12. Explore MySpace and Facebook

I'm sure you have heard of Social Networking sites - and not necessarily in a positive light. Popular sites such as Myspace and Facebook have been criticised for privacy and child safety issues.

Watch this introductory video



Myspace is a social networking website popular among teenagers and young adults. It allows people to set up a personal website featuring information about themselves, their interests and activities. You can browse, search, invite friends to connect and interact, share film reviews, make comments, post mail and blog entries, view videos, post classified ads and much more. Myspace now allows video and music sharing, online chat, and can even be browsed on mobile phones.

According to the statistics company Alexa Internet, Myspace is the 6th most popular site on the web, beating Wikipedia, Blogger, Ebay and Flickr. Over 150,000 new Myspace profiles are created daily.

Some libraries have used Myspace to connect with their younger patrons. Read through some of the Resources links below to get an idea of what different libraries are doing in Myspace and what librarians are saying about it.

Myspace Resources

• Myspace site
• Wikipedia entry on Myspace
• Libraries using Myspace profiles aimed at teenagers
• Myspace and teens in a public library
• Myspace sued over child safety, 19 January 2007, BBC
• Myspace tackles teen safety fears, 11 April 2006, BBC

Facebook

Facebook is also a social networking website. Initially starting as a way for college students to connect with friends, it is now open to anyone who wishes to join. People use Facebook to keep up with old friends, upload photos, share links and videos, and find out information about the people they meet.

Originally, the membership was restricted to students of Harvard University but since 2006 it has been open to all. Users can select to join one or more participating 'networks'. Networks exist for universities, workplaces and geographical regions.

In June 2007, Facebook was ranked in the top 10–20 web sites and was the number one site for photos in the United States, ahead of public sites such as Flickr, with over 8.5 million photos uploaded daily. It is also the 8th most visited site worldwide according to Alexa Internet. Time magazine reported in its 3 September 2007 issue that Facebook's fastest growing demographic consists of people 35 years or over.

Facebook Resources

• Facebook site
• Facebook entry on Wikipedia
• Facebook Guide - written by Jenny C
• Facebook's plan to hook up the world
• 12 ways to use Facebook professionally

Your Task

First, have a look at some of the ways libraries are using Myspace.

The second part of your task is to explore Facebook. To do this, you'll need a Facebook account. Register for an account at Facebook.com and join. It will ask for lots of information about yourself, but remember that it is all optional. You only need to give as much information about yourself as you are comfortable giving. Jenny C's Facebook guide has all you need to know about setting up an account, as well as steps to set your privacy settings.

With a Facebook account, you can now search for people. Try searching for a person you work with. You may even want to browse for Victoria University's Facebook network and join it.

Add an application to your profile

Those who wish to explore further, try adding an application or two. JSTOR and Libraries Australia have made search box applications available for users to search for materials whilst logged into Facebook.

• From your Facebook profile click on "Applications" in the left hand navigation bar. It looks like a heading, but it's actually a link to all of the Facebook applications
• Click on the button in the top right corner that says "Browse More Applications"
• At the top of the applications screen you'll see a search box that says "Search Applications" in it. Type "jstor" or "libraries australia" into the box and hit "Enter"
• Click on the application heading to be taken to that particular application
• Click on the 'Add Application' button on the right hand side of the screen
• You will be presented with a list of application options. Tick which you feel are appropriate, then click 'Add'
  

Write a blog post about your thoughts on Myspace and Facebook. You could discuss what implications the use of social networking applications might have for libraries, or what benefit they could bring to libraries. Further food for thought is provided below:

Additional Resources

• Libraries in social networking software
• Social Networking privacy issues
• Social Networking software
• Your guide to social networking online

Next Week

You've all worked pretty hard to get to Thing #12, so next week we're giving you some time out to rest!