted each day continues to increase, it is important that organisations do not become obsessed with producing meaningless posts to ‘keep up’ with others. Instead, it is important that social media is making positive, lasting impacts on the community and contributing to goals and targets as part of the social media strategy (King, 2015). Developing policy on the type of content and the brand of the organisation is vital to developing a cohesive social media strategy (Rathore, 2017).

Di Gangi, et.al. (2018) warn against the risk of decreased productivity of staff due to preoccupation with social media platforms in the name of work. To prevent this, information policy should include guidelines as to how long and how many posts should be published over a time period and who should be involved to ensure continued staff efficiency in other areas and reduce staff distraction. Additionally, specifying who is involved (manager, committee members etc.) allows for monitoring of post content to ensure that the organisation and brand is being represented in the best light (Di Gangi, et. al., 2018; Rathore, 2017).

With such a high percentage of 18-24s utilising social media as their main source of news there is a risk that unmonitored posts may contain incorrect information, which is then distributed and circulated as fact. This could lead to reputation damage for various parties and infringement of copyright and other laws (Di Gangi, et.al., 2018; Meese & Hagedorn, 2019). As such, the development of factual accuracy in information policies is essential to preventing the spreading of misinformation. For example, implementing fact checking and publishing procedures prior to posting can prevent miswritten facts and avoid implying offence.

Knowing that such a large percentage of revenue is driven by mobile phone usage and advertisement, and that a large number of social media users only use their mobiles to access different platforms, content must be developed to be suitable, specifically, for mobile devices (Rathore, 2017; Adner & Kapoor, 2016). It should be considered on an individual basis, whether or not organisations require paid social media advertising. Bunker (2017), explains in her case study that the ‘Seed Library’ did not utilise paid advertising, but instead relied upon existing and developing networking connections across social media and in the local community with successful outcomes.

References

Adner, R., & Kapoor, R. (2016). Right tech, wrong time. Harvard Business Review, 94(11), 60-67.

Di Gangi, P. M., Johnston, A. C., Worrell, J. L., & Thompson, S. C. (2018). What could possibly go wrong? A multi-panel Delphi study of organizational social media risk. Information Systems Frontiers, 20(5), 1097-1116. doi: 10.1007/s10796-016-9714-2

King, D. L. (2015). Analytics, goals, and strategy for social media. Library Technology Reports, 51(1), 26-32.

Meese, J., & Hagedorn, J. (2019). Mundane content on social media: Creation, circulation, and the copyright problem. Social Media + Society, 5(2). doi:10.1177/2056305119839190

Rathore, S. (2017, August 22). 7 Key steps in creating an effective social media marketing strategy. [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-business/7-key-steps-creating-effective-social-media-marketing-strategy

January 4, 2020January 4, 2020

INF506 Module 4- OLJ Task 11: PLN adoption

OLJ Task 11: PLN adoption

Based on Utecht’s 5 stages of PLN adoption, identify which stage you currently see yourself experiencing and how this impacts on your personal and working lives. Also identify any ‘gaps’ in your existing PLN (ie. areas which you feel you would like to develop further/in the future). Write around 400 words.

word count: 407

After examining Utecht’s (2008) 5 stages of PLN adoption, I would say I am currently somewhere between Stage 4 Perspective and Stage 5 Balance. I usually tend to fall back into Stage 3 Know it all, during the holiday period to ‘catch up’ on everything I have been too busy to do during the school terms. Eventually, though, I realise I am in over my head and taking on so much information at once is not actually benefitting me or developing my understanding on a topic. Also, it takes away from a lot of time spent with family and friends, something that teaching already does throughout the school year and so I have decided to use my holidays to focus on one thing at a time, for example, university, rather than cramming in multiple PLN courses by online providers, as I was doing previously. I am also focussing more on developing my personal creativity over the next 39 weeks via a challenge started on January 1 in an effort to disconnect from work and develop skills, hobbies and relaxation time outside of work. Hopefully, this challenge will also provide me the opportunity to connect with other creative minds in the local community and start to develop ties that keep me grounded.

Gaps

Reading and Writing

I would like to refresh my knowledge on the infants reading and writing strategies as well as find a refresher course for Focus on Reading- a course I completed many years ago and have not had the opportunity to use since. From memory it was very useful and I would like to have the tools to take on a full time class if and when necessary.

Science

I also plan on developing my Science toolkit this year as I have taken on Science RFF one day a week across multiple stages. My goal is to make these very short periods of time engaging and rewarding for students so that they come in quickly, settle and are excited to learn for that one hour.

References

Utecht, J. (2008). Stages of PLN adoption. Retrieved from http://www.thethinkingstick.com/stages-of-pln-adoption/

December 20, 2019December 20, 2019

INF506 Module 4- OLJ Task 7: Embracing a Library 2.0 ethos

OLJ Task 7: Embracing a Library 2.0 ethos

Consider the services discussed by Laura Cole in relation to a library or information agency that you know (as an employee or user). Select four key points made by the speaker, and consider how these may be applied to a library or an organisation you are familiar with to help it embrace a Library 2.0 ethos. Write 300 – 400 words.

Word count: 443

In recent times, librarians have had to question the definition of their job role and have been referred to as ‘information specialists’ (Purcell, 2010), ‘gatekeepers of knowledge’ (Ciccone & Hounslow, 2019) and now ‘liberators’ and ‘active navigators’ (Cole, 2016). This change of defined role provides librarians with the chance to expand their knowledge base, develop skills and consider functional choices within the library space. Time and resources can be spent in new ways, rather than just sourcing, stocktaking and maintaining physical resources (Novonty, 2017).

Cole (2016) had some interesting points regarding library digitisation. While she maintained that there would always be those users who prefer paper books, she pointed out that ‘digital (technology) changes the way the patron interfaces with the library’ (Cole, 2016) and used examples of incarcerated juveniles or deployed military personnel able to access library books and articles on devices. This idea can be expanded on to include children and adults living and working in rural environments in outback Australia. By digitising collections, librarians are not disadvantaging those who cannot physically get to a library and removing time limitations, allowing access to information any time of day or night (Cole, 2016; Lee, 2013; Craver, 2002). In my own experience, I have established and promoted two particular digital library programs run through my school; the NSW DET Orbit program and a paid encyclopedia-esque subscription available to students via their school log-in, ensuring both are monitored and protected by the department security and guidelines.

Cole (2016) went on to explain that the digitisation of libraries can open up space that was previously claimed by physical collections, allowing for the development of learning hubs, social hubs and access points. Additionally, due to the variety and global availability of many sources, a collection can reach across multiple mediums, allowing more accessibility to various interests (Moroni, 2012). These spaces are already being developed into learning hubs for BYOD programs in schools (Adams, 2012) and ‘makerspaces’ (Dunford, 2016). Personally, I have begun to reduce the number of paper books in my school library and have set up multiple workstations in the resulting space while allowing for flexible seating and interactive learning. I intend to investigate makerspaces in the near future to determine the necessity and usefulness in my library.

Finally, I particularly liked the use of the Bibliotech emblem as an HQ code. It was eye-catching, identifiable, allowing for a cohesive look across the brand (Civitello, 2018) and very practical for digitally aware and conscious users. I would consider employing this in my school library, particularly for the older students in an effort to encourage them to access the library database and online content at home.

References

Adams, H. R. (2012). Bring your own device (BYOD) and equitable access to technology. School Library Monthly, 28(8), 25-26. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/docview/1491084812?accountid=10344

Ciccone, A. & L. Hounslow (2019). Re-Envisioning the Role of Academic Librarians for the Digital Learning Environment: The Case of UniSA Online. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 16(1). Implementing online learning: Stories from the field, Article 11. Available at https://ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp/vol16/iss1/11

Cole, L. (2016). BiblioTech as the re-imagined public library: Where will it find you? Paper presented at: IFLA WLIC 2016- Columbus, OH- Connections. Collaboration. Community. in Session 213- Metropolitan Libraries.

Craver, K. W. (2002). Creating cyber libraries: an instructional guide for school library media specialists. Available from https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/00330330310500775/full/html

Dunford, H. (2016). Makerspaces in libraries (Library technology essentials). The Australian Library Journal, 65(2), (132-133). DOI: 10.1080/00049670.1182160

Moroni, A. (2012). Weeding in a digital age. Library Journal, 137(15). Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/docview/1189486012?accountid=10344

Purcell, M (2010). All librarians do is check out books, right? A look at the roles of a school media specialist. Library Media Connection, 29(3), 30-33. Available from https://www.abc-clio.com/LibrariesUnlimited.aspx

December 9, 2019December 20, 2019

INF506 Module 3- OLJ Task 6: Virtual and augmented reality

OLJ Task 6: Virtual and augmented reality

After reading the articles above, write a post of 400 words that considers one advantage of the use of either virtual or augmented reality, and one disadvantage. Discuss in relation to a library or information organisation that you are familiar with.

Word count: 353

At the basis of AR/VR is the idea of creating an environment (Hannah, Huber & Matei, 2019) and allowing people to try or experience new things. In the library context, it is an opportunity for texts to come to life, allowing for better student and reader engagement, for example, Hannah et. Al. (2019) mention the book ‘Ready Player One’, a text about AR/VR that has been made into a film. The idea is already out there and has been for some time, it is now a matter of creating the adaptable technology at an affordable price and disseminating it across multiple platforms with ease.

AR/VR is a combination of books, film and music as well as an extension from there, particularly if participants can alter the environment with their own choices. This opens up the opportunity for countless possibilities in terms of teaching and learning, engagement, exploration, empathy and understanding (Hannah et. Al., 2019). Although there are doubts that AR/VR can completely replace the need for a face-to-face curriculum, there is a place for it in the primary and secondary curriculum, with high hopes for successful integration into higher learning (Hannah et. Al., 2019). Developing staff confience and competency in AR/VR would lead to engaging and interesting units in work in various KLAs with integrated technology that will, no doubt, be a relevant part of the students life soon after leaving school should technology continue down this path

One large disadvantage of AR is that users in libraries are reluctant or annoyed by having to download new or different software to their personal devices to utilise the AR programs and that libraries cannot share homegrown content easily because of technical barriers (Dan, 2019). The lack of immediate ease of use certainly impacts on the popularity of this creative device. However, phone applications like ‘Pokemon Go’ are the first step towards successfully implementing AR/VR into the mainstream population (Dan, 2019). If libraries can adapt and develop programs that allow AR/VR to be easily shareable and accessible, there are countless possibilities and opportunities for new worlds previously only on paper to be constructed and explored.

References

Dan, L. (2019). Create efficient, platform-neutral, web-based augmented reality content in the library. Code4Lib Journal(45). Retrieved from https://journal.code4lib.org/articles/14632

Hannah, M., Huber, S., & Matei, S. A. (2019). Collecting virtual and augmented reality in the twenty-first century library. Collection Management, 44(2-4), 277-295. doi:10.1080/01462679.2019.1587673

December 9, 2019December 20, 2019

INF506 Module 3- OLJ Task 5: Social news sites

OLJ Task 5: Social news sites

Check out two of the social news sites listed above. How do these platforms help you improve the relevance of the articles recommended to you? How could these sites be used in a professional sense? What issues could you identify when using them? Write a post of 400 words in your OLJ.

Word count: 377

Reddit & Newsvine

My initial impression of Reddit was that it was very amateur-looking and disorganised with headlines like ‘Mechanics of Reddit, what’s the dumbest thing you’ve seen someone do to their vehicle?’. Additionally, the layout is very similar to a Facebook or Instagram feed, making it easily accessible to audiences and the joining of ‘communities’ quick and easy, but not something I would count on for current and accurate news. Then, I noticed the like scales on the left and I suppose that the most ‘liked’ story at that point in time gets pushed to the top, which explains the seemingly random order of articles. Additionally, I noticed the brackets to the right of each article, eg v.reddit.it, self.Ask.reddit, en.wikipedia.org, which, I have to assume give an idea as to who has published or contributed to the story. This would influence how legitimate I view the story. Part of the problem, however, is that sites like Reddit and Wikipedia are open to public editing and contribution, meaning people can post just about whatever they like in these forums. It is difficult to confirm the relevance and sincerity of each article without further investigation, however, sites like these could serve a purpose in businesses if you are investigating current trends, info grabs and determine whether or not your product/business/story is being shared and liked.

Newsvine, when I opened it was much more pleasing to look at with its clearly organised sections and, at first glance, I would not have known it was a ‘wiki’. Additionally, the viewer is immediately presented with a different content, most stories relating to politics in some way. It isn’t until you scroll down that you encounter pop culture news. Again, I would prefer to confirm the stories found on this site on my own, but I would consider it more reliable than Reddit simply because of its layout and choice of content. This site could be utilised in business to track political trends, however has little to do with current popular trends and does not, from what I can tell, accept contributions by the general public. I feel like this site would be more utilised by professional business people with an interest in politics and little time to read long, jargon-filled articles.

November 30, 2019December 20, 2019

INF506 Module 3- OLJ Task 4: Twitter feeds

OLJ Task 4: Twitter feeds

Explore two of the Twitter feeds listed above. Write a post for your OLJ of around 400 words that includes the following:

Compare and contrast the Twitter presence of the two organisations. What type of content do the organisations tweet (and retweet)? What audience are they appealing to? Do they appear to be successful? Analyse why or why not.

Word count: 373

UNESCO
1. 1 million followers
2. Share own videos using own hashtag #unescoGC
3. Posting their own campaigns, #WorldHeritage events and human interest stories
4. Uses retweets
5. Audience: general public, activists, potential donors/volunteers
ALIA National- Australian Library and Information Association
1. 8 thousand followers
2. Shares images and surveys
3. Posting about different literary events and days using various hashtags and links to other organisations websites
4. Does not usually retweet
5. Audience: library and information professionals

I would have to say in terms of getting and holding attention, I think UNESCO is more successful than ALIA National, simply because they want people to take action on the things they are presenting so they have used various forms of media on their Twitter feed to engage the short attention span of most people. On the other hand, ALIA National are targeting professionals already working in the industry, not trying to continually entice a new audience, and providing these professionals with opportunities to engage in different programs related to their department.

I think most people would feel UNESCO’s feed is more interesting because of the amount of videos and positive images they have used to bring peoples attention to issues and injustices. By varying their media, they are catering to all kinds of people with various interests and skills. ALIA is more cut and dry, less interactive because it is catering, specifically to the professionals and leading them away from Twitter to gather information.

Additionally, ALIA uses more technical jargon than UNESCO, whose language is targeted toward the general public. In order to engage with some of the ALIA posts, you would have to be aware of or working within the industry whereas UNESCO’s less formal approach could be found to be more appealing to the wider public.

While both accounts use hashtags to group and link their posts, UNESCO reuses their hashtag to make the audience familiar with them, specifically, while ALIA posts different hashtags for each post, I am assuming related to the posts, without any of their own presence represented. By adding their own hashtag to things, other could retweet, not only using the @ function, but also the shorter hashtag, allowing them to potentially trend more regularly.

November 30, 2019December 20, 2019

INF506 Module 2- OLJ Task 3: Reflections on the impact of change

OLJ Task 3: Reflections on the impact of change

After exploring the resources… choose two ways that you see social media has impacted on an organisation you are familiar with. This could be a business, an institution or a government department. Identify the organisation and write 400 words explaining and analysing the impact.

Word count: 361

Department of Education and Training (DET), NSW Government (https://education.nsw.gov.au/) and NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) (https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/understanding-the-curriculum/curriculum-syllabuses-NSW)

1) Curriculum changes- the curriculum has been altered multiple times in its existence. More recently, with the development of new technologies and increasingly prominent use of social media in developed countries, NESA has addressed social media in its standards for senior students:

‘respond to social media texts, for example contribute to a class blog, comment on a social media post’ (Year 11-12, English, English Life Skills, Outcome 6)

This would suggest that the government is recognising that social media is large influence predicted to be a part of students lives beyond their education. By acknowledging social media as a tool for students to develop competencies in, NESA and the DET has begun to address a sometimes outdated curriculum in an effort to provide students with relevant life skills. This acknowledgement of social media, from my experience is beginning to filter into the lower years with ‘cyber safety’ being a large focus in education due to the saturation of personal hand-held devices and access to laptops and therefore, the internet. This has resulted in staff needing to be up-to-date on relevant cyber safety and social media information in an effort to help prepare and protect students, some as young as five, who are now accessing multiple platforms online.

2)The DET has established a Social Media page on their website (https://education.nsw.gov.au/about-us/social-media) detailing which departments use which platforms, including links for the public to follow. I think that this is a very positive step, allowing the public to access caches of information, previous conversations and immediate announcements.

Additionally, the DET has developed a specific ‘Social Media Policy’ and ‘Social Media Toolkit’ to support staff development of professional social media accounts, provide guidelines for expectations and behaviours and to provide avenues for complaint or issues that arise either via social media or as a result of social media in schools. By establishing itself on these social media platforms, it has provided the world an example of what the DET considered acceptable conduct online, and can be held to account should this conduct be breached by employees of the DET.

References

Department of Education and Training (DET). Social media policy, implementation procedures, November, 2018. Retrieved from https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library/associated-documents/social-media-procedures.pdf

Department of Education and Training (DET). (2019) Social media. Retrieved from https://education.nsw.gov.au/about-us/social-media

Department of Education and Training (DET). (2019) Social media toolkit- education week 2019. Retrieved from https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/education-week/teacher-toolkit/communications-toolkit/social-media-toolkit