What is social networking?
A social network service builds online communities of people by connecting people who share interests and/or activities. Most social network services are web based and provide a variety of ways for users to interact, such as e-mail and instant messaging services.
Social networks are about connecting people and interacting with each other.

Examples include: Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, Bebo, Orkut

Finding out about Facebook
You do not have to sign up to Facebook to complete this Thing, but if you do, you will gain a better understanding of how the site works by joining in.

Engaging with social networks is an important tools for libraries to use to keep in touch with their readers. For example, if your library has a Facebook Fan Page and your readers become Fans of your library, you can make it easy for readers to connect with you. You can include your contact information, opening hours, links to SOLO and other sites and even live messaging to increase readers’ engagement with library services.

Use the Web 2.0 Directory to explore some examples of Oxford libraries which are already using Facebook to communicate with their readers.

Find out about Facebook Fan Pages versus Facebook Groups (use the following links or search for your own):