Demonstration 9: Review in blog

 

Differences experienced between the blog and class WIKI

For me, the main difference I experienced between the class WIKI and my blog was complexity in use these two tools. Once I had been granted access to the WIKI it was relatively straightforward to create a page and comment or edit other pages, or add an image etc.

The blog was more complicated and required more steps.  You must create a Google account firstly. Then, if the blog has defaulted to html mode without you knowing (& even finding out what that means), it is not easy to work out why you cannot format text or add images etc to the blog when the information needed to rectify this was not in the help or settings in the Blogger tool. You needed to know what the icons meant in Blogger to add an image to a page for example, but in the WIKI I could just simply drag a PNG or JPEG image into the page (but that method didn't work with the blog tool). It seemed difficult for the system to give access to each other's blog, this did not present a problem with using different pages on the WIKI once the administrator had granted access to the class.  With Blogger you need to know the URL to the individual's page and they have to have the settings right so you can access it.

If you intend to use it often, perhaps a blog is worth the effort in understanding all the ins and outs of using it.  Overall, the WIKI was a more enjoyable experience in user-friendliness. The blog seemed to have a higher level of sophistication in terms of presentation & 'gadgets' etc. If you are a dedicated and frequent blogger, then a blog may be the preferred tool. However, if you are just one of several people contributing to a certain focussed project that does not require many bells & whistles in formats etc, then a simple WIKI may suit the purpose better.

 Which Type of social media would be best for a public library to keep its members up to date

I don't believe there is a single answer to that question.  The library would need to look at its demographics to ensure the social media it is using suits the types of customers that the library has. That said, given that Facebook is still the social media platform with the greatest reach, currently it would probably be wise for a public library to use Facebook to inform and keep in touch with its members. If the library customers' demographic are people with less time on their hands to read longer posts and who wish to engage with short frequent or regular posts, then Twitter could be a useful social media tool to employ.  If there are lots of older members at the library, they may prefer more Facebook, & even more old-fashioned emails.  If there are a lot of members of the library who require enjoy videos, instruction in certain topics, equipment or media, or are students, then YouTube could also be a good channel for the library to use to inform them of what's happening. If the library has a reasonable number of mid-age range female members, then posting on Pinterest could also be a way to keep members up to date given the popularity of that type of social media among that demographic. A library with more younger members may want to use Instagram to appeal to users for whom photographic/image content is important. Some public libraries also run short blogs to keep their members up to date, these linking to the other platforms - Facebook, YouTube etc.  

My overall view is that the particular public library should analyse the demographics and preferences of its customers & local community, keep abreast of the trends, and choose the type/s of social media that best cater/s for its members to keep them up to date. The choice of social media to use will most likely be a combination of more than one type.   

 How a library could make use of a blog

A library can make use of a blog for various purposes. Its blog could advise library customers of happenings, events, what's new at the library, and urgent & vital information such as about changes due to CoVID19. The blog can provide quick updates to library customers. The University of Newcastle's library blog includes details of their library's webinar about finding library resources (The University of Newcastle, Australia, 2020a), how to seek assistance from library staff and details about self-help library guides (The University of Newcastle, Australia, 2020b).  It also has an item about the reopening of kids' and carers' rooms at two of their campuses, as these rooms had been closed during the height of the pandemic (The University of Newcastle, Australia, 2020c).  Another of their library's blog items updates borrowers about arrangements for returning items to one of the University's libraries that is closed for maintenance over a weekend (The University of Newcastle, Australia, 2020d).