Facebook

In one of our peer learning Elluminate sessions, a question came up about using the social networking site, http://www.facebook.com/, as a communications and learning channel for Renew Washington.

Many libraries are already using Facebook, Including New Zealand's Dunedin Public Library, National Library of Singapore Facebook Page, and the Smithsonian Libraries, to offer two diverse and active examples. Others are mere placeholders and don't seem to be doing anything. The important thing to consider is if the type of patron you are trying to reach is USING Facebook. Don't make assumptions. Check out the statistics.

Facebook is not a static environment. The tools, policies (particularly privacy policies) are always changing. So it is helpful to follow the work of people who pay attention to these details (remember, you don't have to do this alone. ) An example is a recent post from the Krafty Librarian talking about recent FB changes.

Tips from Facebook's Randi Zuckerberg for Non profits via http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2009/08/reflections-from-mashable-conference.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bethblog+%28Beth%27s+Blog%29:

Don't rely on groups in Facebook, have a Fan page to take advantage of Facebook's viralness. (You can do a lot with the look and feel of your Fan page - see the example of my landing page (or look at the welcome tab if you've already joined). This custom landing page was created by the good folks at Sprout.)
Be a little less "formal" and try a few fun updates and other content that sparks conversations. Randi suggests that having a personality is an asset.
Use video. Groups that post video on their fan pages are typically able to create more personal messages. And those messages are more likely to be shared with others.
Tag liberally. Take pictures at events and post them to their Facebook pages. When they post the images, they should tag the people in the photos — a process that notifies those who are friends of the people that they have been tagged in a photo on a charity’s page. Those notifications draw more traffic and, in turn, more supporters, to a charity’s page.
Incorporate Facebook into your events. If you have a special event, make sure you invite your Facebook fans to the party, too. You’ll probably attract more people — and Facebook will tell all of their friends that they are coming to an organization’s event.

Resources¶

Here are some resources that might be useful to Libraries who are considering using Facebook.

Considering Facebook in the Library (nice case study!) http://www.diglib.org/forums/spring2009/presentations/Boyer.pdf
Different Ways to Use Facebook for Libraries (Community Pages Vs Official Pages )http://librarianbyday.net/2010/05/facebook-community-pages-vs-official-pages-and-your-library-or-business/
Looking at how to do some of the geekier programming things between Facebook and your library's services? Check out http://wiki.developers.facebook.com/index.php/JavaScript_Client_Library

Three Steps to Success on Facebook (for Non Profits) - Hildy Gottleib (more basic social media strategy and how to than Facebook, but good information!

More links on using Facebook than you'll ever need -->http://delicious.com/choconancy/facebook.