Module 6: Dolly34501 has signed on.
Ahhh social media. This is something that has been apart of my life for about fourteen years. It all started with AIM instant messenger. Back then I was known as Dolly34501. I remember in fifth grade we'd pass notes in class that said to write down our screen names. Then I'd rush home, log on to my family's desktop computer and add the screen names of my classmates that I collected that day. I would wait until I heard that little ping sound that meant someone signed on and start chatting.
This was my first step into social media.
The second step was when my sister, Emily, told me it was time for me to make a Facebook profile when I was thirteen. It was the summer before 8th grade and I was always curious about why my sisters were always on this site called Facebook. I had no idea what it was but since I am the youngest sister, I always wanted to do what my sisters were doing. So one day Emily asked me if I wanted to make a profile and of course I said heck yes! I was thirteen and wanted to be cool like my 17-year-old sister. Of course I'd do this!
I remember feeling so lost on Facebook when I first joined. I would post on people's walls not knowing that other people could see it, I'd accidentally add people, I'd post statuses that were so so stupid. Like this one:
Why did I think people need to know this?! I'm cringing now just thinking about it all.
Over the years Facebook changed and new forms of social media arrived as well. Twitter, Tumblr, Goodreads, Instagram, SnapChat, and probably a lot more that I don't know.
I think social media has good and bad parts. On the one hand it connects people and creates a global community that wasn't possible 20-30 years ago. On the other hand, I definitely think social media has the ability to consume our lives. We need to be careful about this and teach our students about this as well. We also need to teach them how to properly evaluate what they see on social media and that what they post is never going to really go away. This is sometimes a hard concept for teenagers to understand, many still think that the delete button means that it will go away forever but that's just not the case. When it comes to evaluating information on social media students need to learn that the articles that people share and comment on might not be true. Social media is not where you go read about the news and current events, it is important that we stress this to our students.
I wish I could go back to the days where I wasn't constantly checking Instagram or Facebook on my phone. Alas, this is the situation I am in. I definitely need to cut back but it's a struggle, and I'm sure a lot people can relate to this. I think these social media sites are a great way to promote the school library and show people what you are accomplishing with your students. However, I think it is also important to take a step away from the social media and think about other ways that the library could be promoted.
I explored a lot of different forms of social media this week and found some great resources that I hope to refer back to! I have a good idea what I should post on social media and what I shouldn't. I am comfortable using all of these sites and apps. At my current school the librarian does not use any social media to promote the library. She relies on her libguide and posting to the school's community bulletin page when she needs to make an announcement or promote an event in the library. It's interesting to see this approach. It definitely does work for her and the library.
This was my first step into social media.
The second step was when my sister, Emily, told me it was time for me to make a Facebook profile when I was thirteen. It was the summer before 8th grade and I was always curious about why my sisters were always on this site called Facebook. I had no idea what it was but since I am the youngest sister, I always wanted to do what my sisters were doing. So one day Emily asked me if I wanted to make a profile and of course I said heck yes! I was thirteen and wanted to be cool like my 17-year-old sister. Of course I'd do this!
I remember feeling so lost on Facebook when I first joined. I would post on people's walls not knowing that other people could see it, I'd accidentally add people, I'd post statuses that were so so stupid. Like this one:
Why did I think people need to know this?! I'm cringing now just thinking about it all.
Over the years Facebook changed and new forms of social media arrived as well. Twitter, Tumblr, Goodreads, Instagram, SnapChat, and probably a lot more that I don't know.
I think social media has good and bad parts. On the one hand it connects people and creates a global community that wasn't possible 20-30 years ago. On the other hand, I definitely think social media has the ability to consume our lives. We need to be careful about this and teach our students about this as well. We also need to teach them how to properly evaluate what they see on social media and that what they post is never going to really go away. This is sometimes a hard concept for teenagers to understand, many still think that the delete button means that it will go away forever but that's just not the case. When it comes to evaluating information on social media students need to learn that the articles that people share and comment on might not be true. Social media is not where you go read about the news and current events, it is important that we stress this to our students.
I wish I could go back to the days where I wasn't constantly checking Instagram or Facebook on my phone. Alas, this is the situation I am in. I definitely need to cut back but it's a struggle, and I'm sure a lot people can relate to this. I think these social media sites are a great way to promote the school library and show people what you are accomplishing with your students. However, I think it is also important to take a step away from the social media and think about other ways that the library could be promoted.
I explored a lot of different forms of social media this week and found some great resources that I hope to refer back to! I have a good idea what I should post on social media and what I shouldn't. I am comfortable using all of these sites and apps. At my current school the librarian does not use any social media to promote the library. She relies on her libguide and posting to the school's community bulletin page when she needs to make an announcement or promote an event in the library. It's interesting to see this approach. It definitely does work for her and the library.
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