Skimming Library Journal (not usually this entertaining) I stumbled upon a link to something called the Conversation Prism, created by a PR guru named Brian Solis:
“If you work in marketing, public relations, advertising, customer service, product development, or any discipline that’s motivated, shaped, and directed by customers, peers, stakeholders and influencers, monitoring and in some cases, participating in online conversations is critical in competing for the future.
Over the last month, I worked with Jesse Thomas of JESS3, to create a new graphic that helps chart online conversations between the people that populate communities as well as the networks that connect the Social Web. The Conversation Prism is free to use and share. It’s our contribution to a new era of media education and literacy. …
In the social economy, relationships are the new currency.”
So what’s a “ning”? It’s a “niche network” (similar to Google Groups) where you create your own social network, or join an existing one, such as:
Library Knitters
People who work at a library who also knit (or crochet).
[but you have to sign up to participate!]
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In case we underestimate the power of the social web…
How Obama Tapped Into Social Networks’ Power
By DAVID CARR NYTimes 11/12/08
…
“He wondered if social networking, with its tremendous communication capabilities and aggressive database development, might help him beat the overwhelming odds facing him.
“It was like a guy in a garage who was thinking of taking on the biggest names in the business,” Mr. Andreessen recalled. “What he was doing shouldn’t have been possible, but we see a lot of that out here and then something clicks. He was clearly supersmart and very entrepreneurial, a person who saw the world and the status quo as malleable.”
And as it turned out, President-elect Barack Obama was right.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/10/business/media/10carr.html?em
Eric told us about a Ning group for Library 2.0 stuff back in spring 2007. They have groups for academic libraries and 2.0, staff training [good place for Hillyer/Lisa to post], and “creative librarians.” Although I’m a member I must admit I have no more time for online socializing there than on Facebook, SecondLife, Flickr, LibraryThing, or Ravelry. It’s a good day when I remember to login for IM with Pidgin here at work (or to change my status when I’m out of the office). Still, it will be another place, beyond the Oberlin Group, to ask about wonderful website innovations other libraries have going, as WCM tackles revision of the Research page. http://library20.ning.com/group/academiclibariesandlibrary20web20
- Sika
Thanks Again for all your help!