Thing 6: Online Networks

1. Linkedin

I can't really get the hang of Linkedin. As I have mentioned in previous entries, I quite like combining my personal and professional life, to a certain extent. Linkedin makes me feel like I'm at a job interview and that if I am anything other than completely straight-faced and sensible and that if I, say, try to make a (very tame) joke, I will not get a laugh, but a disapproving look.

I like the idea of Linkedin. I can definitely see its merit. But there is something impersonal about it that just doesn't grab my attention.

I also find a network which resembles a job application form to be a bit, well, boring. Job application forms are necessary, but they're not necessarily the things that are most interesting about people.

That said, the groups are good, I've joined a couple that post updates about job vacancies, which is something especially useful for a new professional coming to the end of their studies. The discussions also offer more than the profiles and give a real sense of the people behind them.

2. Facebook

I actually quite like Facebook. Privacy issues concern me, but I keep my security settings up quite high. I also get weirded out occassionally by the amount people are happy to share, but I think the good things outweigh the bad most of the time.

I regard Facebook as a personal network, as opposed to a professional one. I suppose Linkedin is purely professional, Facebook purely personal, and Twitter is a bit of both (but more on that in a minute).

I enjoy Facebook because so many people use it. I get invited to gigs, birthday parties, art exhibition openings and even weddings on there. It is, though, primarily social.

And there is a part of me that is sad that it's harder to keep in touch with people without it.



Photo by Eric Fischer showing Flickr and Twitter usage.

3. Twitter

I do like Twitter. I just find it fascinating how you can message anyone on there and get a reply. I like the access to information and the scope of the thing. That said, it is a bit of a time-suck for this very reason. The constant flow of information is a little overwhelming and sometimes gets too much. There have been many occassions when I've had to log-off due to the fact that it has become a little distracting.

I am not sure how I feel about the internet in terms of information overload (& Twitter seems to typify this) - it's sometimes difficult to self-moderate how much you take in & I personally feel dazed and confused after being on Twitter for too long. On the other hand, the internet makes more information available to people and Twitter is fairly democratic and that's a good thing, right?

Either way, I will probably carry on using Twitter, but may have to learn when to log out!

In terms of other networks - I am not a member of any online library-related networks and didn't know about them until doing this exercise! I have joined Google+ but have found I rarely check it - not much seems to be going on as yet. I'm not sure about the "circles" feature - it feels odd catagorising people. But I'm sure none of its features will become completely clear to me unless I start using them properly!