rochdale library service on t’interweb
TRANSCRIPT
Rochdale Library Service on t’Interweb
Quick overview and notes for Library Service staff.
S.A.Heywood February 2011
General principles
We have three main channels:
The RMBC web site Social networking and other “Web 2.0” services The web catalogue and its associated portal
functions (not covered here because this is going to change radically when we buy a new LMS.)
Web site principles: Pages (1)
Three-column format:
The left-hand column is the taxonomy — simple cladistic family tree.
The right-hand column is for contacts and further information.
The central column is the true content of the page.
Web site principles: Pages (2)
The left-hand column shows the hierarchy of the whole RMBC web site.
It isn’t often you’ll be creating a new branch to the family tree so it’s mostly irrelevant for everyday web authoring.
So long as each individual web page has appropriate links in appropriate launch pages it doesn’t much matter where it lives.
The hierarchy becomes useful when you’re doing clever things with news articles.
Web site principles: Pages (3)
The right-hand column is for links and further information:
Contact details Links to more information “More news” — news feeds from the Library
news pages Some eye candy if appropriate
Web site principles: Pages (4)
Three types of main content:
Static pages News aggregating pages News items
Web site principles: Static pages
Essentially, pages that are fixtures.
“Brochure” pages for the services involved. Can be made to look dynamic by changing
pictures periodically. Can be made dynamic by embedding news
content.
Web site principles: News aggregating pages
Pages anchored in the hierarchy, the same as static pages, but dynamic content.
May have some introductory text at the top. Mostly, if not completely, made up of news
items automatically fed to the page in chronological order.
Web site principles: News items
Essentially, small time-limited static pages.
A news item, literally. Page set up so that it becomes part of the
news feed. The news page it feeds is dependent on the
“mother” page and that news page’s feed settings.
Web site principles: Authoring (1)
Some general rules:
Try not to be more than 1½ screens long. Make sure your main message is in the first
paragraph. Use active language. Passive language is not to be
used. Corporate style sheet! Use Wordle.net to test if the message you’re giving
is the one you want to say.
Web site principles: Authoring (2)
Some general rules:
Links are good:– Links within the web site increase the “stickiness” of visits,
which is A Good Thing.– External links improve the chances of search engines’
finding the page. There is a tension between providing a good
selection of useful links and confusing or intimidating the reader.
Web site principles: Navigation
If the reader has to depend on the taxonomy in the left-hand column to find your page then you’ve failed.
The start point for all information about library services is www.rochdale.gov.uk/libraries —wherever the pages actually live.
The reader should do no more than 3 click-throughs to get to what they want.
Web site principles: Links
Links
Links are good, remember? Prioritise what people will be looking for.
(This isn’t necessarily the currently-most-viewed, those pages may just be the most findable, not the most useful.)
Web site principles: Discovery (1)
It’s no use if people can’t find it.
Links and navigation, as above. Metadata and tagging for to be found in
search results. Share the links to this page, not to
“somewhere on the web site.”
Web site principles: Discovery (2)
It’s no use if people can’t find it.
Search engines Links in press releases, publicity, etc. Shared links in social networking and other
Web 2.0 sites.
News items: general principal
RMBC Home
Library Service Home Page
Static with embedded news feed
Daughter page
Static
Library news page
Static with embedded news feed
News item 1
News item 2
News item 3
News item 4
News item 5
Daughter page
Static
Daughter page
Static
News items: being creative
RMBC Home
Library Service Home Page
Static with embedded news feed
Daughter page
Static
Library news page
Static with embedded news feed
News item 1
News item 4
Daughter page
Static with embedded news feed
Daughter page
Static with embedded news feed
News item 2
News item 5
News item 3
News items: sharing content
LibraryHomePage
LibraryNewsPage
RMBCNewsPage
Library“daughter”Page
LibraryNews ArchivePage
Social networking sitese.g. Facebook, Twitter
External news feeds and personal desktops,e.g. Netvibes
LibraryNews Article
News media
Social networking principles (1)
The definitive source of information about our library services has to be the library web site.
Social networking sites need to link to the library web site.
Posts need to link to the library web site wherever possible and appropriate.
Social networking principles (2)
Know your social media.
23 Things should be a requirement of library web authors and e-learning staff.
Apply the appropriate message to the appropriate medium. One size definitely doesn’t fit all!
Social networking principles (3)
One post = one event; one event = some posts.
Link to individual news items and events rather than to aggregating pages.
Select snippets to share. Avoid undue or inappropriate repetition and
spamming.
Social networking principles (4)
This is all about the library brand
Be professional Be knowledgeable Be positive Smile!
Social networking principles (5)
This is all about people
Be human Be friendly Be approachable Share!
Social networking principles (6)
Share, share, share!
Be selective — share what may be useful to your audience. Try to share messages from RMBC — most will be useful to
your audience. Try to share most government messages — most will be useful
to some of your audience. Share positive feedback and say thank you. If someone likes/reviews a title/author we have in stock, share
it and, if possible, include a link to the catalogue. “Like” nice news and positive feedback.
Social networking principles (7)
In short…
FollowFriendLikeShare
Social networking works
No point in tweeting?
http://ukwebfocus.wordpress.com/2011/02/01/assessing-the-value-of-a-tweet/
Case study: events management
Marketing and managing for success:
Justifying doing it in the first place. Demonstrating the return on the investment. Evidencing the return on the investment. Marketing the event doesn’t finish when the event does. Managing the event doesn’t finish when the event does.
Case study: events management
We’re not marketing the event, we’re marketing the product:
The serviceThe libraryThe project
Case study: events management
All the individual events link together to create a single narrative for to market the service.
Events must not be isolated incidents.
Case study: events management
Pre-publicity
Create a news item to let people know about the event.
Depending on the theme/location you may want to use a themed page as the “mother,” otherwise create on the Library News Page.
Share the published page with social media.
Case study: events management
Contemporaneous marketing
Take photographs Make videos/podcasts Set up a hashtag for tweets Think about how you’re going to re-use these
resources
Case study: events management
Contemporaneous marketing
Share photographs, information, thoughts and impressions on social media
Encourage participants’ sharing photographs, thoughts and impressions
Case study: events management
After the event…
News item on the success of the event. Share the published page with social media. Re-use the contemporary resources.
Case study: events management
Re-using contemporary resources after the event…
Reviews and reports Shared photo albums Shared audio-visual resources
Case study: events management
Retrieving the event resources
We need to show that we do more than stamp books and go “shush.”
We need to demonstrate the return on the investment in the event.
We need to celebrate achievement. If we can do something once and resources allow we
might do it again if somebody asks for it. If we don’t show that we do it, people won’t know we
can do it.