Answer Boards & Social Searching

Well after several weeks of not being able to get anything done on my Web2.0 I have excelled myself and completed two sections in one day (must be a slow day, lol).

Answer Board Librarians would have to be one of the most inventive marketing tools for the librarian profession ever developed. All it is costing us is our time to sit and answer questions that we may otherwise get in our libraries. It is very subtle in getting the point across that librarians do know what they are talking about and it is a fabulous tool for ensuring that we give people correct information rather than the one off thought someone may have. Answer Board Librarians would seem to be the easiest solution for those of us wishing to impart our knowledge and help people without the major hassle of actually developing our own answer board.

Answer Boards can provide a great avenue for libraries distributing small quantities of information to large audiences. How many of us have dealt with the night before rush on an assignment only to find that the one book on the subject was borrowed weeks ago by the very diligent student. With so many people using the Internet now as their first research tool, Answer Boards can act as a bridge between us as librarians and the general public who are looking for answers.

In regards to Answer Boards there is a continual need for vigilance in filtering information. I have read a lot of questions on these sites from people actually trying to find quality information and advice who in the end have received nothing but childish and stupid replies from people who use the system as a method to mock people through anonymity. By identifying ourselves as librarians in answering these questions we are providing these people with a guarantee, for one of a better word, that we have considered their question and answered it with the same manner and relevance that we would a question asked directly to us in our libraries.

I actually have used a couple of answer boards personally. One instance was only a few weeks ago when I was trying to find out how to get grass stains out of my fabulous Dianna Ferrari beige silk peep toe heels. I was in a real panic about the fact that they may have been ruined. Using the Vogue Answers page I was able to get some great advice from people on what products to use to clean the shoes and how to preserve them and now they look as fabulous as they did the first day I brought them.

So again that is it for now, Cheers!