Personal brand

Thing 3 of 23 Things for Professional Development suggests googleing your name. It was quite a relief that any skeletons are firmly buried.

Having left full time work to spend more time sailing, it has been quite easy to use images of me by, near or on boats, as logos on various social network sites. When or if supply work gets offered it saves too much explanation of why I can only work a few weeks at a time. The "about me" comments generally feature yachtswoman, but after many years of work I will always consider myself a librarian.

Calon Lan approaching a very narrow channel south of Dugi Otok in a force 5 wind.

Library use of facebook

A year or so ago I created a College Library facebook page loaded some interesting images of the older and newer library and put useful links on it to COPAC, the library OPAC and JSTOR. Eight or so librarians became fans plus a few randoms with no Cambridge connection and then Facebook had one of its revamps, the carefully designed pages were split over several tabs and advertising appeared down one side. No College students were fans so I took the page down.

For several years however, I became a fan or liked the Freshers page and shortly before the beginning of Michaelmas term posted a reminder about Library tours to the wall, or to a discussion. Don't think it had much impact but I did get an invite to an 18th birthday party. Think I was washing my hair that day.

There are various facebook groups which might be of interest for networking or professional development but in general the activity in them is slight. I use Facebook to stay in touch with family and friends and share photographs and apart from Scrabble have resisted the lure of the various games on offer. If students want to befriend me that is fine, but each summer I weed my friends list. Facebook offers a means of staying in touch, offering support, organising social activities and establishing an online persona distinct from that portrayed in the office at home. It's fun, and we all need that, but perhaps it is not worth the time needed to maintain and update an institutional page when websites, emails, camtools etc are already used.

Flickr using images

103 blog entries to catch up on after one week away. Have to take a deep breath and read what I can. In the meantime am using flickr and creative commons http://www.flickr.com/photos/14896779@N05/4736467532/ and to send notification to the Cruising Association about a shortcut to get through Losinj island or to enter the harbour of Mali Losinj via the artificial canal Prolaz Privlaka (3m deep and 6m wide) when the bridge opens at 0900 and 1800. Having seen the swell with a moderate NW wind I would not advise it.

As to library use of flickr, would it not be easier to get someone with a digital camera or a keen eye to take photographs on your behalf rather than fish for pictures on the web. Just a thought.


Sunset in Mali Losinj Midsummer.