Q. What is my personal digital footprint? Am I presenting the online image that I wish others, especially professional colleagues, to see?
A. I've been on
LinkedIn since 2008 and Facebook and
Blogger since 2009, encouraged by my MLIS year in UCD 2008-9.
I joined
Blogger, principally because I was required to blog about my experiences doing an unobtrusive reference evaluation as an assignment for a module on Information Resource Management, but I also intended to use it to write in Irish (that didn't happen). I never publicised the blog and would have considered it more of a personal journal or notebook that happened to be online, rather than anything published on the world wide web for all to read (unsurprisingly that didn't happen either)!
Initially I was reticent about
Facebook, as I viewed it as an online showing off / self-promotion / self-aggrandisement site and I was very wary of my privacy. The sin of pride was considered one of the most lethal of the deadly sins in our family. So as the antithesis of this, I googled 'sean bhean bhocht' and used the following photo as my facebook profile photo - one I could not be accused of using for self-promotion. It invariably got a negative reaction but I laughed it off.
/
Source: https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002717414 No known restrictions on publication.
However I subsequently read that not having any profile photo was a negative reflection on the person, and I heard that social media was scanned by interviewers, so I reluctantly added a real photo of myself, got over my phobia and I haven't had to atone for that sin yet. I started Rudaí 23/23 Things when it was first offered in Ireland (2014/2015?), but because I didn't have home broadband I didn't complete it. However, I learned about the importance of a positive professional digital image online in that first iteration of 23 Things, so I got an acceptable image taken and still use that on LinkedIn. I didn't consider Facebook as part of my professional online profile, because I used my own page almost exclusively for family and friends, and was wary of using it to promote events on the library Facebook page I was managing. Over time, I accepted, having shared a few library Facebook events, that the world didn't end, and I wasn't stalked by library users either in my virtual or real life. Another phobia conquered. This 2017/18 iteration of Rudaí 23 taught me the relevance of Facebook for online professional networking and branding, so I spruced up my Facebook and LinkedIn profiles and will use Facebook more for professional use. Over time, Facebook has changed to include more companies, organisations and groups, making it a more like a professional network than it used to be at the outset. Also people's use of it is getting a bit more canny, and it is being used more for campaign-style information sharing, and interest-based communication, which suits library use.
I joined Twitter in March 2014, and I initially I considered it more like a professional online one-way network, which enabled me to follow Twitter accounts from around the work that promoted libraries, reading, books, writing, authors etc. It felt a little like online stalking, and again I was initially reticent about retweeting or more audacious yet, tweeting something myself. I again overcame my fears, doing my first retweet a month later in April 2014:
It was an extraordinary contribution to academic thought, and I'm sure Ferdinand Von Prondzynski, former DCU president, appreciated my support!
I braved my first promotional tweet in May 2014, when I tweeted this photo of author Donal Ryan at Bunclody Library in a reply to a Twitter follower.
Great turnout for Donal Ryan reading in Bunclody Library. Very entertaining 'hyper-real'
In the four years since I joined Twitter I have got more fond of it and more confident in tweeting. I like and retweet a lot of tweets by @wexlibraries and @wexfordcoco promoting Co. Wexford library and county council events and services across Co. Wexford. I'm following over 1,800 twitter accounts and I have over 500 followers. I read that if you follow too many people or too wide a variety of accounts that it indicates that you lack focus and don't know what you are about, that you're too scatter-gunned in your approach. I admit there is some truth in this, but in my defence the remit of public libraries is very broad, and I try to connect with many people in the wide range of Co. Wexford communities we serve.
I am content with my online image that others, including professional colleagues, see. 'Though I would not say it is hugely impressive. I admit, as someone said to me very early in my library career that 'its not rocket science', and regrettably my tweets do not contribute greatly to the world knowledge base, however, I am connecting with a variety of networks in the variety of communities I serve and sharing relevant information about useful, free library events and services for those communities. I have discovered new writers, illustrators and event facilitators on Twitter and invited them to provide events in Wexford libraries. So it is serving my purpose, and importantly on social media I follow the hippocratic ethos of 'first do no harm'. I aim to support my profession, my employer and my customer, trying to remain positive and encouraging while avoiding the negative aspects of Twitter.
Q. Do I currently have a personal branding strategy? What way have I - or could I - use the tools covered in the lesson to create or improve my brand?
A. I have a personal branding strategy. (I think!) After Thing 11 on Your Professional Brand, I updated my LinkedIn profile heading to the following:
Executive Librarian specialised in Public Libraries. Experienced in Library Management in a variety of settings. Skilled in Event Programming & Management, Marketing, Social Media, Collections Development & Promotion, Staff Management, Facilities Management and Health & Safety. Good Community Outreach skills and network. Strong Business Development professional with a background in Business and Marketing, active in the "Work Matters in the Library" programme.
However, I am a little suspicious of 'personal branding strategies' as if they are a veneer covering the real thing, and I prefer if people can get to know me in reality. I know this is not possible outside my existing work colleagues, and in my online presence I aim to be real and authentic.
Q. How do I feel about networking – is it something I find challenging, or do I find that it doesn’t take much effort for me? Am I exploiting all of the possible channels, to reach out to colleagues and potential collaborators?
I enjoy networking. I'm sociable. I like the novelty of meeting intersting new people in person or online, and I see it as an important component of the community-building and outreach aspects of my role as a library manager. I feel it doesn't take much effort for me. However, I exploit online and local channels more readily than national network channels. I rarely go outside Co. Wexford to network in person. Whereas the community focus of my work is inside county Wexford, I recognise the risk of this narrow, introverted view, and the benefit of looking further afield for new ideas. I attended the LAI Public Libraries Conference in Tullamore in March 2017, and found it inspiring. I strengthened existing connections with contacts in the public library world, re-discovered lost contacts from my MLIS days, and made new contacts. I enjoyed all of this. I attended a workshop there on the Home Energy Saving Kits that Dublin libraries were lending to users, and we are now trialling the kit in Gorey Library. So there is also a service benefit. I visited Tullamore Library on two separate occasion to learn about the Open Libraries Project, and now that Open Libraries is on the horizon for Gorey Library, I know that I will be calling on those contacts again for support. As regards international networking, I'd love to go to the Bologna Children's Book Fair in the future, and I should raise the idea with a few library friends and colleagues to see if I might find a travel companion.
Q. Do I currently use any of the recommended tools to manage workflows and collaborate with others on remote projects? What tools do I feel would be most useful to me in my work?
A. I have used collaborative tools such as OneDrive, Google Groups and DropBox to work collaboratively in groups, but mostly I use Microsoft e-mail, tasks and calendar to manage group work with colleagues. I read two great productivity books by Charles Duhigg : "Smarter Faster Better" and "The Power of Habit", and small changes in work habits and organisation can make a positive impact on performance, so I intend to try out the Trello task tool and see if it helps me be more productive. I might also try to use Skype a bit more when recruiting new speakers for library events, and it would give me a better 'feel' for the speaker than just e-mail would.
To conclude, I enjoyed the Online Networker section of Rudaí23 and found it a lot easier than the Visual Communicator. It played more to my strengths. I was already actively using a number of online networking and collaborative tools which helped enormously with this section of the course. I did learn to smarten up my professional brand and online profile and was introduced to a few new tools which could help me work more productively on tasks on my own, and collaboratively in groups. I still retain a slight suspicion of a Personal Branding Strategy, but I also suspect that this is because I'm also gradually admitting to myself that I need to focus and define my Unique Selling Point and Personal Strategy. Hopefully the next two stages - Critical Thinker and Engaged Professional will help me on this point.
ENDS
