Ashland or Bust...

Soon I will be on the road to Ashland to present, Social Media for Libraries: Engaging the Digital Native. I am so excited!  If you haven’t heard, I am a self proclaimed social media advocate. Yes, I am in fact one of those annoying people that talk about facebook like its real life, well because it is. I chat about social media excessively, and am constantly researching and following its changing landscape daily.  As a strategist for Gateway’s facebook page I love engaging with students, using creativity to convey a message in a fun way and interacting with the community at large.

So why am I such a crazed fan? Well there are a couple reasons.

1.       It’s not a fad and it’s here to stay- Social media is not a fad that will soon disappear and you can’t ignore all mention of. In fact, it’s here to stay. Look for these trends in 2011: QR codes, Social Commerce, Geo-location social media, Mobile, Mobile, and Mobile!

2.       The navigation of social media tools are a skill set needed for the 21^st century workforce.  So young students might engage quickly because social media is comfortable to them, but what about nontraditional students who;

a.       Are digital immigrants or…

b.      Have not had access to technology in a diverse way?

Many argue, “They won’t want to use social media tools and will experience a learning curve.” And yes, I agree. However, if we do not teach these students the skills needed to navigate social media outlets we are not preparing them for the skill set that the 21 C workforce demands.

3.       “Innovation favors the connected mind.”- Steven Johnson.  Steven Johnson talks about where good ideas come from. He argues that instead of Eureka! Moments good ideas are actually formed on a lot of small hunches. Guess where those small hunches come from? The people around you, your network and the “connected” mind.

4.       The power of a community. I am very involved in volunteer work and local initiatives. Social media is a way for me to harness my network to help better my community. Whether it’s a coat drive for a local elementary school, a survey for the neighborhood, or a resource needed social media has always pulled through.  Although past efforts in all of these areas have been successful the integration of social media has double numbers, tripled responses and provided an entire new set of resources.

The list could go on and on about my admiration for social, media. We are basically BFF’s. BTW- if you have a new idea for social media or love it as much as I do please leave a comment below.  Also below are links to the resources I am using in tomorrow’s presentation in Ashland. Thanks for stopping by my blog, please come back soon!

The facebook Guide by Mashable
Mom, This is How Twitter Works 
New Spice l Study like a Scholar, Scholar
Library Minute: Top 5 Resources for Online Student
IDEO, The Future of Books

Tess Burns is the Web Services Manager at Gateway Community & Technical College. The opinions expressed in this blog are her own and in no way reflect the opinions of Gateway Community & Technical College or the Kentucky Community & Technical College System.