Blogging Section of SLA-IT

Blog Post: Scary thoughts on social networking

Keith Shaw in DEMOletter writes:

I know, I was shocked as anyone after discovering that teens don't have much loyalty when it comes to technology sites – according to this Washington Post article, MySpace is so last year.

Millennials are moving onto other things.  Did the companies that have invested in social networking have the forethought to realize that their customer base might move on?  Here today...gone tomorrow?  Of course, the technology will survive, but will the companies?

SLA Feed Reader

I just noticed the SLA Feed Reader today (on the main SLA site under Resources).  How did I miss this?  While I'm a huge fan of Bloglines, I may experiment with this a bit.  I like that the SLA Feed Reader includes a number of one-click-to-subscribe feeds of interest to information professionals (and I should note, this blog is included in that content--cool!).  The feeds are categorized into SLA division categories essentially, including for example Catherine's blog under Engineering and Jill's blog under IT.  For those members who haven't started using a feed reader yet, this may be a great way to jump in.  I added a couple of feeds easily and it appears to import OPML files as well (an OPML file I'd recommend is this one created for coverage of the Internet Librarian conference).  So check it out!

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UPDATE:  I should have checked the press releases--the SLA Feed Reader was just announced this week and utilizes the NewsGator reader.  Read the full press release.

Walking Papers: Bonus Questions

Aaron (Walking Papers) did SirsiDynix Institute program recently entitled "Engaging Youth on their Own Terms:  Instant Messaging and Gaming in Libraries."  With more questions asked than could be answered live, he and Sarah (Librarian in Black) answered some in a blog posting.  Questions range from:

How do I convince my library that it is safe to post pictures of events online (especially of teens), and to allow kids to do podcasts, etc.? My library is soooooo litigation scared.

to:

Do you have suggestions for helping school districts understand the BLOGS shouldn’t be blocked by filter…reason “personal page” - go figure!

and even include:

What is a blog?

And good answers, especially for public librarians.

Popularity of blogs

Quoting Knowledge@Wharton:

About 57 million American adults -- or 39% of Internet users -- read individually authored web logs, or "blogs," according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which does surveys to track Internet use. About 12 million American adults, or 8% of Internet users, keep a blog.

The article then goes onto talk about how professors at Wharton are using blogs, not only to stay up-to-date by reading but using them to teach.

Al Gore Speaking at SLA 2007

SLA just announced that former Vice President Al Gore will be speaking at the annual conference in Denver.  How cool.  More information about the conference will be available on the Denver conference website.

Seeking Content for b/ITe

The IT division is seeking content for its publication, b/ITe.  The next deadline for articles is November 20.  If you are interested in contributing, please contact Patty Phipps (patty dot phipps at library dot gatech dot edu).  Contributing to b/ITe is a great way to become active in the division and share your thoughts with others.

Blogger Featured in SLA Member Profile

Upon opening the September 2006 issue of Information Outlook, I was delighted to see that this month's member profile features Jill Hurst-Wahl.  Jill has been an active contributor to this blog since its beginning.  I had the pleasure of meeting her at the Bloggers Get-Together in Baltimore and look forward to working with her as she takes on the role of 2007 Blogging Section Chair for the IT Division.