Facebook and Connections

Scott is becoming more active on Facebook, but is unsure of what exactly it will do for him.  Meanwhile, I'll happily admit that I passed into the realm of Facebook addiction long ago (well, at least six months ago).

I'm now a fan of two libraries on Facebook, and I recently downloaded the PubMed search application.  That seems handy for sharing articles, but for a "real" PubMed search it still makes sense to go straight to PubMed.  This could change, of course, and it will be fun to keep up with how librarians utilize Facebook to build new services and reach more people. Many bloggers do this now, but I tend to dip in and out of the comment stream.

So at the moment I have no idea how librarianship will change because of Facebook.  But I do know how my personal relationships have changed, and this is why I keep going back to it.

On Facebook I can play Scrabulous (and lose)...or decide not to play Scrabulous when I get multiple requests in one day.  I can see that one friend just wrote a review of a new cafe on Yelp; I can discover that another friend going through a difficult time could really use a hug.  Or I chuckle at the funny status updates (Helen  is great at those).  Perhaps I'll find out that someone 3,000 miles away is getting a new drivers license, and I wholeheartedly empathize with what is probably an interminable wait at the DMV.

At the UCSF Library more and more people are getting Facebook accounts. Sometimes you learn things about people that they feel comfortable broadcasting on the web, but would never say in person. But because it's "out there" now, you have a new avenue of conversation and a new way to get to know your colleagues.  Or, if you're like me you announce that you're looking forward to San Francisco Restaurant Week on Facebook--and then forget that you said anything to anybody. Then, when a colleague asks where you plan to go for dinner, you have no idea how they knew your plans!

Is Facebook essential to  any of this? No; all of what I described above could easily be communicated in myriad other ways.  But--for some mysterious reason--the linking agent of Facebook makes certain information shareable that would otherwise not be shared.  Nobody would email that they're going to get their drivers license renewed, and most people would only send a text message to close friends while they are waiting at the DMV.  But in the context of Facebook such a tiny tidbit is easy to share, and easy for others to relate with. 

Concerns about people being sucked into the machine are severely overblown; online connections are a natural complement and stimulus to more meaningful in-person ties.  This is what all social networking sites (not just Facebook) have to offer.

Comments

[Jane]

So, how do you choose between Facebook and Twitter and other services? Is it realistically possible to keep up everywhere with everyone?

[Marcus]

I defaulted to Facebook, to be honest. No real selection method...although twitters on my cell phone does seem too intrusive. Plus, I like the eclecticness of what comes across Facebook profiles.

There's probably no way to keep up everywhere with everyone, and of course there's something to be said for "unplugging" and getting away from it all every now and again

[Dean]

I agree with you again. :)

The other aspect that hasn't been mentioned is that librarians may lose their scholarly orientation if they are twittering or facebooking all the time. Web 2.0 tools can trigger ideas and knowledge-making but we need to make the time for prolonged thinking and writing to advance our field, less we become too technicized.

Dean