Facebook

Finally we have reached the only 'thing' that I already use! I have used Facebook since I was (forcibly) persuaded to sign up at uni. Since then I have actually found it to be quite useful.

In the past I have had accounts on various social networking sites, but none of them have been as good or have lasted as long as Facebook. I use it quite a bit for catching up with friends and I like the layout and ease of use. I also don't really see all the fuss about privacy because all you need to do is have a bit of common-sense. The privacy settings are not that hard to find and all you then need to do is make sure that only your friends can see your profile. And it also helps if you only add people you know. I'm certainly not one of these people who adds everyone they can find just because they think it makes them look popular.

Facebook is good for finding out what friends and family are up to. Looking at my news feed page I have just found out that my little sister has only just got out of bed today (it is 2.50pm)!

I think Facebook can be very useful for libraries. It's good to be able to add applications like COPAC to pages and I think it would be a good place to post opening hours and feeds about new books. I guess that much like Twitter and iGoogle, etc, the success of a library's page depends very much on readers finding the pages. But now that Facebook has reached the milestone of 500 million active users, the chances of more people finding the library pages are much higher.

Facebook is also multi-generational, unlike other social networking sites, so you are more likely to get a broad range of readers finding library pages. It doesn't (yet) seem to have fallen from grace in favour of a newer, more sparkly site. There was an interesting piece on the BBC News website today about social networking: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10719042. The enduring appeal of Facebook is obvious, and even my Mum has an account (although we did need to help her set it up!).

I think it's fairly obvious that I like Facebook. I think it helps that I already know how to use it (although it does annoy me when they keep messing about with the layout and changing 'Groups' to 'Fans'). The applications for libraries are clear, although it is still reliant on library users finding your Facebook page.