TwitterTime, Thing 7

Like a lot of the 'things' so far, I use Twitter in my personal life. I think of it sort of as a constant status update to keep friends up date on what I'm doing or feeling at any time. I created a special twitter just for my blog, check it out on my sidebar. I guess I could use it to keep co-workers posted about what I'm doing and where I am at any one time. 'In the drive up' or 'Working on Record sets' or 'At first floor desk' or 'Lunch time.' It would be quick and easy, but I'm not sure that much value would be gained by use at work. For me at least. I definitely see it as a cool communication tool for librarians to interact with contacts outside their libraries. It seems like a great tool for discussions on library topics, technology, events, etc.

Meebo though, I can definitely see how this could be really beneficial for programming or contact with other libraries or branches. Librarians could meet with colleagues remotely or create group chats for homework help. And the best thing about it is that you can use any IM provider. I would also love to see IM used inter-departmentally to communicate about busy service desks, cancelling holds, and other minor issues that could be handled quickly or efficiently through chat. It would also be a fantastic tool to contact a supervisor about a difficult patron without having to leave the desk or pick up the phone and risk upsetting the patron further. Or to contact a co-worker with a question while you're on the phone with a patron.