Tool: Facebook Fan Page

• What:

Facebook is a social networking site used world wide, privately owned and operated, created by Mark Zuckerberg in his Harvard dorm.  The Facebook Fan Page is a space "for organizations, businesses, celebrities, and bands to broadcast great information to fans in an official, public manner. Like profiles, they can be enhanced with applications that help the entity communicate with and engage their fans, and capture new audiences virally through their fans' recommendations to their friends," (Facebook Help Center).

• Why:

How much are Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn Worth? Facebook has been valued at $11.5 billion with Zynga,  the company that hosts games like Farmville and Mafia Wars  valued an additional $2.6 billion. Twitter comes in at $1.4 billion. Time and attention = advertising $$$.

A different kind of valuation: Facebook is, "worth the value it brings in connecting people to each other, exposing the limitations of old media and allows for something of a true information society to flourish." - Lawrence Johnson, facebook user.

*Libraries can use Facebook as a tool to connect our communities and serve up vetted and accurate information to our patrons. 

There were 103 million US based users in 2009 with the largest growth being in the 55+ age range. The largest portion of users are 35 -54 years old. You can use Insights on your fan page to see the age/gender/ geographical makeup of your library's facebook fans.

The Butte-Silver Bow Public Library uses Facebook to share both physical and digital collections, market programming, build community support, and connect with patrons.

• How:

Facebook Fan Pages are connected to individual facebook profiles. Start here (Facebook: Create a Page) to create a page for your library, business, or organization. A Facebook fan page is connected to one person (individual profile)as the creator of the page, but many users can be designated as administrators for the fan page. Setting up a facebook fan page is relatively straight forward.  It is all of the bells and whistles, automation and management that might make it complicated.

Here are some links on how to create your own facebook fan page:
"Humanizing  Your Facebook Pages," David Lee King, 02/09/2010.
 "How To: Set Up a Winning Facebook Fan Page," Mashable, 09/22/2009.
"Facebook Pages Basics - A Screencast," David Lee King, 07/08/2009.
 "Setting Up Your Facebook Page," Tech for Luddites, Elizabeth Kricfalusi, 07/07/2009.


Tip - Creating a vanity url - Increase your pointability! First, you must have 25 fans! You can create a user name based url for your own profile and your fan page by going to (http://www.facebook.com/username/). Be careful when choosing a user name and spell it right.  User names cannot be changed, you would  have to delete your fan page and start over to create a different user name based url. The Butte-Silver Bow Public Library vanity url is http://www.facebook.com/buttepubliclibrary. Now you can use your vanity url  in emails, marketing, signs, business cards, etc.
 
Tip - Linking Facebook posts to Twitter - Automate, Automate, Automate... Automatically tweet your facebook posts.  Go to http://www.facebook.com/twitter/ to link your fan page to your twitter account.  Everything you post on your facebook fan page will then be tweeted automatically.  No double posting!  Interested in further automation on facebook and twitter, learn about twitterfeed.com, my favorite social tool right now.


Con - Notifications and Moderation: Facebook will not provide notifications (by email or on facebook) of activity on your fan page.  If a fan asks a question, posts a picture, likes an update;  you won't know unless you go to the fan page and see it there.   There is also no moderation feature, comments go live immediately, though you can always delete a comment if you ever had to.

Con - Communication: Private messages cannot currently be between a fan and the organization.  If you send a fan a private message it will come from you not the organization. 

• Who: 

Butte-Silver Bow Public Library  (http://www.facebook.com/buttepubliclibrary) Want your own vanity url? See the tip above to learn how.
Montana Office of Public Instruction, Superintendent Denise Juneau The OPI has over 600 fans in less than a month of being on Facebook (03/02/2010).
Montana State University Libraries The MSU Libraries have incorporated Flickr and Worldcat into their page. 

 Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library The Topeka Library has created facebook aps that allow you to chat with a librarian and search the catalog right from facebook. You might also note the "Donate" tab where a donation to the library is just a click away. 

BCR  Their vanity url is cute: (http://www.facebook.com/bcrluvslibs). 

Do you want endless examples of library facebook fan pages?  There's a facebook group for that: Libraries Using Facebook Pages. 


Next Post: Tool: Twitter

Tool: The Blog

• What:

 A blog (contraction of the term web log) is a type of website maintained by an individual or organization with regular entries of content (events, commentary, links, resources) usually shown in reverse chronological order. The ability of readers to interact by leaving comments is an important part of most blogs. A blog can be used as a primary website, be embedded within a larger website, or act as an add-on to an library's web presence.

• Why:

Blogs can act as a space to humanize the library's web presence.  They can be a code-free way to refresh content and post up-to-date information. Provide an informal space for public to interact with eachother and with the library.   

Tip - Blogs have RSS feeds that you can easily use to push the content out to other social networking tools. This process can be automated. 

Tip - Search engines index the web, including your blog.  You can feature resources you want found with posts and tags and make it easier for your patrons to find library resources even when searching from the Google search bar.  You can push information out where your patrons are and bring  them back to your website and catalog from your blog.  

• How:

 Choosing Blog Software: There are many different options for what blogging software you choose to use. I've worked with Wordpress, Blogger, and have been learning Drupal (a full CMS).  I'd recommend Blogger for those concerned more with content rather than style, those just wanting to get started, or those with little to no web experience. Wordpress might be best for those with some web experience and wanting more flexibility.  Drupal would be best for those with solid web skills and wanting to fully integrate the social nature of the web into their website. A wiki could also work for some blogs, especially those with many contributors and focused on discussion and collaboration.  I've used PBworks successfully.  Also take into consideration creating your blog in the "cloud" or hosting it on your library's server. 
Other people have weighed in on the blogging options:

"Blogging 101: Which Blogging Software Do I Choose? " CMS Wire, Eric Brown (07/09/2008)

"Blogging Options for Educators" Support Blogging.com (active Wiki in support of educational blogging)

Use your blog to... Promote a special event at the library. Highlight an underused resource.  Introduce a new staff member. Tell the library's story. Review a new book. Display local history. Explain a new library policy. Request feedback from your patrons. Market the library's value. Push the face of the library into the blogosphere. 

Get 360 support from staff: Define how blog fits with mission and goals of the library. Ask different staff members to contribute different content.  Tell the entire staff about blog and have them promote it to the public.

• Who:

Blog as website: Butte-Silver Bow Public Library (Wordpress) Comments are not permitted but links to Facebook and Flickr in the sidebar give space for community interaction.

Blog embedded within website: Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library (Drupal) Within the homepage a number of blog like posts are featured. See the scrolling content: Featured, Books, Guides, Movies/Music, Gallery, Kids, and Teens.  Each post shows the librarian blogger, allows comments, has tags and RSS feed.

Blog in addition to website: The Missoula Public Library while having a relatively static website (I've heard rumors of a digital branch in the works) has links in the sidebar for Facebook, Twitter, and their blog.  The blog is simply called Blog: Missoula Public Library (Blogger). Here is a post promoting an email reference service and the anonymous comment that followed.   


Next Post: Tool: Facebook Fan Page