LISTSERV 16.5 - JESSE Archives

>>The distinction is this: e-mail lists ask you to "follow the group." A group of folks with a common interest gather together electronically and talk. jESSE is an example. So-called "social networking" sites ask you to "follow the individual." Look at ME!! See what I have to say!!<<

Social networking is not solely an egotistical enterprise. Many such sites are based on or hope to encourage shared interests. In my own local frame of reference, for example, I see Facebook pages for theIndiana State Library; IU SLIS-Indianapolis; the school's student organization (ALISS); the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library, its Assistive Technology Room, and its Foundation; and a local advocacy effort to save our public libraries, some of which are on the chopping block right now. These are just a few pages on just one site, and they are all about outreach. The importance of social networking to library advocacy probably cannot be overstated right now.

The distinction I draw for students studying marketing as a library management tool is that on social networking sites the message is the target, while on e-mail lists the subscribers are the target. Using both (and all communication tools available to us) is essential to our success.