Thing #16 MySpace...how about Facebook?

I know. I am supposed to create a MySpace profile or even a page to complete this thing. I just don't want to. I've seen plenty of MySpace pages and I've done the behind-the-scenes for another more-engaging social networker Facebook. So let's talk FB, shall we?

One remarkable difference between the two online networkers is that in FB practically everybody uses there whole name. MySpace profiles are many times pseudonymous. FB has a sleek look where MySpace gives users the flexibility to impose backgrounds that bring on motion sickness and at the very least irritate.

Privacy will always be an issue in the online sphere and FB is no different. Friends can look at whatever you decide to put on your page. A good rule to follow: if you don't want people to know do not put it online. You may think it funny to post on your FB wall that you are wasted yet again on a Tuesday morning but that ill attempt at humor may have unforeseen ramifications. Take care to present yourself on the web the way you would like to be seen. Someone may misinterpret information you provide even if you make the good effort but you will at least control what lies in your hands.

So far the greatest benefit I have found from FB is the application Scrabulous which allows you to play Scrabble with your friends. All else is fluff.

Thing #15 Social Networking Library

Should VBPL be a part of the online social networking scene? Hmmm...

I'm not so sure. Do people want to be in touch with the library in this kind of format? Would I want to "friend" my library?

There are libraries out there that have successfully delved into MySpace and seem to be benefiting from the involvement. Denver Public's Evolver and Hennepin County's MySpace page both seem to be thriving in the volatile world of teenage online relationships. I would be curious to know what kind of practical benefits the library systems are reaping frpm the maintenance of the website. If you'd like a little more insight into the benefits/costs of libraries involved with MySpace let me recommend two classmates who recently wrote reports studying this phenomenon.

On the flip side the staff time commitment would be minimal and the benefits could be substantial. Find a small team of two or three people who already have MySpace accounts, give them a couple of hours to create a snazzy looking site and then pull content from other sources to fill in the holes. If we ever get a blog (Hint!) then the posts could be put in two different places to maximize exposure.

At this point I wonder if we should let go of the MySpace idea and turn attention towards Facebook. Isn't everyone on the move to the next cool thing?