Category: social networking

I’m back!

Between frantically finalising my portfolio for my Chartership application with CILIP, catching up before holiday, going on holiday, catching up AFTER holiday, running back and forth to vets with a suicidal cat…it’s been a busy month! Not to mention the fact that me and my library are moving to another floor as a result of expansion, which just so happens to occur when I’m on holiday, and means I’ll be crossing my fingers that it’s all packed up properly, then reshelving the whole lot in its new location, whilst covering two offices as my boss is then on her holiday next week…my firm do like us to multitask!

In the meantime, I’ve been reading about Wyoming libraries mudflap girl campaign, Sony’s ‘sexier than a librarian’ campaign, favourite library blogs have been surveyed, virtual picket lines and demonstrations in Second Life, social networking and its business usefulness / timewasting, Enquiring Minds Want to Know has moved to a snazzy new site, The Annoyed Librarian has annoyed many,…oh, it’s a social whirl!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, James Mullan was interviewed for IWR, and kindly mentioned me as a blog he reads…I’m trying to revive my posting to make that less of a futile activity than it has been for the past month!

Also, have had my article on the pros and cons of using a wiki for a Chartership portfolio application published in Impact, the journal of CILIP Career Development Group…although access is for members only. If anyone feels an overwhelming urge to read it, just leave a comment and I’ll work out a way of getting it to you…

Now…off to continue the clearout of ‘stuff’…it’s amazing how things reappear in the library / on my desk when other peoples desks are being cleared…*sigh*

Different Worlds


I love my social media: blog-hopping, forum-chatting, IM-ing…yet there’s a large number of my friends who don’t feature on any of these. They’re not technologically averse, these technologies just don’t fit easily into their lives.

Take one friend for example: she works part-time, has two small children, and a busy family life. She’s got no spare time to spend on forums and blogs…she’d rather just pick up the phone and call me, or send a text! She misses out on little bits of my life that others don’t…my random thoughts and recent events are often posted on my personal blog, and online friends read that, so when I actually talk to them in person, they’re often quite aware of what’s going on in my life. Non-online friends aren’t, and sometimes I almost resent having to tell them about my life, as I feel I’ve already done that ‘work’ on my blog.

I wonder if, as I get more web-based in my social interactions, these friends will continue to be close friends, or whether something has to give? Will it be their lack of online presence, or will I be cutting my online activity down?

Actually, I think I’m already beginning to cut down my online activity: time with friends and family is beginning to win out against wandering the web…my time online’s becoming more focussed, and I’m becoming more disciplined about where I want to spend my time….MySpace is almost never visited, Bebo very infrequently…blog reading / posting time’s perhaps increasing, I think in response…if my friends blog, I’ll read it…but I don’t necessarily want to spend time reading the minutae of their recent activity on a social networking site, I just don’t feel it’s relevant any more.

Ohhh, I’m so backward!!!

BIALL call for papers, Dublin study weekend 2008

BIALL have sent out their call for papers for the Dublin study weekend, Thursday 12th – Saturday 14th June 2008.

The theme is:

BEYOND THE PALE

Planning for the Next Information Generation

Topics they’d like to cover include:

• The future impact of digitisation of data

• Probable trends in respect of electronic resources

• How does information become knowledge

• The growth of globalisation of legal resources

• Will librarians be needed in 2010 ?

You know, I’m even actually considering submitting for a parallel session…what’s the point of being a Web Monkey if I can’t share the fun? Now, to try and work out a topic that I know enough about, that’s useful, and that I can make reasonably entertaining…any ideas?

More information here.

The problem with online ads…

.…is that you can’t control where they’re placed, as First Direct and Vodaphone have just discovered.

Facebook do seem to be quite quick off the mark for technical fixes once they’re pointed out, but if companies can’t currently choose their placement, and if Facebook introduce that ability, I can see fights over who’s paid what to go where breaking out!