Connie Bensen

The value of Twitter has been debated by many. Their opinion seems to reflect the amount of time they’ve used it. I wonder if people who are the most critical have fully experienced it & given it a chance?

I’ve been encouraging some to try it, but it’s difficult to explain. I’d like to share my perspective. When I first registered, I admit to not seeing the point. You need to become involved in the conversation to realize it’s worth.

Just reading there is going to be boring. People’s ‘tweet’s are going to seem disjointed. And if they’re twittering @others, and you can only see their side of the conversation it will be even more surreal.

For me: Twitter = Interaction

Morning news – people post links to the latest news – it’s great reading. Ann Handley of MarketingProfs is doing a great job of using Twitter to expand their blog’s reach. jowyang always has informative links.

Personally interacting with people – Twitter gives you personal insight into to other’s worlds. People express what & why they’re doing things. I enjoy chrisbrogan’s provoking questions. Sass is in social media rehab. Definitely worth a smile!

And as so many have said, it’s a water cooler to check in with friends. Because you get to know these people on a more personal level. It’s not invasive, because you check in when it’s convenient for you. People offer advice if you ask for it & are very generous. I’ve even seen impromptu job postings blip thru! Can you tell that I’m addicted?!

My rule is that if people follow me, I follow them. But if their stream is too noisy & doesn’t provide me with value, then I unfollow them. It’s interesting to note that people I’ve met on Twitter have extended to befriending on Facebook! I think that says a lot.

If’ you’d like to try it, create a Twitter account & choose a short username. Add the people above to get started (I provided links). Add me, cbensen, & I’ll be glad to help you.

Jeremiah Owyang outlines how to use it for your org. & Ann Handley provided 7 reasons why marketers should use it.

There are 3 main things to get started:

1. ‘tweets’ are limited to 140 characters, but you can tweet multiple ones to finish a thought. Posting your blog post is another way to express yourself too.

2. Use @UserName to direct it to someone specifically (but everyone sees it)

3. Direct message allows you to send a private message (but only if they’re following you).

Questions? Let me know & I’ll be glad to help. See you on Twitter!

I have worked in public libraries for 8 years. My role for the past 7 years has been to provide training, leadership & strategic planning in the tech. area. Attending national conferences has also provided a great overview of how libraries are shifting to adopt new technologies in order to stay relevant & appeal to younger customers.

Two things prompted this post:

A reference type question from Suzy, a new friend with a very fun blog (check out that post!)! Librarians LOVE reference questions! so please ask whatever you’d like here on my blog!

Hi Connie
Am writing magazine article on Women & Social Networking with short deadline. Any stats/articles/blogs I can research you know about…?
Readers will be well educated, many professional women interested in alternative views on parenting, but not necessarily confident or informed about the value of social networking for them in their busy lives……
Ideas and research information welcomed!!!

Jeremiah’s timely post on what a librarian from Toronto is teaching jogged my memory!

She was instructing at the University of Toronto, The Social Networking Tools: Hands on Learning, a class designed for librarians and library administrators who want and need to learn how social media, social computing is impacting their world.

I’m going to put my answer to her here because my sense from previous comments on this blog is that people are sharing resources with coworkers. That’s a goal of this blog as with my other one – the open sharing of resources (see? I’ll always be a librarian at heart!).

Librarians have been involved with Web 2.0 for quite awhile & I’m going to share the best resources in case your organization is interested in exploring social media &networking tools. Maybe it’s your job to teach others about these resources?

An entry point: Learning 2.0 – 23 things List from The Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County. Their description: a discovery learning program designed to encourage staff to explore new technologies and reward them for doing 23 Things. Since the program’s launched, it has fostered Learning 2.0 programs all over the world.

If you’re a seasoned in Web 2.0 then I have two prolific bloggers to introduce you to. I have heard both of them speak in person! and they are truly inspirational. They were my introduction to Web 2.0.

• Michael Stephens Tame the Web is a prolific blogger & thought leader. He blends Flickr nicely & has great ideas on marketing with a focus on customer friendly.
• Stephen Abrams – Stephens Lighthouse has great ideas for engaging Gen X & Gen Y’ers, but overall he’s on the cutting edge & his ideas are invaluable for non-profits & education but apply to the enterprise as well because he speaks in terms of Customers.

And I can’t end this without putting in a pitch! Have you been to your public library lately? and checked out all they have to offer! I bet you’d be surprised at the offerings & the new technology. And if you pay taxes, you’ve already paid for the services, so why not use them?

Keep the questions coming! Feel free to ask them here or message me at Facebook. There’s a link to my profile under my photo.