LinkedIn was something I knew was there but was never really interested in. I did go in and sign up only to get more access. At a glance it looks to be for the executive type of professional and I did not think I belonged here however I had a look around. The links for jobs and companies group membership looked good for networking opportunities but personally looked like the place you would use to head hunt or be head hunted. I spoke to a couple of colleagues who have their profiles in LinkedIn and their main purpose is for career prospects. It did cover all the points for networking, better known, better connected and better equipped but for me it may be something I could use in the future but not now.
I mainly use Facebook for fun and contact with friends and family. Due to Thing 6 I have now connected with CPD 23 Things for professional development and also another couple of organisations but in the past mainly using it for contact with friends, family and colleagues. Facebook is straight forward and easy to use even following organisations or community groups is simple enough just click the like button. All of my friends on Facebook are people I have contact with or have met I don't just add someone to make up the numbers. This could be because I heard a story (don't know if it is true or not) that a fasts food chain in
It was however very interesting reading Andrew Brown's blog. It is a very informative article but what alarmed me is the fact that even when you close or deactivate your account your details are not deleted therefore could in future be accessed by undesirables.
LISNPN
This site was more suited to me. This site made me feel more comfortable than LinkedIn and I have not even signed up yet. I read some of the discussions within the forums and liked what I saw. I was particularly interested in the career development discussions and see this as a helpful networking tool I will definitely be using whilst chartering. The advice was explained in plain English and I even picked up some useful advice while reading the posts. There is even a forum for 23 Things for professional development in there. I would advise anyone who is looking for help with their development to join this site and any professional out there willing to give advice to also join.
LAT
Librarians as teachers-the title put me off right away. Although I teach IT within libraries I do not see myself as a teacher but as a tutor. This may sound silly but I believe there is a difference which I won't go into.
This site looked more for teachers than librarians but as I looked at a few of the discussions I was pleasantly surprised a lot of the information was indeed for librarians, I even filled in one of the online surveys. I will give this site a try in the near future and hope it will be useful for my personal development.
CILIP Communities
I already use this for e-bulletins for my areas of interest. It is also a good way of keeping up to date with training and development opportunities. I have recently started to look at the blogs and forums and find them very useful towards Chartership and this has now prompted me to make a point of getting more involved with CILIP Communities with a view of creating some useful networking contacts.
I can understand why Reid Hoffman made the comment about Facebook being the BBQ and LinkedIn being the office. I see Facebook as more of a leisurely form of networking and LinkedIn being more networking for professionals related to their individual professions.
Google+
I would have to admit I am still a novice blogger and do not have enough experience to be giving an educated opinion on "is there room for more networks", so I will give you an opinion from an apprentice blogger.
Yes i think there will always be room for new networks because the market is open to other types of networks. With social networks we have the option to have multiple profiles for particular activities and friends for this reason I think there is plenty of room out there and we will see new networks being created.
I came across http://www.zenergo.com/ which is a new social network that allows people to connect and interact with others that share similar interests by focusing on real-world activities. One of Zergo's social network’s goals was to get people away from their computers and involved in offline activities.
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