Report from the Field: Seriously Social

Live report from  ALA Annual Convention in New Orleans by Jeffrey Scherer, FAIA

Program: Seriously Social-Leveraging Social Media

Key Points from the Presentation; Kolene Allen @suckahpunch (Grand Rapids Public Library): 

• Definition of Social Media: just an ability, through many formats, to talk to each other. Conversation can be off-topic, not organized and off topic. It can also be fun, intelligent and meaningful.
• Start to listen to what they want instead of talking to them. Join the conversation they are already having. Not simply “announcing things.”
• If you are not on social media, you are not on the internet.
• 456 tweets per second (when Michael Jackson died); 4000 tps when Obama announced that Osama Bin Laden was killed
• Twitter used for keeping up with information; answer reference questions; what you are already doing with your “followers.”
• Follow your followers. Need to follow someone “back.” It is respectful–showing that you care. Repeat “nice tweet” with friends. @mentions allows you to keep track of what people are thinking and saying.
• Direct messages for personal information. Some people will not come to your library; they will only interact with Twitter.
• # tags is the way to keep the information organized.

Key Points from the Presentation: Facebook (David Lee King from Topeka Public Library)

• Edison Research found 51% of Americans 12 and older are on Facebook; 50% log in everyday; 130 friends; 8 request a month; 40 times a month; 23 minutes each visit; connected 80 community events and groups; 90 pieces of content per month; 30 billion pieces of content per day.
• What to do : facebook.com/page. Create your organizational page. Shorten your name (like Topeka Library)
• Status Updates: news, events, fun information, fun research questions (useful information for free.) Interaction allows to understand what customers want. Discussions tab is not used much–mainly use comments on status updates.
• Blog post and twitter can be fed to the Facebook page. Facebook tracks impressions–allows one to understand how many people are seeing content posted. Top referral site is Facebook–not the main website.
• Facebook is primarily for “engaging your customers.”
• Plans and strategies: who will do the work and assign it (and it goes in their annual review); use a team; who will answer the questions; set one year (short term goals) like how many fans in one year; establish audience and type of content; set content to the demographic; like button is important–on a blog because it goes to all “friends.”
• Facebook insights: shows trends, daily active users, breaks down by sex and age, cities, who is clicking on places on FB, external referrers, impressions by post with feedback.
• Important: 1) actually tell people about your page, 2) post things are designed to encourage conversation, and 3) remember who you represent (you represent the library not yourself.)
• Nothing is private–if it is on the web it is public. If you can no say it to someone’s face don’t say it.
• Facebook and Twitter is real work–be prepared to have staff assigned; it is important work (most important conversation tools in use today); real training is important. Work on engagement.
• Real return on investment. It is fun! It is the “real library.”