Quest 8....Social Networking part 1

"Take a look at a few and detail your reactions in your Quest 8 blog."

The blogs/articles I looked at were,Building a Social Networking Environment at the Library , Libraries Use MySpace to Attract Teens, How to Talk to Young People about Socializing Safely Online.

I think using MySpace to link libraries is a great idea. It can serve as a way of keeping up with what every one else is doing as well as a way to gain guidance on current library issues that we may not be familiar with. Sharing ideas and socializing with others in the industry.

In my general observations and reading, it seems as time goes by and technology advances, the younger generations are quicker to jump on the bandwagon than the older generations. This being said, it makes perfect sense that Libraries should use MySpace to attract Teens and Tweens. It's a great way of getting them to feel comfortable with the library, our services, our collections and to encourage their reading habits.

At the same time, I believe that one of our additional services should be to educate these young people about online socializing safety. As I was reading that particular article, it occurred to me that a TLC class on the subject would be a perfect setting as well as maybe having programs on the subject which could include the police department speaking on the subject.