Week #10 - thing #22 Social Networking

.
I admit I have a profile on LinkedIn and Facebook. I feel that social networking has its value as well as its detriment.

For example, it gives many people a connection after being laid off from a job. It offers socialization and networking. People tend to feel very isolated when they lose their jobs. That day-to-day interaction with people at their jobs may have been the only social life they had.

I have reconnected with friends from high school on Facebook; it's like a reunion online.

Social networking sites can definitely be a boon for libraries and newspapers to reinvent themselves. Catch your audience on their own playing field. Repackage yourself. Make yourself newer and hipper. It does seem that libraries need to promote their resources better and be more instructional, rather than entertainment-based. The online users won't fall for that, it seems.

I do see social networking sites having their downsides, too. There is definitely a fine line with the privacy issue. There are things you can put on a soc. networking site that can give away too much info. You could be creating a profile of yourself that could prevent you from getting a job or set you up for getting your house robbed and/or endangering your safety. So be safe, be smart!!

They can also turn you into a hermit - never seeing the light of day. Come on - fresh air people!! They can bring out your OCD tendencies and can also be a huge time-waster with games, online applications, etc.
.