News & Views, March 2010 (mp3 file; 5.1 MB; 5:27 min.)Connecting with Facebook; new early literacy materials; Napping House apron kit
As I've been working with libraries to set up connections with their community through Facebook pages I've been watching the posts that libraries make, and how patron fans respond to various posts. I wanted to share some of those observations with you, and invite you to participate in the conversation about that: what sort of posts seem more useful, or seem to best engage your fans?
Posts seem to fall into 3 general types:
first, pushing out information, such as upcoming programs or new books;
second, inviting input about library operations or policy; and
third, inviting fans to share their own likes, interests, or opinions.
None of these is any better than the other; they each serve a purpose. Which you use, and how often, will depend on the purpose of your Facebook page. Facebook's 'Insights" will give you some measures that they think will help you to determine post quality but those numbers are based on interactions on the page, notably comments made on posts. Those numbers can be useful if you're aware of how they are derived, and keep that in mind when evaluating the success of your Facebook presence.
Most libraries push information, which I think fans find useful, but they also create posts that invite fans to participate in conversation--connecting with the library and with each other in the virtual world, and in a way that is more informal and conversational than a website. It's another face for the library, showing that the library is a friendly place, and that it cares about what its users are thinking and doing, and wanting to "meet them where they're at," and all three types of posts contribute to that.
Each week I send to our libraries on Facebook a reminder to post to their page, and give them an idea for a post. It's interesting to follow many Iowa libraries to see what they post, and I'm particularly interested in those that generate the most comments. Recently I've seen libraries post questions about potential library building sites (and the board chair made sure she responded to each comment), library hours and which would be most useful to the community, what type of book do you like to read on a snowy day, and trivia questions and quizzes around events such as the Olympics or the Oscars or a movie release. It may take some trial and error to find out what most engages your community, but it's fun to see the comments, and which posts most engage the fans.
Facebook posts are a great way to push information, but Facebook is social so think about all the ways in which you might take advantage of that--and use them! A quarter of the libraries in SW Iowa now have Facebook pages; if you are interested but haven't yet created a page, join us for a Facebook Fanpage FUNdamentals class, online, on March 30, from 9-11 a.m. You can register in the CE catalog. We hope to see you on Facebook!
Links from today's podcast:
Cooperative Summer Library Program website
SWILSA's Youth Services webpage
CE Catalog
