Thing #12

I am behind as I thought I would be, so I am rolling several together and I shall do the same again later int he week :-).

Thing #12 putting the social into social media, reflect on how you put the social into your social media use.
I started using twitter and being more social on facebook after doing these tasks in last years CPD23, and while I was very wary at first I now love my social media, so much I am currently looking into a phone that allows me to keep my access to twitter etc while I am out and about, to lift it from my work computer or home computer to a life tool! I started very carefully and didn't sign up for loads of tweets, I haven't signed up for everything and sold my soul on media, but I am gradually finding my first non work task is to check twitter, my last task before bed is check facebook and then sign out and shut down, My interaction with the 'real world' of library has increased. I asked a twitter friend for an idea and he sent me some, I loved it and shared it to colleagues and found out the twitter friend is a cutting edge guru! and I just found him nice and useful! I chat to all sorts and it has helped my professional side as well as playing the pun books game Friday lunchtime with @scottishbktrust and I see articles like this http://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/2012/08/how-many-new-libraries-are-being-built-3.html which is so part of the wider profession, keep abreast of this while living further north than Moscow, and being closer to Oslo than London is hard with out social media. As a mentor I am keen to promote interaction with the wider profession, we do get locked in our little boxes, Public library highland, school library highland, long way from anywhere, long dark winter nights, wrap up warm and no one understands! Being a part of the rest of the library world isn't a location thing anymore and we can gain so much from social media, and be able to contribute no matter where we are.

I did plan to roll several things together but now I will leave this to stand alone. Social Media isn't a toy but a tool to open the world, and to participate in it.