Thing 17 & 18

I'm not a member of any social networks other than Facebook, and I had to limit it to family because it's hard for me to keep up with it and a busy life at the same time! People are looking for $$$, love, friends, etc and think social networks will help them find it. Maybe. Unfortunately, it probably is like life: unpredictable. Children need to know how social networks work, it is the wave of the future. I would only recommend young kid sites that seem safe, like ScuttlePad, which limits the words kids can use to communicate, and requires parental permission. I hesitate with those like GiantHello, which asks for SS# and credit card use...? I don't think so! (I know, I'm old fashioned) I see how kids get around safeguards even in the children's room. I have to tell them to turn off Facebook regularly. LinkedIn seems interesting, could be a help to business people, but they are restrictive/censoring to countries that they disapprove of. Recommend LinkedIn? I think I'd just give info on the site to interested patrons. Webjunction seems interesting, seems easy to navigate. If our library could better our communication with other libraries through a site like this, it might be profitable. Nothing new under the sun: this is just a new avenue to desired destinations, true value to be determined.