Managing Your Library's Social Media Channels: Library Technology Report

The best reason to use social media is simple: it’s potentially a direct connection with your customer. But as disappointing as it may sound, your library’s social media activities might be a waste of time. The only way to know for sure is to take a proactive role in managing your social media, from setting specific goals to using analytics to measure effectiveness. In this issue of Library Technology Reports social media expert King shows the way, offering guidance on choosing the right social media channels for your library and managing your library’s outreach efforts. He providesSummaries of Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and 10 other social media networks with advice on how they can fit typical library goals, citing specific examples from several different libraries Six key steps to take you from startup through an ongoing feedback loopWays to use social media to extend traditional services such as answering questions, conversing with customers, promoting events, and performing outreach Tips for creating content that’s engaging and in tune with the channelDetails of major platforms’ built-in analytics and the metrics to watchA model for creating teams to effectively divide the workloadAbout the Author David Lee King is the Digital Branch and Services Manager at the Topeka and Shawnee County (Kansas) Public Library, where he plans, implements, and experiments with emerging technology trends. He speaks internationally and writes about emerging trends, website usability and management, digital experience planning, and managing tech staff. He was named a Library Journal "Mover & Shaker" for 2008 and recently published his first book, Designing the Digital Experience. David writes the “Internet Spotlight” column in Public Libraries magazine with Michael Porter and blogs.