1.
Libraries on Facebook:<br />We like this! <br />

2.
What is it?<br />Established in 2004 at Harvard University<br />Developed by undergraduate student Mark Zuckerberg<br />Just hit 350 million users<br />Gained its popularity by creating collegiate “networks,” then expanded to high schools, and now everyone<br />Reportedly the 4th most-trafficked website and the most-trafficked social media site in the world<br />Top three trafficked sites (worldwide) are Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo<br />

3.
A word on the readings…<br />Neither of the readings that go along with this discussion were GREAT<br />Most of the “research” written on FB is informal, and by people not intimately familiar with the technology<br />Rutgers, for example, didn’t seem to understand the difference between “group” and “fan” pages, and how differently they push out the information<br />Both articles seem hung on high expectations versus low return<br />Low return? What is expected of a Facebook page? The goals aren’t clearly defined…<br />

4.
Universities & FB<br />Students<br />Reports describe that at least 85% of all university students have active Facebook accounts<br />Faculty<br />Not much research has been completed on faculty use of FB<br />However, a quick glance at the LSU Libraries fans reveals quite a few faculty members are, indeed, on Facebook<br />Universities, and Departments<br />LSU fans (125, 300)—users are treating this page as a discussion board!<br />Trend of “battling” fan pages<br />Lost of small departments are now beginning to have a FB presence (ex: LSU Procurement Auxiliary Services—currently at 46 fans)<br />Libraries<br />Libraries have been interested in using Facebook from the very beginning<br />Interestingly, FB was shutting down groups that acted like individuals, which is how the “fan” pages started <br />LSU Libraries gained a fan page in September 2008<br />

5.
Options for Academic Libraries on FB<br />Type of presence<br />Group pages<br />Fan pages<br />“User” page (library as an individual)<br />Applications (just a few examples)<br />Twitter<br />Library catalog<br />CiteMe (by OCLC)<br />Communication & branding<br />Re-post blog posts and/or press releases<br />Hours and closings<br />Highlight special resources<br />Outreach<br />

6.
Academic Libraries & LSU Libraries<br />LSU Libraries compared with other libraries on FB<br />Over 125 university libraries in Facebook<br />Number of fans range from less than 20 to over 1,500<br />Currently, LSU Libraries has 400 fans!<br />Some are very active and post several times a week<br />We do!<br />Many also use Twitter in conjunction with Facebook<br />We do!<br />Some libraries have Facebook pages for different departments (e.g., Reference, Media Services, Music Resources, Special Collections)<br />We’ve chosen to collaborate on one page, which means that we have a little something for everyone! <br />

7.
LSU Undergraduate Students’ Use of FB<br /> From Fall 2009 Survey (Porter, Ryan, Miller)<br />92% of students use FB at least once a month<br />46% of students surveys check FB daily (this is consistent with Facebook statistics, showing that 50% of all users log in daily)<br />For comparison, only 24% of LSU students have a MySpace account<br />LSU Students use their selected social networking site because:<br />To stay in touch with friends/family (50%)<br />To keep track of important social issues and events (20%)<br />To stay in touch with academic/professional contacts (12%)<br />

8.
LSU Libraries FB Initiatives<br />Put the library in user space<br />Give LSU Libraries a friendly space and face<br />Showcase resources<br />LSU’s Louisiana Digital Library images<br />Databases<br />Government documents<br />Publicize events, hours, and other information<br />Enhance communication between LSU Libraries and the LSU community<br />Enhance communication between LSU Libraries and the library community on Facebook<br />

9.
Statistics & Popularity<br />Images from the Louisiana Digital Library <br />Veterans Day image = 330 views at the LDL<br />The Twitter connection…<br />Interestingly, photos Tweeted gained more statistics than photos just Facebooked…<br />Photo stats from FB “wall” photos<br />Range from 0 views (on non-post days) to 38 views on picture-post days<br />Activity on page<br />Comments, likes, and questions<br />Level of involvement<br />Information and images get pushed out<br />

10.
The LSU Facebook Fan page copied our Labor Day post, and exposed it to their 125,316 fans. <br />

11.
Web 2.0 Technologies<br />When Facebook fades…?<br />It WILL, eventually, fade (for various potential reasons)<br />We’ll take the lessons we learned from the experience, and apply it to the next thing<br />As always, weighing the resources required to succeed, and how success is defined with the new technologies<br />The LSU Libraries Blog and Twitter account also demonstrate this concept (although blogs seem a more stable technology than Twitter, currently)<br />