Copyright rules on Social Media

 General copyright rules apply when on social media. You have to be aware of what you are copying and if you have the right to post what you do. You cannot go to type an exam and directly copy and paste a paragraph from a random website, that is because 1. It’s not yours to take 2. It’s taking someone’s work and pretending it’s your own. In general, it is illegal/wrong for anyone to copy or distribute work created by you without your permission. You have to be careful on social media platforms and make sure that what you post is from you or you have permission to post! 

Different ways libraries use Social Media

Libraries use social media tools in order to represent themselves and promote what is happening in the library! Attached is three URL’s of three different libraries on three different social media sites. Depending on what site it is libraries can post pictures, upload statuses, create tweets, re post, like, re pin, scoop and re tweet posts.

The internet is very popular and common throughout our society in 2016 and having libraries use social media sites allows them to gain more exposure from the community. Facebook would be the most popular site that libraries brand themselves as it is the most popular and common site on the web with 1.23 billion accounts. Twitter is also a good site for constant updates on what is happening in the library with the use of hashtags. On the sites that I have seen, Libraries mostly post events that are happening in the library, have a link to their website and post statuses that relate to the library or the community. 

https://www.instagram.com/national_library_of_australia/

https://www.facebook.com/cityofmeltonlibraries/

https://twitter.com/library_rmit

Twitter Review

What am I going to use Twitter for?	You can post statuses. You can upload photos. You can follow celebrities, friends, families or companies and see what they post. Sharing of news, content and stories.
Easy to use:	Yes
Support tools to help me learn and use this platform	Yes
Security:	Quite good
Use own branding:	You can change your profile picture and a header photo.
Demographic:	Medium age group aged 16 – 45
Can I annotate pictures	Yes, can comment on pictures, re tweet posts and like them.
Limitations:	You have a character limit when writing a status. (Only 140 characters) You can receive a maximum of 250 direct messages a day (for a company that might not be ideal) When trending, pornographers and marketers abuse hashtags. Others can use hashtags is a serious way but it is for a different event that you’re using the same hashtag for.
Can I use it on mobile platform:	Yes
Is there an app:	Yes
Would this stand up as our only social media choice:	Yes
Recommendation:	Twitter is quite a good and popular social media platform. It’s easy to re tweet.  When enough people are using the same hashtag, the hashtag ‘trends’ so lots and lots of people can see what you are tweeting. It’s free media attention and you can have constant updates of statuses and photos.

Pinterest Review

What am I going to use Pinterest for?	Suggested reading New book releases Sharing ideas Book reviews Link to library catalogue Book trailers
Easy to use:	Yes
Support tools to help me learn and use this platform:	Yes
Security:	Really good
Use own branding:	No, limited to icon only.
Demographic:	Women Adults Medium age group aged 20 – 45
Can I annotate pictures	Yes, can comment on pictures
Can I link to my catalogue	Yes, in the comments area.
Limitations:	Can’t change layout, hard to search (scatter approach) Can’t use it for photo sharing. Overwhelming as it can appear messy. not personal (can’t upload statuses)
Can I use it on mobile platform:	Yes
Is there an app:	Yes
Would this stand up as our only social media choice:	No
Recommendation:	Pinterest is a great free site for recreational purposes. You can ‘pin’ photos, have your own boards filled with pictures and see what others have on their boards. The platform can get lost within the world wide web as in comparison to sites like Facebook and twitter it’s not as popular.

Facebook Review!

 What is Facebook?

Facebook is a social media platform that allows you to have your own account. You have your own ‘Timeline’ which is where your posts, pictures and videos are stored sorted by date. (Newest to oldest) On Facebook, you are able to search for anyone around the world. Once you find someone you want to follow, you send a friend request. If they accept then you are able to see what they post. You also have the option of not accepting people and even blocking them so that they can’t see your timeline. On Facebook, the aim of it is to update people what is happening in your life and stay connected with your friends. You can post statuses, post pictures or videos. You can share, comment or ‘like’ what other people post and can even write on others walls.   What do I want to use this social media platform for? Facebook is wonderful as you can stay connected with people all around the world. It can be used to promote a company or just update people on your life. You can use the site in a professional way so if employers see your account, it’s a good representation of yourself or you can use the site in a more careless way depending on what you upload.
Any there any tools to help me use this social media platform? Yes
Is the site fairly easy to use? The site is fairly easy to use. My 77 year old grandfather has his own account and uses Facebook every day on his iPad. He is from Malta and uses it to see what is happening there. He also likes to go through relatives profile page to see what they’re up too, sometimes he accidentally posts random words when searching for someone but besides that he is quite good when using the social media platform. My 13 year old sister also has Facebook and is very confident when using it. So the site is quite easy to navigate and use.
Is the security of the site adequate? The security is very good on Facebook; you can choose the privacy setting on your account. You have to accept any friend request that you get and can decline. When posting a status, you can choose who gets to see it.
Are other libraries using this social media platform? Yes, lots of libraries use Facebook as a way to promote what is happening in their library.
Can I use my own branding (customization)? Yes, you can update cover photo, profile picture
Is there a particular demographic that uses this social media platform?

Age range from 12 – 80. Anyone and everyone can use it

Can I use it on mobile platform: Yes

Is there an app: Yes

Would this stand up as our only social media choice: Yes, Facebook is extremely popular

Recommendation:

Facebook is a really good social media platform. The site is very popular with 1.23 billion users.  If you were running a library, you can easily build up a group of followers. You have the option to post whatever you like with no word limit. You can post pictures, videos and statuses. 

Social media etiquette

You have the job interview you’ve been dreaming about most of your adult life. What do you do? You prepare what you are going to say, you focus on calming your nerves and then make sure to bring in your professional resume and cover letter. You go for the interview and do better then you expected, leaving the interview room excited and hopeful. A week later, the employer calls you. They said that you did a great job in the interview however they had a browse through your social media accounts and are now not going to hire you due to what you have posted. It isn’t as direct and blunt as that example but employers do look at the social media of people they interview. This is why you must have a professional online presence or set your accounts privacy settings to where employers can’t see what you post.

When you are working, you are representing a company so what you post online is important. If you continuously post party shots with alcohol and drugs for example, that isn’t a good representation of yourself professionally therefore can affect the company. Here are some guidelines to follow to have a professional looking social media account (that an employer can see and be happy with)

-       Have a profile picture of you looking your best (no drunk shots or ‘duck lips’)

-       Have your name and age be correct  

-       Don’t swear in any posts that you upload

-       Play by the rules of the social media website

-       Don’t post anything bad about any job you’ve had (example… ‘Ahhh I hate my job…)

-       Be respectful in what you post

-       Don’t engage commenter’s that misbehave on your blog

-       Never post while drunk or incredibly upset

-       Keep well written status’ on LinkedIn

-       Keep your social media account up to date.

To summarize, an employer can always look you up on the web so it’s best if you either have two accounts, one professional and one private. You can always just have one account for each social media platform and be careful of what you post making sure it represents you well. Happy posting

Click here to go to a website that talk about your online presence in social media!

Privacy issues when using social media

You go to a party and meet new people you want to keep in contact with. How will you do that? If this was in the early 2000’s, you would exchange phone numbers and then call each other however time has moved us forward. We now are in 2016 where the world we live in is based around social media.  There are several media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. What each account has in common is that they all have the option of people as friends or followers, following what you do online. On Facebook, you use friend requests to add people, if they accept the request then you can view each other’s timelines. On Twitter, you are able to follow anyone or have anyone follow you and see what is posted. On Instagram, you follow people but have the preference of making your account private so that you can see and accept who sees your pictures.

This is a wonderful world that we live in as we are all very connected into each other’s lives. We can see what is happening for people on the other side of the world with just a click of a button.  Social media has created a platform which allows us to express ourselves through words and pictures. As there are many benefits to having social media, there are a lot of risks that come from it. Every social media platform has privacy settings however if used nonchalantly, many problems can arise. You can have strangers seeing what you are doing, where you are in the world and what pictures you post. You can have people copying your photos to make fake accounts. You can have people essentially stalk you online or even scarier, in real life as a result of seeing what you post.  People scam naïve people online, taking their money. On Facebook and Instagram, you have the option of adding where you are when the post is uploaded. This is great as people can see where you are but people know where you are! Possible strangers can track where, see that you’re not at home and take advantage of that.

There are a lot of ways to avoid any problems that can come from having an account on any social media platform. On Facebook, you can choose who sees your post. You have to be careful in who you add as a friend and who you accept as a friend. If you do not know them, don’t add them.  That goes for most social media sites. Being careful with what you post is a must. Adjusting your privacy settings and keeping them up to date is something that everyone should do and not take lightly!

 Click this to go to a website that is all about privacy and social media

Where to find me on Social Media!

Pinterest:
https://au.pinterest.com/ReneeLS2/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/renee.ls2/

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Renee_LS2

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/renee.ls.35

Scoop.It
http://www.scoop.it/u/renee-ls

My local library!

My local library is the Melton Library. 
The whole library has changed its look and I love how it is set out. 
There are two levels. The bottom level has a children's area, books, computer area, cafe, check out systems and the service desk. On the top level is more books and study areas. The staff members are all friendly and the overall atmosphere is lovely. 

Melton Library Website

The images I used were found on google images. The web address that came up when I clicked on the images are: http://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/news/melton-library-and-learning-hub-in-vic-is-australi

1st Blog Post

Hi, my name is Renee Pace and this is my first blog post. 
This Blog is for the class I'm in called Social Media for the course Library and Information services. I'm looking forward to making this blog look lovely and for it to be full of information!