If you build it, will they come?

Young people are on MySpace and Facebook--some quite obsessively so. Does this mean that libraries need to be there too? Yes, if you are serious about outreach. If people are checking their pages daily and you have the potential to reach them daily, that's pretty significant. But the key to getting through to the MySpace generation isn't just about having a page--it's about having a page that "sticks". Let's face it, people are not on social networking sites for non-social reasons, so you have to give them a reason to come to your page. This requires a plan and putting time and effort into promotion and updates. If you are just going to plop a site up just to say you have it, then you should probably not bother, because none of your target audience will either. Social network sites are about creating and maintaining community. Simple presence does not a community make. Showing up is the first step, certainly. But a true community is built on fostering and encouraging interaction. A lot of libraries can't even seem to accomplish this in the brick and mortar world, let alone the click and mortar world. If your community link is weak in real life, it's certainly not going to get stronger by putting up a MySpace page.

Another thing that I find interesting is this: social networking sites are as much about "public displays of connection" as they are about keeping in touch with people. They, in some strange way, validate your identity. How many young people will shy away from "friending" a library because it doesn't fit their online identity? How do you create a page that can overcome the "image factor"? Furthermore, how can you create a community where there may be loose or no ties at all to the library? Can you create a page that will attract, or is the point only to keep in touch with the community you already have?

I think MySpace/Facebook is crucial to getting connected to people, but it must dynamic and/or useful for it to make sense. And another important point: it should cover both sites, MySpace AND Facebook. Boyd made a powerful statement about the "good kid" vs. "bad kid" class division on Social Networking sites. If you are going to dabble in MySpace or Facebook make sure that you take into consideration all possible effects of what you do. For instance, a librarian may have experience with Facebook so s/he will put up a page there, but ignore MySpace because it is unfamiliar. While this may seem like no big deal, the decision has an impact beyond a matter of preference.

So if you build it, will they come? Maybe. The question really should be if you build it will they care?