Oh social media, what would I do without you? Some real work, sceptical coworkers might suggest. But truthfully I can't imagine doing my job without using online social networks and tools. Some examples:
1. Cataloguing can be an odd and lonely occupation, but through Twitter and blogs and mailing lists and live forums etc I am able to talk to fellow toilers at the bibliographic coalface and feel a bit less isolated. (Special mention to Céline and Venessa and their high visibility cataloguing crusade!)
2. I 'do' social media for my workplace (mainly Twitter at the moment), and I can see it adding value to our work on a daily basis. Via Twitter I have: answered enquiries, promoted our services to hundreds of followers who have then told others about us (gotta love that retweet button), made useful contacts not only personally but for colleagues and the library in general, and been alerted to hundreds of events and projects that I wouldn't have otherwise known about.
3. I'm a better real-life networker and communicator because of my online activities. Being able to initiate conversation by saying ' I follow you on Twitter...' or 'I enjoyed that blog post you wrote on...' has alleviated conference terror on many occasions, and I feel more connected and confident in general.
4. The social web is democratizing and informal, cutting across job titles and pay grades to connect people who have something to say to each other regardless of their respective real-life roles. It's no accident that not a single online social network I can think of is based on a hierarchical structure...
So yes, I do think social networking creates genuine and productive communities. But as with any community, there's a danger of becoming TOO close. Communities can become insular and members can 'cocoon' each other in a safe blanket of confirmation bias, where your only contacts are people you already agree with. It sometimes feels like the entire library universe has embraced social media, and to those of us 'on the inside' it seems a natural and obvious fit - a perfect way for a diverse profession with a commitment to sharing information and knowledge to connect across barriers of geography, bureaucracy, hierarchy and personality (some of us are still conforming to the shy librarian stereotype, after all...)
But in reality, not everyone is at the party. And I think we do need to be aware of the self-selecting nature of the voices we hear online. Are we in an echo chamber within an echo chamber, always preaching to the choir? And will my colleagues ever join Twitter and Google+ or will I always be a bit of a freak? Tune in 10 years from now for the next exciting installment, I guess...
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