As an active user of social media, both personally and professionally, I commenced this subject with a strong understanding of popular Social Networking Sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. My initial goal was to learn better how to strategize social networking within my workplace, making use of social networking tools and technologies as an Information Professional (Moore, 2019). Reflecting back to my very first blog post, Assessment 1: OLJ Creation and First Entry, I realize that the assignment experiences, Facebook discussions, resources and readings in this subject have led to a deeper understanding that has to exceed my initial goals. This subject has enabled me to grasp a richer understanding of concepts, theory, and practice of Library 2.0 to be able to critically examine the features and functionality of various social networking tools to meet the information needs of library users in my workplace. By engaging in the readings, I have become more acutely aware of social, cultural, educational, ethical, and technical management issues that exist in a socially networked world, and how information policy is developed and implemented to support such problems (INF206: Social networking for information professionals, 2019).
Even though my views on social networking, and what it means for the future of libraries and information organizations, have not changed, Module 4 provided me with insights into various strategies and responsibilities required to successfully implement Social Media in the workplace, specifically the Makerspace Instagram account, @ilmakerspaces, that I currently manage. It wasn’t enough to post a photo or video and expect the engagement to happen automatically. As Mariano (2011) states, “social media is a conversation. It’s a way for folks to talk about anything in public, ranging from current events, life’s successes and failures, or even about our passions like sustainability (para. 2).” It’s just another way for people to have a conversation, and conversations are very dull when the person who initiated the conversation isn’t talking back. When analyzing Social Media accounts for OLJ Task 4: Twitter Feeds, it became apparent that the most successful accounts were those that shared other accounts, replied to comments and were commenting and liking other people’s posts. Taking these techniques on board in the workplace, I have found that the Makerspace Instagram feed has increased in engagement, with one post receiving 110 likes, where the average is usually 30 likes. As I continue managing this account, I will continue to utilize these techniques as well as trial more in the future.
While working through the modules, I explored and engaged with several different tools and platforms. I have realized that, I am more confident with certain types of social networking platforms than others, for example, I personally found platforms, such as Twitter and Tumblr, awkward in the format of their feeds and I have trouble navigating, as there is a lot happening on the page at once and I tended to get lost. I thought this was interesting as I have no trouble navigating Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram. Perhaps it was due to never having used these platforms before and only had an academic interest in them. I understand, however, that my personal preferences should not affect my professional preferences in the use of Social Networking tools and platforms, and they should be selected based on providing the best user experience.
I found participating in the online Facebook Group very useful for sharing information and current events. This brought a sense of connection to other students that isn’t typically present when studying online. It also provided me with a valuable opportunity to network with other information professionals and learn more about their experiences and opinions by sharing articles, links, and photos. The only negatives I found were because I was using my personal Facebook account, posts were often lost, and I didn’t engage as much towards the end of the subject, instead, focusing on my Online Journal entries. The other negative I found was there was a lack of interest to engage in the discussion from the group. Others were posting their own comments on the topics; however, they weren’t engaging with other people’s comments.
Through this subject, I have found that, even though the notion of Social Networking has a large number of applications and opportunities, there are simultaneously potential risks and issues to consider. It wasn’t until I read “What We Post Online Is Forever, and We Need a Reminder” (Fineman, 2014) that, through the sea of memes, discussions photos and videos, the risks and issues of using Social Networking became clear. Fineman (2014) states that “…everything that comes out of your brain and onto the web from you has your name on it. That’s it– it’s your name, and your personal brand on the line, and your career (para. 9). Growing up with Social Networking as a norm, I have become blasé, lulled into a false sense of security in regards to privacy and digital shadows when engaging online, and I feel my understanding of privacy has grown. As I continue my Information Professional career, I need to take this more into consideration the terms and conditions that I am agreeing to and the data it can potentially share.
The process of regularly constructing and contributing to my Online Journal (OLJ) helped me to process and analyze the subject content in real-world situations. The OLJ Tasks provided me with the opportunity to interact with the information in the modules and investigate further readings and resources available. My passion and confidence for WordPress became both a strength and weakness for the designing and construction of my blog, as I spent a majority of time deciding between themes, images, widgets, and menus to provide a positive user experience instead of focusing on the content. However, once I finalized the design, was able to focus on the research when writing up my posts as my previous work experience had already provided me with experience in writing, editing, and publishing posts. I thoroughly enjoyed contributing to my OLJ regularly, however, did find some topics to be outside of my field of interest as an information professional, which in turn reflected on the quality of the research conducted. I also found when Assessment 2 was due, I deprioritized the OLJ and had a small gap where I didn’t post anything because I had no time to write Blog posts.
I feel that, out of all of the subjects I have completed so far in the Bachelor of Information Studies, INF206’s subject content and readings have been most relevant and transferable into my current workplace, especially in regards to Assessment 2. I love research, and I love Social Media, so the experience of conducting research for Assessment 2 was a positive one. My issue was, I had too much information. The difficult task of cutting 5000 words to 2000 words was not pleasant. However, it did contribute to my understanding of working in a social environment. The skills obtained when completing Assessment 2 have given me a willingness to be flexible and adaptable, taking on new approaches when necessary, which has dramatically helped when writing proposals in my workplace by helping me plan ahead so I can offer new suggestions when something isn’t approved. Most importantly, Assessment 2 has allowed me to gain confidence in exploring social media platforms for my workplace and have a greater understanding of strategizing social networking tools and platforms.
Overall, INF206 has expanded my knowledge and skills in Social Networking technologies and tools, as well as taught me insights, techniques and strategies that are transferable to my current career as an Information Professional. INF206 has also taught me the importance of libraries having an online presence designed to cater to their diverse community. Moving forward, I hope to refine these new skills and apply them to my workplace, hopefully improving the library service. I hope to stay in touch with other students in this subject to hear how they have utilized their own unique skills and knowledge within their academic and professional journey.
References
Image Credit: Photo by Hannah Olinger on Unsplash
Fineman, M. (2014, November 24). What we post online is forever, and we need a reminder [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.inc.com/meredith-fineman/what-we-post-online-is-forever-and-we-need-a-reminder.html
INF206: Social networking for information professionals (2019). Learning Outcomes. [Subject Outline]. Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website: https://outlines.csu.edu.au/delivery/published/INF206/201930/W/D/INF206_201930_W_D-version_1.pdf
Mariano, J. (2011, October 31). Social Media is a Conversation [Blog Post]. Retrieved from https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2011/social-media-conversation/72346
Moore, C. (2019, March 10). Asessment 1: OLJ creation and first entry [Blog Post]. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/theacademicjourneyofchloemoore/2019/03/10/assessment-1-olj-creation-and-first-entry/
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