Thursday 4 August 2016

Getting Social at IFLA

This is part of a series of posts about my experiences of IFLA WLIC 2016. Other posts can be found here.

Funny story: I once wrote on a conference bursary application that I wanted to attend in order to "expose myself to the profession". It was only when my friend was proofreading the application that she pointed out that might not be the wisest choice of words! I took the phrase out and ended up not getting the place (although I'm sure for other reasons). 

However as my time at IFLA approaches I'm thinking about all the different ways I promised to share my experiences with the wider library community. I'm fairly active on social media and I know the value that it can bring to those not able to attend conferences so it seemed like a sensible place to start.

What I'm really aiming to do with all this is demystify the experience of a major international conference. I'm hoping that if I can show via social media what it's really like it will encourage more people to apply for bursaries when they see them. I know a lot of people hold back from applying because they think they're not good enough in some way but it's not true. The worst people can say is no and if you don't ask you don't get!

With that in mind, below is a list of ways that you will be able to follow me at the conference as it happens:
  • Blog - blogging gives me a chance to reflect and share things at the same time. One thing I really wanted to do with the conference blog is show people the full conference experience which is why there have been so many posts leading up to the conference itself. I'm aiming to blog about highlights when I'm in Columbus and then again once I am settled back into real life and putting into practice what I've learnt. 
  • Twitter - as most people know I'm REALLY keen on live-tweeting. It helps me to record my thoughts and also allows people to follow along in real time. The time difference between here and the USA will have an impact on this but I plan to be tweeting as much as I can from the sessions I'll be attending.
  • Facebook - I have a 'professional' Facebook so that I can keep my personal account private. If people are still using Facebook then I'll be sharing updates on there but it's more likely to be links to blog and Instagram content than anything new.
  • Instagram - recently I've been thinking about different ways to follow along with conferences. I have seen a few people posting video reflections at the end of the session but I don't think I'm brave enough to try this. However, I know that sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words and I've joined Instagram to share quicker, visual updates. 

This does all come with the caveat that I am only human! There is only so much I can do at one time but hopefully I can keep these channels updated at the conference. I'm also going to be pretty dependent on technology so say a prayer to the gods of tech that everything keeps working and that I remember to pack my chargers!

Next stop Columbus, Ohio! 

2 comments:

  1. Looking forward to your posts across all forms. I'll be following you. Thanks for being willing to share. :)

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  2. Thanks Sandy. If there is any particular aspect of the conference you're interested in let me know and I'll do my best to cover it.

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