Facebook Applications

 

Group members

 

• Matthew Daley
• Marilyn Ochoa
• Laura Jordan
• Jan Swanbeck
• Christy Shorey
• Raimonda Margjoni
• Hank Young
• Jason Fleming

 

Goals

 

Creating a presence and integrating our services into Facebook

 

Resources

 

1. Hottest Facebook groups for librarians
2. Search a library catalog directly from Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=2414276217&b
3. PSUL Search app for facebook http://apps.facebook.com/psulibrary/

 

Ideas

 

Develop Facebook apps to enable OPAC and database searching

Communicate with patrons through Facebook

 

Post meeting ideas:

 

Create a generic 'UF Library' profile 

Have the student assistants friend the library

Advertise the profile on the UF homepage

Create survey questions to identify what users would want in a UF Library facebook application

 

Food for thought:

Regarding addition of IM apps to our Facebook profile:  Our UF Ask a Librarian service has many users who have added us as friends, numbers below.  Please note that not everyone who chats with us makes us their friend so it isn't totally reflective of our chat numbers.  (mno 10/04)

AIM-31, Googletalk-104, Yahoo-27, UF Jabber-3.

 

Research Information 

 

I read quite a few articles on the best ways to promote the profile, and the emphasis was always on making sure that the profile is constantly being updated. This way, it will stay in the student assistants 'News Feed' section, and their friends will see it when they click on their pages. What we need to identify though is:

 

1. what information this is going to be
2. who is going to update it

 

Meetings

 

I'm good to meet most days, apart from Wednesday 2-4.

What's everyone else's availability like?

 

Available:

Matthew	M-F (except Wednesday 2-4)
Marilyn	M/W am, T pm
Laura	Wednesdays are best, and my Outlook calendar is up to date for other days
Jan	M am, Th. pm.,Fri. am. My outlook calendar is up to date - I go to lots of meetings so it's best to check it.
Christy	Not Mon. 11-12, or Tues. 3:30-5 pm. Otherwise, I'm flexible. Like most, my Outlook calendar is up to date.
Raimonda	My Outlook calendar is up to date. No Fridays after 2:00 pm.
Hank	M-F (except Mon. 2-3, or Thurs. afternoon)

 

 

News

 

Facebook, Accel and Founders Fund Launch fbFund; To Give Grants To Facebook App Startups

Google To “Out Open” Facebook On November 5

Too Much Information: Security Concerns for Users of Facebook, MySpace 

Using flyers within Facebook to advertise our services

 

Facebook has rolled out its new ad system, and it's something of a privacy nightmare at the moment. Basically, if you purchase something from a site which is partnered with Facebook, and you don't opt out, then details of the transaction will show up in your mini feeds. 

 

You can read the links below for more details:

 

How facebook beacon works: http://civ.moveon.org/facebookprivacy/beacon_demo.html

Info about the ramifications of facebook beacon: http://www.ideashower.com/blog/block-facebook-beacon/ and http://www.ideashower.com/blog/facebook-beacon-two-weeks-later/

 

How to opt out of facebook beacon:

 

1. Download and Install the BlockSite plugin for Firefox.
2. After restarting Firefox select ‘Add-ons’ from the Tools menu.
3. Click the ‘Options’ button on the BlockSite extension
4. Click the ‘Add’ button
5. Enter http://*facebook.com/beacon/* into the input box
6. Click ‘OK’
7. Click ‘OK’ again and you are good to go.

 

 

University Of Michigan did a survey about libraries in social networks, and found that 77% of students didn't care for or wanted libraries in Facebook or MySpace. The biggest reason behind this was that they felt the current methods (in-person, email, IM) are more than sufficient. 14% said no because they felt it was inappropriate or that Facebook/MySpace is a social tool, not a research tool.

On the upside, this means that 23% of respondents said 'yes' or 'maybe' they would be interested in contacting a librarian through these two sites. Additionally, the positive response from undergrads was at 34%.

 

Interesting article from 'The Guardian' about Facebook: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jan/14/facebook

 

Updates:

 

Contacted Binky Lush at Penn State on 11/09 to ask coding questions allowing us to embed the catalog search within facebook, rather than having it launch in an external window.

Contacted Systems 11/14 to establish a uflibrarian@uflib.ufl.edu account and email group for facebook to notify the (to be determined) people that there had been a question etc asked on Facebook. 

Talked to Logan about hosing the facebook catalog app on one of our php servers.

 

I'll be following up on all these outstanding requests today (11/27)

 

Check out this library use of Myspace:  http://www.myspace.com/levyteenspace