Social Networking Slideshow

Social Networking sites are basically sites where you can connect with family, friends and colleagues. You can publicly post messages to your friends, share calendars, spotlight your favorite music, or play games.

If social networking is all about connecting with friends, why should libraries be involved? These sites have become a major online destination for a large segment of the population. The average My Space visitor spent nearly 30 minutes on the site per visit in December 2007, while the average Facebook visit lasted for nearly 20 minutes. How much time do users spend on your Web site? It's not that everyone in your community using Facebook will want to become a fan of your library's Facebook page. But, if you make the search box for your library's catalog available to Facebook users, they might embed it in their profile.

Even if your library never intends to build a presence on My Space or Facebook, this week's exercise will give you an opportunity to see why so many people are using these sites. It's a chance to have some fun with Facebook and see if you already have friends who are using it.