So, I have read, watched and listened to various experts telling me about how how social networking and social media are now vitally important to businesses. What is surprising is that there is anyone who still doubts this. But apparently there are many high-end business leaders for whom the idea of giving up control and communicating with the public is offputting. Then there are those who want to use these networks but see them as simply another old-style promotionl tool. It must be noted, however, that these articles are a little bit dated.
The key messages that I have imbibed from Gary Hayes and Charlene Li are that if you want to promote your product/message you need to engage the audience in a conversation. They need to feel free to give feedback and offer ideas. For that to happen you need to come across as more than a faceless institution. You need to invest time and energy into getting to know your audience and, critically, building a trusting relationship with them. This is of course no problem because we all spend insane amounts of time online nowadays. The key question for teacher librarians is where to find this time. There will be those who argue that they can't spare it, but in today's world this should and must be a priority, so that time will have to be found.
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