A More Effective Social Media Presence: Strategic Planning and Project Management from ALATechSource

1. Where the organization is
2. Where the organization should go
3. How the organization can get there (McNamara, 2011)

It must be:

1. Flexible
2. Based on data
3. Maintainable
4. Regularly cared for

covers and confirms my notes to the SCSU library use of its social media:

p. 83 ask uncomfortable questions
in planning, we must be prepared to ask, critically consider and answer questions that make us uncomfortable (not only that I was not let to ask questions, I was ousted from any body that was making decisions regarding social media. I was openly opposed and rebuked for asking why 3 reference librarians will keep the passwords to the account for the library SM)

p. 83 Communicate
If your team communicates honestly and thoroughly, then positive feelings and advocates for your social media endeavors will grow. In the span of 6 months, I had to ask three times where are the notes of the social media committee kept and eventually i will receive an answer, which in it nebulous and apologetic form was practically not an answer.

p. 83 Don’t rush to conclusions
Satisficing often works, but it can also lead to conclusions that are less then optimal.
In the fall of 2013, I had to fight an overwhelming majority opposing my proposal that social media needs to include student representation, since SM is about dialog, not broadcasting (see page 86) and the current staff and faculty see SM as another form of broadcasting. In the span of six months, by the summer of 2014 library staff and faculty had fallen in the other extreme, letting one single student run all library SM. That student did/could not have understanding of the scope and goals of the library resulting in satisficing.

p. 84 aim for consensus, but don’t require it
Consensus was the leitmotiv of the dean; it failed in general, and it failed in SM. 

p. 84  get an external reviewer

p. 84 value and celebrate small success
a strategic plan will be realized through a series of small actions, not one or two pivotal plots.

p. 84 create accountability

p. 86 maintain a consistent tone and brand
visual and tone based consistency.
This library DOES maintain consistency by posting Instagram pictures of people covering their faces with books, so part of their face compliments a face on cover of books. It is done by other libraries and it would have been cute and original if not overdone. If the SM activities of a library consist mostly of such activities then the “branding” part definitely is hurt. Yet, the faculty in this library vehemently adhere to “let’s see what other libraries are doing,” but does not understand that it needs further conceptualizing to figure out how to transform into “brand.”

p. 86 capitalize on the strengths of social media
“in many cases, business and libraries use SM exactly as they use their websites: to push content.
This has been the main criticism from the start: the three reference librarians holding the passwords to the SM account were using Facebook as a announcement board and kept dormant the other accounts. The resolution of the library faculty who was called to arbitrate the argument with these three librarian: “I don’t understand very well Facebook.” The interim dean, who, subsequently had to resolve this dispute: “I don’t use Facebook.”

p. 87 Metrics

Analyze and tweak plan
measuring success is about maximizing time and efforts, not about laying blame for shortcomings or failures.
this applies to daily tasks and responsibilities and shuffling time, but when the organization does not have a clear overarching goal and clear strategy how to achieve it, then issues must be raised up. which leads to:

p. 92 Plan for conversation
the inclusion of conversation. incorporate your patrons as primary content creators (not appointing just a single student worker to broadcast)

p. 92 use SM as an assessment or feedback tool

p. 93 plan to monitor your brand
if you decide to start watching these types of mentions, you’ll want to consider whether you’ll adopt a passive or an active role in responding to them.

review:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1941126X.2012.732867

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Social media strategy 2013-2014
National Library Australia

https://www.nla.gov.au/policy-and-planning/social-media-strategy-2013

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10 Social Media Marketing Tips for Libraries,Ellyssa Kroski — February 12, 2013

http://oedb.org/ilibrarian/10-social-media-marketing-tips-for-libraries/

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Social Media: Libraries Are Posting, but Is Anyone Listening?By Nancy Dowd on May 7, 2013

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/05/marketing/social-media-libraries-are-posting-but-is-anyone-listening/

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Strategic Planning for Social Media in Libraries: The Case of Zimbabwe

http://www.igi-global.com/chapter/strategic-planning-for-social-media-in-libraries/127826