Friday, July 28, 2006
DOPA passes - will hinder the Pimping of your Libraries!
A lot is flying around the web with the passing of DOPA so far.... it has also set off a lot of "warnings" about Flickr... please educate yourselves.... start with
Librarian in Black
Tame the Web
Library Garden
Folks, we cannot allow FEAR to rule the day!
FEAR = the opposite of Pimpin' your library!
[image via: http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidking/200484885/ from http://www.tametheweb.com] ¶ posted by Amy J. Kearns, MLIS @ 3:57 PM 0 comments links to this post
A lot is flying around the web with the passing of DOPA so far.... it has also set off a lot of "warnings" about Flickr... please educate yourselves.... start with
Librarian in Black
Tame the Web
Library Garden
Folks, we cannot allow FEAR to rule the day!
FEAR = the opposite of Pimpin' your library!
[image via: http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidking/200484885/ from http://www.tametheweb.com] ¶ posted by Amy J. Kearns, MLIS @ 3:57 PM 0 comments links to this post
I want you to pimp your library!
http://www.hetemeel.com/unclesamform.php
¶ posted by Amy J. Kearns, MLIS @ 3:44 PM 1 comments links to this post
NJLA Job Hotline is PIMPED UP with an RSS FEED now!
In case you are in search of a Library to Pimp, you can now keep track of the NJLA job hotline via an RSS FEED.
You can read more about it here.
Whoo hoo!! Way to go NJLA!
If you DO already have a Library to Pimp, does it have an RSS FEED!? Do you KNOW what an RSS FEED is!?
Did you know it can save you time in your professional and personal lives?
Did you know it is free and not THAT difficult!?
Did you know it is THE most important technology and is HERE TO STAY!?
Did you know that The New York Times has one? The BBC has one? NPR has one? Libraries have them?!
Did you know that if you use My Yahoo! you ARE already using RSS!?
Do you want to know more!?
Stay tuned...... ¶ posted by Amy J. Kearns, MLIS @ 8:27 AM 0 comments links to this post
You can read more about it here.
Whoo hoo!! Way to go NJLA!
If you DO already have a Library to Pimp, does it have an RSS FEED!? Do you KNOW what an RSS FEED is!?
Did you know it can save you time in your professional and personal lives?
Did you know it is free and not THAT difficult!?
Did you know it is THE most important technology and is HERE TO STAY!?
Did you know that The New York Times has one? The BBC has one? NPR has one? Libraries have them?!
Did you know that if you use My Yahoo! you ARE already using RSS!?
Do you want to know more!?
Stay tuned...... ¶ posted by Amy J. Kearns, MLIS @ 8:27 AM 0 comments links to this post
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Now THIS is Pimpin' it! (Or, why can't WE do that?!)
Jack Flash!
This morning I was in my local coffee stop where they were playing this local JACK radio station, which I personally HATE and NEVER listen to out of protest for it taking over my beloved NY oldies station, 101.1 CBS FM (which actually has a website, which I find hilarious!) and I also think is a stupid, terrible radio format (but really, that's another post!) and I heard them say something about "we will text you when your favoriate song is about to be played."
What!?
Wow!
You go to their website (which is, to me, inappropriately called http://www.ilikejack.com, and I don't even want to "pimp" it here, but I have to for this post, and my personal distate should really be another story!) and you can sign up with them for e-mail or text and be texted (is that the verb?) or e-mailed when your favorite song is about to come on. You receive a message in the format you want, and turn on the radio, and voila! Your favorite song!
I signed up for this just to test it - it is a simple and easy registration process where you create a free account with them, give them your e-mail and mobile number, tell them your favorite artist and song or songs, and choose what time of day to be notified and by what method, i.e., text or e-mail.
So I signed up for an e-mail and a text alert (charges may apply) in the evenings for The Beatles, all songs. You can also set a maximum or no limit on the amount of notices you receive (I gritted my teeth and chose 5 which is the least). I am just experimenting here, but I have no intention of listening to Jack! (Wow, this will be a big success if THEY get ME to start listening!)
You can also do Dedications and Song Id by Phone, where you call the toll-free number and the "talking JackBot will serve you up the title and artist name in a sexy synthetic voice."
This is an "e-mail marketing success story, demonstrating how channel integration can increase an e-mail's sucess," according to Jeanniey Mullen at ClickZ Experts (advice and opinions, by and for marketers). You can read an interesting article about this here.
The article makes the point that, "e-mail is the key catalyst for driving success and building the brand" in this case.
This is a totally automated system requiring no human intervention to keep it running. Users get the information they want, when they want it, in the way they want it, for (almost) free! This service also drives them to the company's website where they find out more things, and also, I'm sure, get their friends to use the services! The company admits that the backend platform wasn't simple, but that finding something that would work was, "both fun and challenging."
I think this is fascinating and something that would really PIMP the library world! Why can't we be PUSHING the information to the user, when and where they want it, in the format they want, about what they want!?
What if they received text messages and/or e-mails when their favorite author has a new book in - or that it is already on reserve for them and they get the message when it is available?
Or favorite DVD? or CD? Or program or service!?
This is what today's users expect and want. This is the sort of technology they are dealing with everyday in their daily lives. Plus, this is a personal, emotional, and direct connection with their user! It also creates "brand loyalty" - the customer will appreciate and be loyal to the company that provides them with positive interactions and that gives them what they want and makes them happy!
I think we can learn a lot from this. The company gives three things to keep in mind:
This morning I was in my local coffee stop where they were playing this local JACK radio station, which I personally HATE and NEVER listen to out of protest for it taking over my beloved NY oldies station, 101.1 CBS FM (which actually has a website, which I find hilarious!) and I also think is a stupid, terrible radio format (but really, that's another post!) and I heard them say something about "we will text you when your favoriate song is about to be played."
What!?
Wow!
You go to their website (which is, to me, inappropriately called http://www.ilikejack.com, and I don't even want to "pimp" it here, but I have to for this post, and my personal distate should really be another story!) and you can sign up with them for e-mail or text and be texted (is that the verb?) or e-mailed when your favorite song is about to come on. You receive a message in the format you want, and turn on the radio, and voila! Your favorite song!
I signed up for this just to test it - it is a simple and easy registration process where you create a free account with them, give them your e-mail and mobile number, tell them your favorite artist and song or songs, and choose what time of day to be notified and by what method, i.e., text or e-mail.
So I signed up for an e-mail and a text alert (charges may apply) in the evenings for The Beatles, all songs. You can also set a maximum or no limit on the amount of notices you receive (I gritted my teeth and chose 5 which is the least). I am just experimenting here, but I have no intention of listening to Jack! (Wow, this will be a big success if THEY get ME to start listening!)
You can also do Dedications and Song Id by Phone, where you call the toll-free number and the "talking JackBot will serve you up the title and artist name in a sexy synthetic voice."
This is an "e-mail marketing success story, demonstrating how channel integration can increase an e-mail's sucess," according to Jeanniey Mullen at ClickZ Experts (advice and opinions, by and for marketers). You can read an interesting article about this here.
The article makes the point that, "e-mail is the key catalyst for driving success and building the brand" in this case.
This is a totally automated system requiring no human intervention to keep it running. Users get the information they want, when they want it, in the way they want it, for (almost) free! This service also drives them to the company's website where they find out more things, and also, I'm sure, get their friends to use the services! The company admits that the backend platform wasn't simple, but that finding something that would work was, "both fun and challenging."
I think this is fascinating and something that would really PIMP the library world! Why can't we be PUSHING the information to the user, when and where they want it, in the format they want, about what they want!?
What if they received text messages and/or e-mails when their favorite author has a new book in - or that it is already on reserve for them and they get the message when it is available?
Or favorite DVD? or CD? Or program or service!?
This is what today's users expect and want. This is the sort of technology they are dealing with everyday in their daily lives. Plus, this is a personal, emotional, and direct connection with their user! It also creates "brand loyalty" - the customer will appreciate and be loyal to the company that provides them with positive interactions and that gives them what they want and makes them happy!
I think we can learn a lot from this. The company gives three things to keep in mind:
And they note, "so far, Beyer's efforts have paid off. Within the first month, JACK FM amassed over 1,100 members in the JACK FLASH database. The number grows by the hour. " ¶ posted by Amy J. Kearns, MLIS @ 10:10 AM 0 comments links to this postSuccess requires lots of beta testing with real people, not just a group of
coworkers in a room guessing what will work. While the original concepts remain the same, our tactics have morphed as a result of the testing process.
Put yourself in the user's shoes and build an experience that will
benefit them. While company goals are top of mind, success only comes when the
e-mail is seen as truly benefiting the reader.
Maintain a willingness to change. A successful program requires
constant evolution. You owe it to your customer base to commit to making the experiences more personal and relevant -- and that means change.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
The User Is Not Broken
Bless Karen Schneider, Free Range Librarian, for posting this awesome thing that reminds us who we are serving (our users, not ourselves, and not technology). This is something I plan to reread every so often, to shake myself out of the ruts that I find myself in.
¶ posted by Mary Martin @ 1:53 PM 0 comments
links to this post
Better is the enemy of good.
I have known so many people (librarians and others) who think that perfection is an attainable goal. It's not! Please don't go for absolute perfection -- it's never going to happen. Instead, go for GOOD ENOUGH and have confidence in yourself that you can handle whatever happens. You can tweak or change things if necessary.
Too often I hear people say "well, we could try this, but what if we can't handle it? What if it's too successful? What if it tanks?"
So what?
Failure is inevitable. It would behoove us to remember this, and to not expect ourselves to get things right the first time, every time.
The thing to keep in mind is that, if you allow yourself to be paralyzed by the fear of failure, then you can't move forward. Deciding to do nothing is still a choice. And if we decide to do nothing, and the world moves on without us, then people may decide that we are not really necessary anymore. I don't want to end up like the dinosaurs, so even though I am not a big fan of change, I'm going to try to remain open to it. And I'm going to keep failing, and picking myself up again, and dusting myself off and going back into the damn fray.
And by the way, I like to refer to myself as a "recovering perfectionist." I'm not sure I am ever going to get over my desire for everything to be neat and in control and organized and perfect, but it keeps getting easier to talk myself down from the perfection ledge whenever I find myself up there. :) ¶ posted by Mary Martin @ 1:46 PM 0 comments links to this post
Too often I hear people say "well, we could try this, but what if we can't handle it? What if it's too successful? What if it tanks?"
So what?
Failure is inevitable. It would behoove us to remember this, and to not expect ourselves to get things right the first time, every time.
The thing to keep in mind is that, if you allow yourself to be paralyzed by the fear of failure, then you can't move forward. Deciding to do nothing is still a choice. And if we decide to do nothing, and the world moves on without us, then people may decide that we are not really necessary anymore. I don't want to end up like the dinosaurs, so even though I am not a big fan of change, I'm going to try to remain open to it. And I'm going to keep failing, and picking myself up again, and dusting myself off and going back into the damn fray.
And by the way, I like to refer to myself as a "recovering perfectionist." I'm not sure I am ever going to get over my desire for everything to be neat and in control and organized and perfect, but it keeps getting easier to talk myself down from the perfection ledge whenever I find myself up there. :) ¶ posted by Mary Martin @ 1:46 PM 0 comments links to this post
Need some help pimping your library?
Libsuccess.org is a wiki (and for anyone who doesn't quite know what a wiki is, basically it is an online, group-edited web page organized much like an encyclopedia) of best practices for libraries.
If you need some ideas on how to pimp up your library services, this is a great place to go. They have sections on programming, reader's advisory, how to sell your library, technology, and more.
If you have some ideas or want to share things that your library does well, you can sign up to be a contributor to the wiki.
This brings me back to one of the most important factors of doing a good job in your library -- SHARE with people! Communicate! For God's sake, if you have a great idea, tell other people about it! Don't make them reinvent the wheel. And if you're looking for great ideas, check libsuccess.org and check with colleagues (locally or on library listservs) to see if you can copy or steal any ideas from them. ¶ posted by Mary Martin @ 1:41 PM 0 comments links to this post
If you need some ideas on how to pimp up your library services, this is a great place to go. They have sections on programming, reader's advisory, how to sell your library, technology, and more.
If you have some ideas or want to share things that your library does well, you can sign up to be a contributor to the wiki.
This brings me back to one of the most important factors of doing a good job in your library -- SHARE with people! Communicate! For God's sake, if you have a great idea, tell other people about it! Don't make them reinvent the wheel. And if you're looking for great ideas, check libsuccess.org and check with colleagues (locally or on library listservs) to see if you can copy or steal any ideas from them. ¶ posted by Mary Martin @ 1:41 PM 0 comments links to this post
Give 'em what they want.
You know how we're always moaning about how we pay all this money for electronic databases and then no one uses them and our usage stats are in the toilet? Well, maybe we're not marketing them the right way. I mean, let's face it, few people aside from librarians would get all shivery at the thought that Ebsco has x number of full-text journals. It's just not the sort of thing normal people care about. (Not that I'm saying we're not normal.... but.... we're not normal.)
So maybe we need to start marketing our electronic databases by relating them to concrete things that our users can do with them. For instance, I increased usage of our Ebsco database when I put a press release in the paper with step-by-step instructions on how to get Consumer Reports articles in full-text, from your home computer. For months afterwards, I'd get calls at the ref desk from people who remembered seeing the article but couldn't quite remember how to do it. So I'd just email them the press release.
I just heard another good example of this type of thing. A library created some publicity showing people how they could see the articles from the New York Times on the day they were born. This could be a great way of getting people to use that expensive New York Times historical newspaper database. ¶ posted by Mary Martin @ 1:32 PM 0 comments links to this post
So maybe we need to start marketing our electronic databases by relating them to concrete things that our users can do with them. For instance, I increased usage of our Ebsco database when I put a press release in the paper with step-by-step instructions on how to get Consumer Reports articles in full-text, from your home computer. For months afterwards, I'd get calls at the ref desk from people who remembered seeing the article but couldn't quite remember how to do it. So I'd just email them the press release.
I just heard another good example of this type of thing. A library created some publicity showing people how they could see the articles from the New York Times on the day they were born. This could be a great way of getting people to use that expensive New York Times historical newspaper database. ¶ posted by Mary Martin @ 1:32 PM 0 comments links to this post
