Marydee Ojala
New technologies:
* all things 2.0 – web, library, enterprise, etc – empowerment, sharing, communicating, these are the unifying themes
* social networking/media/software – unclear terminology, collaboration is the unifying theme
* Examples – blogs, wikis, tagging, rss, flickr, youtube, etc, etc, etc…
Implications for research:
* magazines & newspapers are adding info to their websites that don’t show up in their archival versions
* what is a publication? what is saved? what are we paying for?
Social Media for research:
* search.twitter.com
* linkedin
* look for company, product, people names
* particularly good for competitive intelligence
What does it mean for info pros?
* does your management appreciate the power of social? Do you want your boss as a friend? What to do when they friend you?
* does your staff appreciate the power of social? Same questions with staff – do you friend them? What if they friend you?
* do you?
Personal vs Business
* some social tools are useful for research
* you’ll get little pushback when using sites like linkedin, digg, furl, etc
* if downloading software or using java is involved, you may have problems with IT
* keep your personal life out of worklife – did you REALLY want to know “that” about your colleague?
internal vs external?
* will it be inside or outside the firewall?
* etc
common sense
* would you add your library’s collection of proprietary materials to librarything? No…
* would you use twitter to complain about a patron? No….
Appropriateness
* would you superpoke your boss? etc
Social in a business setting
Evaluation: guidelines not different from past criteria. peer pressure … also not just a library thing – it can go way beyond libraries.
Why add these? customer expectations, marketing, sharing info, reputation management, etc …
Recommending: get outside your comfort zone. Not just a library decision… opportunity to join a larger conversation. Talk to your community!!!
Position your library as tech experts and social media experts.
Justifications: some organizations just ban them… Does management even know if you’re using these things?
Enterprise social tools: there are a number of behind the firewall social networking tools, just for an intranet. Sharepoint, yammer, Jive, Vignette are examples.
Ask what problem does this solve? ask what are you trying to accomplish, then how can you best accomplish it? THEN hunt for tools…
Will it survive? As companies get bought out, with economy, etc… Is there tech support? Who owns the data, look at the pros and cons.
Common Objections:
* this social stuff just wastes time – comeback – it’s a management issue, not a tech issue. Doesn’t matter if you got something done because of facebook or because you’re just incompetent…
* invasion of privacy – not an issue…
* security violations – IT says it’s dangerous… Our government has authorized blogging … etc. If government can do it, then we can do it. There’s a map of where Hilary Clinton is traveling
* employees could give away corporate data – another management issue. You have policies in place already – has nothing to do with tech.
* It’s just a fad… Oh, talking to people is just a fad!
* Sarbanes Oxley? another management issue, not a tech issue
Ex – a wiki has nothing to do with credibility. It’s all up to the guidelines for the project – has nothing to do with tech.
These aren’t trivial: don’t be too quick to brand people luddites. Theya re real and serious concerns. some are deal killers, some aren’t. You need to know the difference and be able to explain the difference.
Don’t say Yes, but – say Yes, And…
counter arguments: need to be constructed with the understanding that some of the objections are valid. Understand the tech ramifications of introducing new tech. Management responsibilities include setting policies.
Stakeholders: IT, marketing, HR, strategic planning (ie., some things can’t be shared), managements, etc – there are others… you have to approach each one differently.
Each has different worldviews and worries
Understand dynamics: is your organization risk-adverse, do they like to take risks? Etc.
Business case:
* align with org’s goals
* understand internal decision-making process
* build case based on outcomes
* deflect criticisms in advance
* anecdotes or stats – it depends on who you’re talking to
tailor your argument: timing is important…
Money: everything costs – time, maintenance, etc… ROI, non-monetary benefits…
Delivery – will vary. powerpoint, executive summary, brief narrative, start with benefits (problem to be solved, need or opportunity), then move on to technicalities
management buy-in: never guaranteed. Do you really need to ask permission? Make sure to communicate. No surprises is good managmenet mantra.
Measure success: marketing is essential. measurement over time determines if you should continue. Keep your eyes open for the next new thing.