Sunday, January 30, 2011

Beyond the Nation-State and Social Media


It's a recent phenomenon: social media is altering world history. As the recent Iranian resistance from twittosphere has shown, as well as the recent events in China, Burma, Russia, Tunisia and Egypt resistance, not even the tightly drawn cloak of authoritarian regimes can regulate what seeps through the social web. Just look at what Wikileaks is doing to open up once tightly withheld information, and ultimately, the political order.

Don Tapscott argues in Macrowikinomics, that we have entered the age of "beyond the nation state." Microfinancing, virtual activism, and global agenda partnerships via the social web are but a few developments that are breaking down the nation-state's grip, and challenging the very notion of its importance to its citizens. Non-governmental organizations (NGO's) are clearly gaining legitimacy and relevance, even by nation-states. NGO's have become effective change agents. And social media is only intensifying this change.

Vancouver-based HootSuite is one example of how social media is challenging the stronghold of the notion of the state. In particular, social media helping people in Egypt circumvent the government's shutdown of the Internet. Hootsuite, which offers social media portal feed for cross-posting to Twitter and Facebook, is reporting that signups are up sevenfold this month in Egypt, with the most from this past week of January -- mostly from mobile devices.

The company, which offers users a social media dashboard for posting to Twitter, Facebook and other social networks, reports that signups are up sevenfold this month in Egypt, with most in the past week and most from mobile devices. Blocking Internet access and text messaging as well as Twitter and Facebook, the Egyptian government hasn't deterred its people from going through proxy servers or using third-party applications like HootSuite and TweetDeck to voice their dissent.

Here's something interesting: although HootSuite users who had already signed up before the Internet are being shut down in Egypt, they are still able to use the service as new users who must register a new account online at twitter.com. Moreover, iPhone users can sign up for new HootSuite accounts through the mobile app. From all the developments we're witnessing about the transformational change social media has afforded us, it's changing the course of history as well. We'll see more in the upcoming years ahead.

Cross-posted at Smertlibrarians blog.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

The 5 Well Beings In Life

It turns out that in between work and career are still important things in life.  Love, work, play.  Regardless of what profession one is in, I think there's often unfortunate disconnect between living and working.   News stories are increasingly reporting people around the world working overtime, inordinately more than the prescribed 40 hour work weeks so prevalent a generation ago.  Reports seem to indicate that people are turning into workaholics.   In the follow up to their highly successful Strengthfinders 2.0, Tom Rath and Jim Harter's Wellbeing is really about how to reverse all that -- how to live a happy, fulfilling life of love, generosity, and gratitude. Though their findings, the authors argue that there are five key essential ingredients.  I think these words of advice (and research) indicate some lessons we can all learn. 

1.  Career Wellbeing - Do you like what you're doing each day?  Whether a librarian, policeman, salesman -- whatever it may be -- people high with marks in this category wake up each morning looking forward to doing something each day at work.  Instead of workaholics, turns out these people actually take more time out to enjoy life though!

2.  Social Wellbeing - More likely to make time for vactions or social gathering with friends and family, these people have several close relationships that help them achieve, enjoy life, and be healthy, as well as surrounded by people who encourage their development and growth.  Positive energy on a daily basis.

3.  Financial Wellbeing -  It's hard to be happy without meeting basic needs.   Managing their personal finances well and spending their money wisely, these people not only buy experiences instead of just material possession, they also give to others instead of always spending on themselves.

4.  Physical Wellbeing - It's about having good health and enough energy to get things done on a daily basis.  Exercising regularly, good dietary choices, enough sleep to rejuvenate, these individuals are able to do everything people their age can do.  Maybe even more.

5.  Community Wellbeing - This trait indicates a high security of where one lives and take great pride in their community.  Not only do they want to give back and make a lasting contribution to society, there is a sense of engagement with where a person lives.  This is what separates a good life from a great one.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Librarian 2.0?

It seems to have died down: the Library 2.0 mantra.  For a while, controversy abound over the appropriate usage of Library 2.0, so much so that Wikipedia threatened to take it down altogether.  Many argue that such a term diminished the profession while others charge that Librarian 2.0 rejuvenates what is a lagging field in an increasingly interconnected digital world.  Australian librarians Helen Patridge, Julie Lee, and Carrie Munro have recently come out with an ethnographic analysis, "Becoming 'Librarian 2.0': The Skills, Knowledge, and Attributes Required by Library and Information Science Professions in a Web 2.0 World (and Beyond)."

The authors' methodology is simple: focus groups of about 81 librarians to discuss what they think defines "Librarian 2.0."  Although diverse, the answers are unnervingly clear and concise.


1.  Technology - There is a difference between IT skills an IT appreciation skills.   Librarian 2.0 should be a role model, not in being an "elitist" in terms of technology, but as a credible source for understanding and imparting knowledge of new technological developments.  They are plugged in, but can easily walk away from it, too.


2.  Learning and Education - Willing to grow with the job, librarian 2.0 in the web 2.0 world is interested in what is happening around them, and scan the horizon and are aware of the outside world.


3. Research and Evidence Based Practice - An essential element, research is a way for librarian 2.0 to be making best decisions, best practices, and establishing benchmarks.


4.  Communication - Good at negotiation and diplomacy, librarian 2.0 should be able to use whatever "language"is needed to persuade or influence the target audience to their point of view.


5.  Collaboration and Teamwork - Is about building relationships and partnerships while establishing networks with individuals and groups wherever it is needed.


6.  User Focus - Interested in creating communities, they are driven by a focus on people, not resources.


7.  Business Savvy - Entrepreneurial, they are know how to get things done -- they go out and seek business


8.  Personal Traits - Adaptable, flexible, persistent, and resilient

Saturday, January 01, 2011

Super-Connectors?

As librarians and information professionals, we've been strangely attacked within the past decade about web 2.0's necessities to "connect" with users and to "outreach" to our constituencies about our usefulness.  As a result, we've been busily preparing for the onslaught by integrating our working minds into social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.   Has it worked?   For the most part, it's helped align ourselves to the (albeit digital) world.   But other than that, there's been a lot of chatter that such social media tools have been just librarians talking to other librarians.    If that has been the measuring stick, then I dare say we've been one of the most active and successful professions in doing so.  And we haven't lost our jobs doing it, too.

Superconnect is a fascinating new book about the strength of connections, but puts the onus back in the real physical world.  It offers a unique look at what librarians (among many others) should be doing: reconnecting with one another.  Moving past just the tight, narrow confines of the library shelves and stacks.  Surging beyond the walls of library-think, and into other networks and spheres. I read this book with great interest, not only as a reference book, but ultimately as a book about humanity which we can all learn from.   Here are some highlights:


1. Strength of Weak Links -  When it comes to communicating from one person to a target in a different world, weak links far outperform strong ones.  Studies have shown that people tend to overuse family and friends, but "underuse" people they don't know particularly well.  It is casual acquaintances that are nine times better than friends at providing the connections we need or giving us useful information.

2.  SuperConnectors - Unlike our prejudged vision of slick, savvy, prominent socialites, super connectors are actually humble folks who just happen to connect with people because they have placed themselves at the centre of a social system, integrating into a number of networks and nodes that might otherwise have been isolated from one another.  Most importantly, a superconnector is willing to "connect" others.

3.  Internet - It's important not because it is a new world, but rather it is an old world.  It's given us terrific intensification of the communication and network that have actually been built decades and even centuries before its very invention. Social networks have given us tools to lubricate relationships, helping us record, organize, and manage our online connections, acquaintances, and memberships.  How's that for improvement?

4.  The "Third Place" - To live an interesting life means also the need to cultivate rich, meaningful weak connections.  The third place is a term which describe locations where one habitually relaxes and spends time.  Regular visits to third places, and irregular visits to new ones, are crucial to renewing and forging these so-called weak links.  Even going to the local park, and being among lots of people can be considered a process of connecting.  How's that for living a rich life?