23 Mobile Things - There is always something more to learn

For those who are interested to use their mobile smartphones or their tablets optimally, or who wants to know how to get into the world of social media, this is your chance!

The Australian and New Zealand librarians have teamed up to make it possible through the 23 mobile things course by Jan Holmquist.

ANZ 23 Mobile Things 

The best news! You don't have to be from Australia or New Zealand to take part in this initiative.
You can sign up from anywhere in the world!

It is also a free course!

They are starting this week with introductions and with a quick survey to measure what is being learnt.

It is also never too late to start participating in this course.

All that is needed is to sign up with a name, email and country. As easy as that.
You can also follow the course on your computer or laptop.

The course will run from May to November 2013, and each week will cover a mobile Thing to master as set out in the original 23 Mobile Things blog

23 Mobile Things

1. Twitter
2. Taking a photo with a mobile device:  Instagram / Flickr app / Snapchat
3. eMail on the move
4. Maps and checking in
5. Photos + Maps + Apps: Historypin / What was there / Sepia Town
6. Video: YouTube and screencasts
7. Communicate: Skype / Google Hangout
8. Calendar
9. QR codes
10. Social reading: RSS / Flipboard / Feedly / Goodreads / Pocket
11. Augmented reality: Layar
12. Games: Angry Birds / Wordfeud
13. Online identity: FaceBook and LinkedIn
14. Curating: Pinterest / Scoop.it / Tumblr
15. Adobe ID
16. eBooks and eBook apps: Project Gutenberg / Kindle / Overdrive / Bluefire / Kobo, etc.
17. Evernote and Zotero
18. Productivity tools: Doodle / Remember the Milk / Hackpad / any.do /  30/30
19. File sharing: Dropbox
20. Music: last.fm / Spotify
21. Voice interaction and recording
22. eResources vendor apps
23. Digital storytelling

Your most pressing questions about the course are addressed here: FAQ.

The timetable is available: Timetable

Like on Facebook:    ANZ 23 Mobile Things

Follow on Twitter:   @anz23mthings

RSS posts:                 ANZ 23 Mobile Things  

Sign up here!

(Graphic: Courtesy Micosoft Clip Art: "Mobile")

Blog post by Karen du Toit, Archivist in the SABC Radio Archives, who will be taking part from South Africa.

Libraries with social media X-factor

Libraries with Social Media XFactor

View more presentations from Judy O'Connell


Judy O'Connell presented the keynote presentation at Wollongong City and Branch Libraries to drive their social media campaigns for the libraries forward in Australia.
They have decided to take charge of the future and embrace social media as part of their library services.
The blog post for further reading: Libraries and social media X

This is an in-depth look at the challenges and strengths as well as how to proceed when starting out with a social media campaign in the libraries.

Libraries with an X-factor do the following, according to Judy O"Connel - quoted from the Slideshare presentation:

"- You can have an unlimited number of fans (Facebook users who “Like” your page)

- Facebook Pages are public—anyone can find and view your page whether they are logged into Facebook or not 

- All content posted on your Facebook page gets indexed on Google

- Create and promote events

- Communicate and share

- Connect or “like” other organizations

- Send notifications and messages

- Collect fans by promoting “Like”

- Feature discussions

- Create and share media

- Run competitions & polls

- Make sure to get a custom URL

- You can add additional admins (highly recommended)

- All admins have equal rights to administer your page, including adding and removing other admins (choose with care!)

- Select your page title and category carefully as they cannot be changed once set

- Bookshare widgets

- Catalogue search widgets

- Libguides Ebsco...and more

- Three C’s • Community • Collaboration • Communication

- Free Marketing & Advocacy

- Starting and sharing conversations

- Answering questions

- Breaking down barriers to information

- Serving as an interactive resource

- LISTEN!

- Google+

- share •communicate •participate •and more..."

These points helps us to see where we are in our own social media  strategies.
Thanks Judy!

What do you do when you see a QR code?

QR Code for the SABC Media Library's blog on mobile

You scan it! That's what you do!

Why? Because you want to know what it is all about!

How? By using your smartphone and a QR Code Reader.


Steps on how to scan a QR code:


1. Download a QR Code Reader for your phone.
    Try QR Code Scanner Pro for Blackberry (free). I have it on my phone.
    It looks like this:

QR Code Scanner Pro

 Or Kaywa Reader:
 It looks like this:

Kaywa Reader

Or Neo Reader:

There are countless QR Code Readers that are available for free.
You are welcome to let us know what you are using?

2. Open the Code Reader application on your phone when you spot a QR Code.

3. Align the code with your scanning screen on your phone.
I see that I have to keep my phone very stable and ensure enough light.

QR Code Scanner Pro screen shot

But other applications such as the Neo Reader immediately recognises the code and tells you which link has been recognised:

Neo Reader being used by Obakeng Phiri, our intern

4. If it does not automatically opens up in the link on the Internet, you are asked to click on the link to go to the required information.

5. Well done! See the required information/link/info on your mobile phone! (No need to look it up elsewhere!)

SABC Media Libraries blog (mobile)

Related post:
QR code for the SABC Media Library's blog


Post by Karen du Toit, Afrikaans Archivist in the SABC Radio Archives.

LibCafé curated - SABC Media Libraries Knowledge Café

LibCafé WordItOut word cloud

The SABC Media Libraries had a very interesting and successful Knowledge Café #LibCafe last week.

We are still busy  looking at some of the results that were generated through the tools used in the LibCafé. Even the scribbles done by the participants are a valuable way in finding our way through the maze of social media.

The question that was asked: "What do you need to start using social media?"

We have curated our tweets identified by the hashtag #LibCafe in Twapperkeeper:
http://twapperkeeper.com/LibCafe

Also in Twubs:
http://twubs.com/LibCafe

We have found a strange phenomenon which happened with regards Twitter. Our main Twitter account @SABCMediaLib was not picked up by any of the curation options that we used. The account is not blocked, nor is it private. It is only the tweets that were retweeted, or that came from the other sources, such as the @SABCRadioArc account, that were curated.

If anybody has an idea about the reason, please let us know?

The story of the day is compiled in Storify, which include tweets, blog posts, links, photos and related information about Knowledge Café's as well as specifically our LibCafé.
http://storify.com/sabcmedialib/libcafe

The Prezi, the presentation tool that was used, is also available online:
http://prezi.com/nxg-6mv1cemx/libcafe/

The TwitterFountain can be seen her:
http://thefounta.in/i5nC7


Related post:
What do we need to start using social media in the SABC Media Libraries?

Blog post by Karen du Toit, and WordItOut word cloud by Obakeng Phiri (intern) (SABC Radio Archives).

What do we need to start using social media in the SABC Media Libraries?

Prezi of #LibCafe

LibCafé, our first Knowledge Café, wanted to create an environment for conversation about the use of social media in the SABC Media Libraries.

The question: What do you need to start using social media?
We used the Knowledge Café as a facilitation tool towards a better understanding and learning environment about the uptake of social media in the SABC Media Libraries.

The SABC Media Libraries have a website and a blog which feed into the Facebook fan pages of the different departments, as well as the Twitter accounts. (See below for the different accounts.) We are two people who manage these accounts for the SABC Media Libraries. Representation of all the departments are slow in uptake, not necessarily because of disinterest, but because of heavy workloads and under staffing. The issues of workload and under staffing are global phenomenons, and not only problems unique to us.

The hope is that we could get a better understanding of what is needed to get more people involved, and to see where we can address some of the issues that make it difficult for people to use social media in their daily work activities.

We are very grateful towards Manti Grobler who facilitated our LibCafé, with her experience in the method of Knowledge Cafés. She believes that it is imperative to get a measurable result out of the process, and that it does not stop with the conversation only. David Gurteen, The Knowledge Management expert, and worldwide facilitator of Knowledge Cafés, believes that conversation is the most important, and that you don't have to get a result for it to be successful. We used his theory and videos about Knowledge Cafés extensively in our preparation as well as presentation.

The collective discussion in our LibCafé came to the following conclusion of what we need to focus on in taking social media forward in the SABC Media Libraries:

What did we discover?
(See #LibCafé Prezi snippet above)

We need:

1. Skills    It includes know-how about the applications, social media etiquette, language and we need to know the pitfalls.
2. Access    Tools such as the Internet, smart phones, etc.
    Unlimited time (when; duration)
    Permission
3. Audience

4. Interest (blending social media into your daily activities)

5. Finding your own voice    Desire, motivation, passion

Where to from here?

"A social media inFundi has more eyes on the World"

We have already announced a social media empowerment plan for the SABC Media Libraries to take the issues of Skills and Interest forward.
We identify inFundi's who social buddy the next inFundi's.

The inFundi status is measurable by the following criteria:

• Open a Twitter account;
• 30 Tweets; 
• Follow 50 Twitter users;
• Need to get 20 followers;
• Facebook - make 10 Facebook fan page updates on the relevant department's fan page.

The new inFundi's social buddy the next set of inFundi's. The first set of inFundi's will be awarded surprise packets, courtesy of Manti Grobler.

The issue of access need to be taken up by the management and social media committee of the SABC Media Libraries. 

Blog post by Karen du Toit, SABC Radio Archives. 

The Facebook fan pages:

SABC Radio Archives

SABC Record Library

SABC Music Library

SABC Audio Restoration

SABC Information Library

Twitter accounts:

SABC Media Libraries

SABC Radio Archives

SABC Record Library

SABC Information Library

SABC Music Library

SABC Audio Restoration

Related posts:
LibCafé - SABC Media Libraries first Knowledge Café
The Knowledge Café via David Gurteen - start of our LibCafé
The Knowledge Café to address a PowerPoint aversion
Experience of a Knowledge Café at KMUK11 #KCafe
Twitter Twub: #LibCafe

LibCafé - SABC Media Libraries first Knowledge Café

The SABC Media Libraries had their first Knowledge Café called LibCafé yesterday.
It is identified by the hashtag #LibCafe on Twitter.
The theme was: "Diving into social media"

The question that was explored extensively is: "What do I need to start using social media?"

The photos are uploaded on Picasa: https://picasaweb.google.com/SABCMediaLibraries/LibCafe30August2011#

Manti Grobler facilitated the Knowledge Café, which helped us immensely with her advanced experience in the Knowledge Management tool of business learning.

Manti Grobler explaining what a Knowledge Café is

I will be posting about the outcomes and experiences of the day!

We got some very valuable feedback from the participants in how to take social media forward in the SABC Media Libraries.


Blog post by Karen du Toit, SABC Radio Archives.

The collaboration side of Knowledge Management - seminar by Sharon van Biljon

We had the privilege to attend a seminar hosted by the Department of Information and Knowledge Management at the University of Johannesburg. Sharon van Biljon, Knowledge Manager of Global Business Services at IBM South Africa presented “The collaboration side of Knowledge Management”

 We found the seminar very thought-provoking, especially the fact that collaboration is seen as part of the employees’ role within the organisation. IBM has an Intranet that encourages collaboration with vast sets of tools, such as blogging, and IM (Instant Messaging). The use of social media such as Twitter and Facebook were not really discussed, and there seems to be an area where they can still improve their collaboration.

No business can survive without collaboration. No matter how you look at it, socializing has become a means by which corporations conduct their business. The more employees collaborate, the more connections are made which leads to an increased number of insights or knowledge - exactly what companies are looking for. The sheer value of connecting to knowledge sources is coming into its own after a shaky start in the early nineties. The overly formal business style of the time stifled a natural inclination among employees to find like-minded people, whether peers or mentors.   The days of doing only what you are given to do, is long past. Today, you need to fulfil given tasks, but in such a way that it will render you unique when it comes to quality and adding value to your company or organisation. Who other than your friends to help you socially and in business terms, who other than your peers, mentors and colleagues to render the same type of assistance when you need it?  Businesses are enabling business socialization as never before and reap the benefits in a number of ways, among them, financial, of course. Employees stand to gain from this, but moreover, they derive a deep satisfaction in branding themselves as experts within a collaborative network of like-minded experts. It remains a win-win all round. And who would have thought that collaboration could be fun, as well?

The following pointers were also very valid. Change is essential for progress. Only businesses that respond and change themselves through reinvention have survived. The need is there to effectively respond to social changes.

Collaboration is crafted with a governance framework, where there is

• No need to ask approval
• Self-regulatory
• Openness is crucial.

It extrapolates back to the SABC Media Libraries which has embarked on a Web 2.0 campaign to effectively collaborate with our colleagues as well as our audience and users of our services. We started on the project last year when no clear mandate was available of how to proceed. A year later and the directive were only now released to become more socially visible on Facebook and Twitter. We have been moving in the right direction, it seems.

The challenge now is to get everybody involved and excited as well. How do you get you personnel involved?

Karen du Toit
Senior Afrikaans Archivist
SABC Radio Archives

Opening up Web 2.0 for the SABC Media Libraries

The SABC Media Libraries have started a series of workshops to open up the Web 2.0. Social media is having an impact on every aspect of life, as well as in business, and we need to be aware and start incorporating it in our daily business at the public broadcaster. Richard Waghorn (SABC Chief Technology Officer) made the following statement in a newsletter the previous week:

…the growth in social media is impacting on the way we work and what we do as broadcasters and is challenging us to remain competitive. We need to think differently about how we engage with our different audience groups given the changing ways in which they engage with all different types of media.

Social media is such a vast and very quick expanding field, but for most of us it is overwhelming and we don’t know where to start. We also worry about privacy issues. To get a buy-in from all the different stake-holders and employees we need to take it into account when starting out with such a project.

In the first workshop we try to explain the difference in some of the social media tools, such as a blog, Twitter and Facebook. At the moment we focus on Facebook as a social media tool, and ask people to start using their respective business pages as a way of engaging with our outside audience. The respective business pages are SABC Radio Archives, SABC Music Library, SABC Information Library, SABC Audio Restoration and SABC Record Library. The workshop participants learn to set up their privacy settings in order to make them feel more comfortable in taking up a social media tool.

The workshops will continue in future to ensure the SABC Media Libraries build on their online presence and engage with our audience in a new way.

Karen du Toit

Afrikaans Archivist

SABC Radio Archives