Day 2 #blogjune - Social media

Sharon's second post is about social media and the way she uses it.  Reading her post is actually like reading something that I would have written myself.  The main social media platforms I use nowadays are Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

I have been using Twitter of late in fits and bursts. I'll be on it for ages, do a lot of reading of articles etc, then barely touch it.  As Sharon says in her post, I tend to use it more for live tweeting at conferences and as a note taking medium.  Twitter has been really good for making me think about things more succinctly. I do check Twitter weekly to see the football scores (saves me downloading the app again!) and also checking tweets for Masterchef 2016.

I use Facebook the most. I find having the app on my phones means I can check at random times during the day.  I scroll through a few screens and that allows me to keep up with what family and friends are doing a little more.  I have also changed my settings so that I get alerted whenever a family member posts something, so there is no chance of missing anything during my daily, random scrolls.

I'm also a member of a few groups that I use for professional development in my areas of interest:

• Library Professionals - a forum for sharing ideas and information around the future of libraries around the world.
• ALIA Social Media Group - an ALIA Group for all people interested in using, connecting with and promoting social media use in Australian libraries.
• Storytime Down Under - a space for information-sharing and support for any Australian library professionals working with children and young people. From book suggestions to craft ideas to inspiration for programs, there is informal chatting about everything 'storytime' (and beyond) here!
• Relief Teaching Ideas - a place for all teachers - casual, permanent, contract, part time, student teachers, specialists, tutors, teacher aides, home schoolers and anyone else interested in education.  
• MakerSpaces and the Participatory Library - an open space for collaboration and sharing about MakerSpaces, digital media labs, and participatory/community spaces in libraries.

I am a member of several more, but these are my main, go to groups to learn and share things.

I do use Pinterest quite a bit, both for personal and professional things.  I have a Library Programming board and a makerspaces board - both huge areas of interest for me in libraries.

Finally, I also use Instagram, but I have to confess that I go days and days (weeks!) without looking at it, even though I have the app installed on all my devices.  It just isn't something that is embedded in my mind, but that may change.  I do like looking at all my friends' posts and I also follow some professional and high interest posters.

I do use YouTube, but only to watch and learn things, not to upload anything myself :)

So I am now 2 posts down, thanks Sharon :)