If it isn’t obvious by now, Mary and I are determined to finish 23 Things on a Stick by the April 16th deadline. School tours are looming, along with other hefty projects, and we both figure that if we do not get done by the workshop deadline we might easily get sidetracked for too long to ever be able to get back and finish.
Thing 20 of 23 Things on a Stick deals with the popular social networking sites, Facebook and MySpace. Though I had not looked at either site before, I did have some idea of what they are all about. Even though these sites are used mainly by teenagers and young adults, most of us probably know at least a few people who use them with some regularity. While I did not set up an account, I spent quite a bit of time roaming around the MySpace site. It felt sort of creepy at first, like I was nosing into other people’s private business. It was easy, however, to see why some people find social networking sites so compelling and why non-profit institutions such as libraries have felt a need to create a MySpace or Facebook profile. While MCHS probably does not need to participate in social networking through sites such as these, it is important for us to be aware of them. As the museum community continually strives to be available to the public through as many venues as possible, we are finding it necessary to keep up with the ever-expanding digital channels of communication and information sharing.