Bringing Community Online

online community, storytelling,

and user experience

Reforma National Conference III 2008

Bridging the Gap: Juntos @ the Border

Emily Inlow-Hood Communications Manager, WebJunction

WebJunction is an online learning community for library staff.

My Story: • Contributed to recommendations for Communities of

Practice for PLA (ALA Emerging Leaders 2008)• Curriculum and Community Developer for WebJunction

Spanish Language Outreach Program

Email me at: inlowe@oclc.org

Today I’m talking about:• online community and the library, • storytelling as a community builder, and• designing for the optimal online community user

experience

Online Community and the Library

http://www.xkcd.com/256/

Online community is• personal• about connections• multidirectional• about support• about sharing• messy

Where does the community fit into the online library?

• Know your community– What is your community already doing?– What is the community’s capacity to be online?

• What is the library already doing that can be expanded online?

Storytelling as a Community Builder

What is a story?

• Narrative, spoken or written• Has meaning• Helps us figure out cause and effect• Codifies a shared understanding• Easy to understand• Everyone has their own to share

What does storytelling do?

• Passes along knowledge• Builds trust• Emotional connection• Unlocks passion• Builds self-esteem• CONNECTS

What is digital storytelling?

“A sneak peek into the soul.”

Storytelling and the online community

• Stories for connection• Stories for change• Teach storytelling to build information-age

capacity

Create “blended” community

• Blended = combination of f2f and online experience

• Connect the people who come into the library to the library, and to each other, in the online space

• Help your community become “web-ready”

Design Empowers Community

What is online user experience?

“The overall experience, in general or specifics, a user… has with an [online] product, service, or event. In the Usability field, this experience is usually defined in terms of ease-of-use. However, the experience encompasses more than merely function and flow, but the understanding compiled through all of the senses.

What is experience design?

• An approach to creating successful experiences for people in any medium

• It values meaning and emotions and all the senses

• It’s cross-cultural• It’s user-centered

Factors to consider when designing for online community experience

• Conversation• Trust• Time• Learning

Cartoon by gapingvoid

Design for Community• Build your online spaces so people can share,

tell, and preserve their stories• Keep in mind the overall user experience• Build in resources and time to do outreach and

training

Online Tools for Building Community

• Your library website and online library catalog

• Webcasts/webinars

• Online presentations, webinars, classes

• Digital stories

• Micro-blogging

• Maps and GPS

• Online tutorials

• Online calendars

• Discussion boards

• Online tutor and homework help

• Online stories linked to Storytimes (downloadable mp3, audio books, etc.)

• User-generated recommendations, ratings, and reviews (like Amazon)

• Content Management Systems that enable user-generated content-sharing

• Online groups and discussion lists

• Online social networks (facebook, twitter, etc.)

• Blogs with comments enabled

You’re not alone• There are communities of professionals out

there to help you • Connect to professional online communities

– WebJunction– ALA– Reforma– IFLA– SLA, etc.

Thank you!

More resources will be found here:

http://www.webjunction.org/conferences/articles/content/12912047