Thing 8: Google Calendar

I’ve been using Google Calendar for years. I don’t consider it to be an amazing tool, but it does the job, and it has a few distinct advantages:

• It’s online: I can access it from anywhere I need to (as long as I have a connection of course). This became much more useful once I joined the smartphone world.
• It’s free. This one speaks for itself.
• It’s user-friendly: I can do what I need to do on it without much hassle or a steep learning curve; well done, Google.
• It’s integrated into my Google account: This helps because it’s within a single-sign-on login with other tools I use often, like Gmail, Reader, etc. Simple is best.
• A lot of people I know use it: The Achilles heel of Google+ (as I mentioned in my last post) is one of this tool’s biggest strengths. I can synchronize my calendar with those of friends and loved ones, and see them side by side in the same interface. I can also easily turn other calendars off with a single click to avoid clutter, and turn them right back on when I need the information. With data, the key is not just about having access to as much as possible, but being able to control what you don’t see a swell as what you do see at any one time.

As far as negatives, adoption in the business community is the main one. My employer uses Outlook, which means I have to keep up two calendars, especially if I want to keep my personal life private. I did use Google Calendar Synch for a while at one job, but I found that the synchronizing algorithm was losing some entries on both ends, Google and Outlook, and I could not find a solution to the problem (and neither could our IT department). Since I’ve gone back to keeping separate calendars, I’ve come to appreciate the value of keeping my personal appointments off my work calendar to avoid clutter. Another solution would be to keep two Google Calendars, professional and personal, synch the former to Outlook, and make them both viewable on a single Google account. This would eliminate the need for double entries, but that just seems like a lot of work and does not solve the missing events problem. A far more elegant solution is to use the calendar on my Android smartphone and feed both Google and work calendar information to it. This is what I do right now.

As far as libraries using the tool for scheduling purposes, I think it has a lot of potential for all of the same reasons listed above. A library could create internal and external Google accounts, and share them appropriately with staff and the general public. Imagine if a student was able to access an academic library’s calendar directly from his smartphone calendar application rather than relying on a browser and the library’s ability to optimize its website for mobile devices or even the various types of browsers that are available. By outsourcing that work to Google, the library would greatly enhance its ability to reach patrons and educate them about services and events in user-friendly way.

Thing 7: Real-life Networks

Networking has always been a mixed bag for me. As an introvert I prefer reflection or deeper, meaningful interactions with a select group of people and absolutely abhor “small talk.” This leads to trouble when trying to make those initial connections, although once I know someone I am a good listener and a strong communicator. Despite my personal difficulties, I do think there is a lot of value to these interactions in terms of honing one’s beliefs and message and learning about new trends, ideas, etc. My significant other is quite outgoing and a strong networker, and we have benefitted greatly from her extensive network in many ways, from career and job connections to that free pair of tickets to a great show, and everything in between.

Professional organizations are a useful tool for finding connections. Yes, they can be stuffy, or elitist, or bureaucratic, but they give us access to people. Can I find ways to contact those people outside of established channels? Yes, but time and energy are limited and we all have a lot to do, so any mechanism that tilts the odds in my favor is OK with me.

In the library world, I am a member of the American Library Association (ALA) and the New York Library Association (NYLA). The MLIS program at Syracuse is designed to enhance networking opportunities, which is great given that most students are distance learners. Most classes have some sort of group or individual project component, and many assignments require partnering with a local library or establishing a connection with a stakeholder in a library. In addition, the school offers to pay for the students dues in a professional organization during the first year they take part in the program. This is how I ended up as an ALA member, three years ago. In terms of involvement, I will be attending my second conference in a few days; the first one, held in my hometown last year, was a great opportunity to hear a lot of great ideas and participate in discussions about the specific topics that interest me within librarianship. I have also expanded my membership to include LITA, a group within ALA concerned with technology topic.

My membership in ALA provides me with opportunities to meet people, hear ideas, and participate in discussions that help me progress in my professional development. Now that I am looking for work in the field, I look forward to exploring other organizations that are more closely related to my specific corner of librarianship, like the ACRL (a group for academic and research libraries).

Thing 6: Online Networks

Online networks have been around for a long time, although they have become mainstream recently with the success of MySpace, Facebook, and others. For a long time, they were mostly clustered around a single interest, and could be very insular and protective of their own (they were called newsgroups at this point). Acknowledging that one was a participant in one or more newsgroups was mostly construed as a sign of a lack of a “proper” social life, at least in my personal experience. You found friends online because you couldn’t find them in the real world.

Over the past decade or so, the expansion and increased acceptance of online communities has led to radical changes in how many people interact with their world. Did I just eat lunch at a cool new restaurant? I better get on Facebook or FourSquare (or both) to let my network know that I did (and if I am the first to discover this gem, so much the better). That will tide me over until I can get home to write a more detailed review on Yelp. I could take my best friend there for his birthday, which is… em… well… no matter; Facebook will remind me in plenty of time to make reservations. Still, that’s a lot to get done, and I have only an hour before I have to meet up with some buddies inside Battlenet for a rousing game of Diablo III (and I better be on time, because there’s no way finishing Act II’s main boss without some serious help).

I tend to single-thread my online networks: Facebook for social interactions, LinkedIn for career and job search tasks, Google+ when I want to talk to my programmer friends and that one college buddy who makes a living writing AD&D campaigns (this would be a joke, except that seems to be everyone I know on Google+). I am not a big Facebook user, but many of my friends and family members are, so I find it to be a very useful way to talk to people. I don’t use it for professional contacts because I like to share more on that platform than I think coworkers and bosses need to know, and perhaps more importantly, so do my friends. Another reason for my use of Facebook is that my significant other is an avid FBer, so being on the network helps me stay up to date on the lives of mutual friends, planned social activities, pictures of the kids, etc.

I find Linked in to be a great resource for career purposes; it’s designed around professional interactions and job searching, and as some other posters have pointed out it has a knack for swimming to the top of search results. I use it as a resume showcase, for industry-centered discussions with colleagues, and as a source of information on my field through the use of groups. I also use it as a networking tool; whenever I’m interested in a company or organization, I look it up on Linked In to see if I can create an introduction to someone there via my network (I learned that one from my SO).

Being a Google fan, I tried to give Google+ a chance, but my use of the network is minimal at this point. The problem is adoption; a small subset of my social network is active on it, so it doesn’t pay to abandon Facebook. When it first got started I had a bit more free time so I tried to keep both going, but if I only have time for one post, it’s not going to be on G+. It’s a shame, because I really do like the interface (more so than Facebook) and I think the tool was an innovator in the industry, as it may yet be again. As I’ve heard say many times, it’s not that Facebook beat MySpace; it’s that MySpace won first.

Overall I have a positive view of social networks and I plan to continue using them. The main frustration I have is this fragmentation across populations and/or time, and the lack of compatibility. I’d love to use Google+ for social interactions, but critical mass just isn’t there for me. Facebook is the current king, but at some point it will go the way of MySpace, and we will all have to start over again. I’d love to see an effort within the industry to provide portability standards for online network information, so that all of the content that we’ve put into one network isn’t lost forever when we switch to the next. We managed to do something similar for cell phone numbers, and we’re working on it for medical records; it would be nice to have compatibility in this area.

Thing 5: Reflective Practice

Over the course of the last few weeks, we’ve discussed several social media tools. As a general rule, I’ve been familiar with and a user of most of them, Storify being the exception. In completing some of the reading and posts, however, I noticed a pattern in my use of these tools: I mostly consume information and rarely participate in a conversation or put forward my own information stream. It seems that, even though the tools may be Web 2.0, personally I am still operating in 1.0 mode. This is a significant issue because it is the cooperative and conversational aspect of Web 2.0 that makes this paradigm so interesting and promising in my eyes.

Part of the problem is that my life has been busy enough that I don’t have a lot of time to reflect and work out what I want to say, but there’s also a part of me that is intimidated by the idea of putting my thoughts out to the world. I don’t really know what qualifies me to blog, or tweet, or storify (is that a word yet?). A cursory glance at some of the information streams out on the Web should convince me that lack of qualifications is not something that will necessarily stop people from publishing, but in my head I still think in the old model, where authorities speak and the rest of us learn. I should say, while trying not to skip ahead to Thing 6 too much, that I am much more active in “closed” social networks like Facebook, Google+, etc., or at least I was until I started my MLIS program and had a couple of kids. I believe that is because I am communicating with people I know, which makes me less apprehensive. I figure my friends and “friends” are much more likely to find what I’m broadcasting interesting or useful, so the whole enterprise seems like less of a waste of their time (and mine).

While I think there are some negative consequences to the conversational free flow that is the hallmark of Web 2.0, such as data growing in a weed-like and feral state across the Internet, I believe that the ability to start and join conversations with people regardless of physical location has enormous potential for transforming the world in positive ways. However, it doesn’t seem to me that I am doing my part to encourage or benefit from that development. My decision to sign up for CPD23 was actually driven in part by a desire to change the way I approach social media, so this post is one way in which I am applying lessons learned in this reflection exercise. My plan is to continue to blog and use some of the other tools   I am familiar with (and others we will discover in this process) to augment my Web presence and get myself comfortable with the conversational Internet.

Thing 4: Twitter, RSS, and Storify

I have been using Google Reader to organize my RSS feeds for a few years now, and I have found it invaluable. Instead of having to visit many different sites to find new content, I just fire up Reader and here it all comes in one neat package. In addition, if one blogger runs up against an issue and takes a break from posting for a while, I don’t have to waste time checking their site regularly. The tool has also made my job search easier, as I can set up many different targeted searches on certain sites (like Indeed or Simply Hired) and watch the results come in. Instead of checking the searches periodically and having to figure out which postings are new to me and which I already saw, I use Reader to do the heavy lifting. The use of categories makes it easier to focus on the specific feeds I am interested in at a particular moment in time, like job searches, library information, entertainment, etc.

Twitter, on the other hand, is something I don’t feel I’ve used to its full potential. I’ve had an account that I use to follow feeds of interest, but I’ve had trouble keeping up with it (as I have with Facebook) as life has become increasingly busy over the last few years. I feel that Twitter and Facebook almost require being constantly connected in order for me to keep up with all of the content being delivered. This is why I find TweetDeck so useful. I use it to segregate feeds into categories, so that it’s easier to pluck out the ones I’m interested in. While I very much enjoy the humorous musings of @blainecapatch and @meganamram, if I can only check once during the day and I’m interested only in joblist postings, I can check the appropriate column on TweetDeck and ignore less critical feeds. At this point, however, Twitter is almost exclusively a consumption tool for me, and I want to do a better job of unlocking its potential for two-way communication.

Storify is new to me. I played around with it this week, and I like the interface, but I haven’t yet figured out how this is so different from embedding media in a blog post. Yes, it’s easy, and the integrated search makes it even easier, but it’s not a game-changer as far as I’m concerned. I will explore some more, but for right now, I don’t know that it provides enough improvement over other platforms, even for those of us who are not PHP experts.

Comparing the tools, even though I use Reader the most, I think Twitter is the one with the most potential because it can do all of the passive consumption that Reader can (as long as adoption of both methods is comparable for content creators), and it offers the added dimension of being able to have discussions about the content (or anything else). As far as Storify is concerned, I see it as a potential alternative to blogging platforms, but not one that I feel is a need-to-have at this point.

Thing 3: My Personal Brand

I’ve been blessed with a pretty unique name, so I wasn’t expecting many crossed wires when I looked at my online presence. Indeed, pretty much all of the results linked back to me. Also, there wasn’t much in the first few pages that wasn’t professionally related, which I expected since I tend to keep my professional and personal brands separate and I am rather guarded about my personal information. I keep Facebook information out of search engines, and I keep my Twitter account anonymous for now (I use it strictly for following other accounts anyway).

The one thing that surprised me was how much information about me doesn’t come up on searches. This blog, for example, doesn’t show on Google. My professional portfolio site is nowhere to be found, and neither do several others that I created for various MLIS projects. My LinkedIn profile is right at the top of the list, as is a Pathfinder LibGuide I made as part of an assignment for my reference class a couple of years ago. After that, there are links to a few comments I left on other people’s blogs, and a bunch of government documents that I filed when I worked for a real estate developer (off-topic, but nothing damaging). The main takeaway from this exercise for me is that I have some work to do to highlight all of that content I’ve been putting online about my library interests and achievements.

Here are some other lessons I learned:

There are differences between various search engines. I used both Google and Bing, just to see what each would return. Both engines return my LinkedIn profile at the top, but after that they diverge. Bing shows two old posts from this blog’s previous incarnation, followed by a comment I made on a baby blog and the LibGuide mentioned above. Google ignores the blog and goes right into the baby comment and LibGuide, followed by some entries from Google+. So, depending on what engine a person users, they may be able to find this blog quickly, or not at all. That does not sound promising for my budding blogging librarian career!

Names matter. My full name is Leonardo, but I usually go by Leo. Remember when I said that my LinkedIn profile is the top search result on Google? Well, that assumes you use Leo, which is the name I use for that account. Use my full name, and LinkedIn is off the top page entirely, which is a bit of a problem because I tend to use that variation on my resumes and cover letters. So name consistency matters. I’ve now changed my LinkedIn profile to include both, but Google hasn’t figured that out yet (more on that in a moment).

Online brands are difficult to manage. When I first moved out to the West Coast many years ago, I caught a show by an up-and-coming Southern California band. I became friendly with one of their members, and ended up having some pictures posted on their site. It’s nothing bad, but certainly not a professional image of me. There is a reference to me being there and how I got to meet them as well, which could be considered a bit risqué even though it’s perfectly innocent. Because the blog used my full name, it’s been on my top results page on Google ever since. I never asked them to remove my name from it because I didn’t see any harm in people seeing it, but it goes to show you how easily an online brand can be polluted by the actions of third parties.

If you are curious about what that site says about me, just Google my name and find the link in the results. I’d link to it here, but that may well increase its algorithm score and keep it around even longer.

Cache-ing is forever. I mentioned that my Linked In account did not have my full name attached, which hurt my visibility. Well, I changed that a few days ago, and I’m still not seeing any changes, and the same thing goes for this blog. I changed the name when I signed up for CPD23, and yet Bing is still showing it under its old tagline. So even if I take action to repair or focus my brand, it doesn’t mean Google cares, at least not for a while. So the lesson is, it’s easier to build your online brand the right way than to change it later. I guess it’s like tattoos in that way.

Thing 2: Investigate some other blogs

After looking at some of the other blogs in this program, it looks like many of you out there are in the same situation as me as far as wanting to have a more significant online footprint but not knowing how to do that: what to talk about, how to differentiate yourselves from all the other blogs, how to let go of that apprehensive feeling you get when you put yourself out there. Finding fellow travelers feels good, and makes dealing with these issues easier. It does wreck my plan to own the “apprehensive but curious neophyte blogger” persona. : )

I left a few comments out there for some of you. It felt good to offer my support, even if all I could do was to agree with a particular thought or congratulate others on putting themselves out there. This doesn’t feel like a conversation quite yet, but I am looking forward to more engagement as the program continues.

As far as blogs I read outside of this program, I am working on updating my blogroll over to the right there. For now, I’ve added links to my top three library-related blogs:

• I find David Lankes inspiring and intimidating all at once. His is the blog I go to when I am feeling conflicted about becoming a librarian, or my enthusiasm ebbs a bit. One of his videos is enough to keep me motivated for a while.
• I read Jill Hurst Wahl’s digitization blog to stay up to date on digital librarianship. I find it to be a key source of information on all things digital (in the interest of disclosure, I should say that I am a former student of Jill’s). I also find great advice on more mundane aspects of librarianships, such as creating a professional portfolio or running effective meetings.
• I’ve seen references to David Lee King’s blog in a few posts for the CPD23 program. I find him engaging and thoughtful. I have also gained a healthy amount of respect for the Topeka and Shawnee county public library system and their willingness to implement rather progressive ideas for library services.

After looking through the blogs that are part of this program, I am looking forward to all of the great posts and conversations in the months to come!

Thing 1: Blogs and blogging

I’m in a bit of an in-between world right now: I completed my last MSLIS class in December, and I’m looking for a job as a Librarian, which may not come for a while given my lack of library experience and the state of the job market. I’ve spent a significant part of my time during the last three years thinking about librarianship, and I want to continue thinking and refining my ideas. I saw the post about CDP23 starting up, and I thought it would be a great way to help myself focus on library-related topics. With a full-time job, a job search, a cross-country move, and family obligations, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to give myself prompts to think and write about the kind of Librarian I want to be.

I have a strong interest in Web 2.0 and the ways in which web technologies and applications are influencing or being influenced by libraries. I have thought a lot about digital libraries, virtual reference, user-generated content in libraries, the whole ebook issue, and similar topics. I want to share those thoughts with others who share my interests, and hear what they have to say as well, especially given that I am new to this field. I think CPD23 is a perfect vehicle for those conversations to happen.

I also want to give myself a blogging structure so that I can get into a solid posting rhythm. I tried to start this blog when I began the Master’s program, only to find that I didn’t have a lot of free time and that I struggled to find my librarian voice. I also couldn’t escape the feeling that I was the tree falling in the forest where no one can hear. I am hopeful that this program will help in overcoming those obstacles.