Saturday, January 15, 2011

Tuesday 04/01/ 20110 – Sunday 16/01/2011

Timeline:
Execute amendments/changes

05/01/2011: Meeting with MDC & LTC to present draft FB page

This meeting was initially scheduled for Monday 03/01/11, however this day was an extended public holiday for the New Years Day publich holiday which fell on a Saturday.

Wall
Discussed functions of the Wall and that it is a standard feature to FB and cannot be modified.  It was decided that the Wall could be used when the MDC wanted to promote a particular book and invite discussion about it.

Demonstrated how the Wall can be used to post links and that the links would then be available in the Links box and that these could be deleted from the Links box at any time.

We also discussed the best way of promoting "Top Ten" books etc.  The MDC wanted to be able to add a link into this.  I advised that the Wall would most likely be the best place to do this sort of thing.  The MDC is going to log on and have a play with the Wall to see if it meets her requirements.

Info/Location
Info tab (standard) and static FBML created tab for Location/Hours.  MDC happy with the new format for the Location/Hours tab.  Decided to combine the information in the Info tab with the Location/Hours tab and rename it Our Libraries.  Thought it would  be best to combine all of this information together to save users from having to look in separate places for information about the Library.

Extra information for each library location to include information about being closed Sundays and Public holidays as per our bookmarks.

Also need to amend Somerville's phone number - 5978 0834.

The Book Place
"A tab that groups information about the latest trends in the books trade and local publishing" - Brief

After our last meeting where we discussed in more details the type of information they wanted to provided in this section, I showed Robinsons Bookshop Facebook Links Page to the MDC & LTC who advised this was exactly the type of section they were after.  I decided this would be much easier to maintain than a static FBML created section particulary after the postive response about Robinsons Links tab.

Photos
Standard FB tab.  Briefly explained that separate albums can be created and photos can be uploaded from a harddrive and mass storage device.

Events
MDC provided me with some event information to create Events as I did not have an example to show her.  I thought it would be best to use an actual event instead of a mock event.

Book shelf
"book lists, short reviews and reading suggestions from staff.  Allowing comments from customers and friends for each review." - brief.

Presented the GoodReads tab and explained how it worked.  LTC had a concern about users being navigated away from the FB and in effect away from the Library to a third party site and posed the following quesitons:

Should we be concerned about this? / Will the users come back to us or go elsewhere?

My view was that the people who would look at this part of our FB page would be avid readers who would either buy or borrow a book.  If they are more inclined to buy a particular book they would do so anyway and if they were inclined to borrow it they would come back to either our FB page and go the catalogue or attend at one of the libaries to borrow it.  I didn't think that our users who were members of our library would be deterred from their usual borrowing/buying practice just because of being directed to Goodreads.  I advised it was easy for them to go back to the FB page because Goodreads opened in a separate window so they weren't being entirely navigated away from us.  The MDC shared my view.  I then advised them of the book links section of Goodreads where you can be added into Goodreads as a link of where to find a particular book (searches on ISBN and goes straight to our catagalgue) and that you can arrange the order that these links appear under the book information so that we can put us first.  I said I didn't want to add us as I felt it was something the LTC should look at and review.  I advised that Readings (one of our suppliers) is on there and because we have a good relationship with them I thought they would be more than happy to answer any quesitons we had about it.  The LTC felt that this sort of an option would solve any issues she had as it would utimatley navigate back to us.

Polls
Discussed the SurveyGizmo application and the MDC provided me with a poll to create.

Upon playing with the Poll it became apparent that it was unreliable.  Upon further investigation it was discovered that this was not a free application.

I therefore search the app database and chose three (3) different poll apps (the downside being they were poll only and did not inlcude survey or quizzes like SurveyGizmo did) they were:
  • Poll Daddy Polls - appears to be the best of the three with the ability to add images to your poll (also to answers but they did not appear).  You could also add comments.  This was a multiple choice only (one answer)
  • Opinion Polls - only allows multiple choice (one answer)
  • My Polls - allows you to set up polls with multiple choice (one answer by question), multiple choice (many answers by question), text and comment box.
I notified the MDC that I had put three (3) mock polls on the page, but that I was still unconvinced as to the reliability of them.  I suggested that they investigate whether our current survey/poll application (SurveyMonkey) could be used with Facebook (for example by posting links to any surveys/polls/quizzes on the Wall and scrap having a tab allocated to polls.  I believe this is the best option, therefore the same polls can be advertised through FB as well as other medium (twitter, blog etc)

    Renew/Catalogue etc
    Adv ised although it was not in their brief that I believed these should be included so that it drives users to use us.  I thought it best to have all the ifnromation in the one place so they would be more inclined to use it - less clicks...

    MDC would like separate tabs for renewals, joining, catalogue and online resources.  She will forward me blurbs for each tab.

    Discussion tab
    LTC had played with the discussion tabs and really liked it.  She thought it would be good to pose questions to our users and have them comment.  I advised that anyone can start a new topic so it would need to be moderated as would the Wall.  I said because they were using a Social Media platform they couldn't exclude people from contributing as it would circumvent the whole idea of the page, however they should create a Facebook Policy (if not a Social Media one) that outlines the type of comments etc that they will delete.  Both the MDC & LTC agreed.

    Other additional items
    The MDC and TSC also want to promote a "Bookclub" through FB.  The idea is to post information about a book (incl. a picture) and have the ability for users to comment etc.  They would also like to be able to have this posted so followers can see it or invite people to participate.  I thought perhaps a Group Page would work (similar to our INF206 class group) but I was not sure whether pages could create groups or not.  I said I will investigate this and let them know the outcome.

    RSS/Blog
    MDC & LTC would like to feed our Blogs into FB.  Discussed different ways of doing it, FBML app, RSS app?  I am to investigate.

    It was decided to meet again on 13 January with the MDC to present changes and amendments.

    Book Club
    After some research it was decided that it was not possible for Pages to add Groups.  Upon further investigation however, I discovered the Notes function and after playing around with it, it seems it is a possiblility this could be used for the Book Club.   The Notes function allows you to add an image, choose where it is located in the text and to also add tags.  The note then automatically posts to the Wall - therefore appearing in followers News Feed.   It is also also possible to subscribe to the notes via RSS.  I made up a mock book information note, added an image, tags and a couple of comments.   I spoke with the MDC the next day and asked her to have a look and see if that is going to suit her needs.  The MDC had a look and said this would be perfect.

    Training
    I advised that I should do some training with the MDC & LTC for the static FBML application so they can amend and add things as they please and that I should also train the LTC (and possibly) MDC with Goodreads.

    Further meeting Friday 14/01/2011
    Met with LTC who had been on leave and took her through the page.  She still needs to follow up Goodreads.  Decided against using the discussion tab at this stage.  LTC posed the question, dop we need our corporate site.  I said yes, not everyone will use FB, in fact some people refuse and we need to catch both markets.  Also I do not trust FB's reliability to host all that information.  Conference call with MDC.  Discussed order of tabs.  Decided on Launch date of 28 January 2011.  LTC and MDC very happy with page. 

    Wednesday, January 5, 2011

    Monday 03/01/2010

    Meeting change to Wed 5 January due to public holiday for New Years day and the TSC and MSC being on leave.

    Thursday, December 30, 2010

    Tuesday 21/12/2010 – Sunday 02/01/2010

    Timeline:

    Create customised structure of Facebook page (to be reviewed after research of Static FBML application):

    • The Book Place
    • Book Shelf
    • Polls
    • YouTube
    _____________________________________

    The Book Place
    Still working on what would be a more suitable application for this feature.  Decided to present two (2) different options on 05/01/2011 to TSC and MDC, one (1) being the Links tab and the other being a customised tab using the static FBML app.

    Book Shelf
    Had read in one blog about apps library facebook mentioned WeRead (Top Ten Facebook Apps for Librarians (iLibrarian) however this app proved to be unsuitable as all reviews posted were posted to the user page and not the library fan page.  This appeared to be the case with all book review related apps (Visual Bookshelf, LibraryThing to name just a couple) the other problem that arose was that some of the apps would only display a blank screen.  After a lot of search and a lot of time I found the Goodreads app.  It appeared at first that this app was going to ahve the same problems as others but after some reasearchig it was found that by created a group within the goodreads account, anything added to this group would post to teh fan page wall.  It was a huge relief to have success however after working for a couple of days the app is now no displaying.  I have been in contact with Goodreads who have advised they will have a look at the page and our Goodreads account to see what the problem is.

    Watched a GoodReads Tutorial but it did not address the areas I need assistance on.

    Looked at other Library FB pages.  It doesn't appear that any other libraries are provided reviews.  This is good as we will be unique but it also means we must troubleshoot everything  Penguin Books appear to have a box for reviews but no reviews are added yet.  I could not discover how they have added this feature.

    Polls
    There are many apps that provide polls.  The SurveyGizmo app also has the ability to do polls as well as surveys and quizes, we may be able to meet all our surveying needs with one app.  It is planned to have a play iwth this app with the TSC when the draft page is presented on 05/01/2010.

    Youtube 
    Had a look at the Youtube app but think another appllication will suit the needs better.

    Other things completed
    • Made some pages "Favourite Pages" on our Fan page.  Some are suppliers, others are publishers.  Will ask for further input from TSC and MSC when we meet on 05/01/2011.
    • Also had a look at Meebo but at this stage it is unsuitable for our purposes (we do not have IM chat ask a librarian services - only email) however will refer to TSC for possible use in the future.
    • Found Blunt Magazine's facebook widget on their page.  We will look at using this on our site.  Researched and found how to add it, http://developers.facebook.com/plugins/?footer=1
    • Used the Static FBML app to create links to renew, catalogue and online resources.
    • Made agreed formatting amendment to the opening hours/locations tab.
    Research completed:

    Social Networking Software (from Nat Lib of Scotland)

    Monday, December 20, 2010

    Wednesday 15/12/2010 – Monday 20/12/2010

    Timeline:


    Create basic structure and content:
    • Wall
    • Information/Location details
    • Photos
    • Events
    _______________________________________


    Wall, Photos & Events tabs are automatically created when you create your page and the Information/Location details were drafted last week.  This turned out to be quite fortunate as I lost quite a few days work this week due to family engagements and illness (18/12/2010 - 19/12/2010).

    Tuesday, December 14, 2010

    Tuesday 14/12/2010

    Timeline:

    Discuss results of Static FMBL research with Victoria Mathews (LTC) and how it can be employed.

    _____________________________________________

    TSC to check whether we can host the CSS style sheet on our server.  There are concerns with how IT are hosting things on our server.  It was decided to leave the stylesheet on my csu server space until the TSC can get issues resolved with our server.  I advised I can keep the stylesheet there indefiniatley while I am studying at csu but it should not take long to resolve.

    Suggested that the info/locaiton tab should be used with the static FMBL application due to the issue with the default info tab only allowing one set of information.

    Invited the MDC to attend meeting so I could advise her on the info tab issue and present what can be acheived with sgtatic FBML application and to obtain instructions as to formatting of the inf/location tab.  I provided a mock up of what can be done using the static FBML app so the MDC could get an idea on what can/can't be done.

    The LTC and MDC advised that the decision in relation to which app to use for book reviews would be left up to me.  I discussed what they wanted on The Book Place page and how this could be achieved.  Showed them Robinsons Bookshop Links Page and this appears to be waht they are after.

    Monday, December 13, 2010

    Tuesday 07/12/2010 – Monday 13/12/2010

    Timeline:
    Create Facebook account
    Research:
    • Facebook Group vs Fan Page
    • Static FBML application and FBML coding and begin testing of application
    • Other available applications
    _________________________________

    Group vs Fan Page
    Contacted Laura @ Robinsons Bookshop (one of our suppliers, have a good working relationship) to discuss their experiences during the creation of their Facebook page including any problems encountered and things they found useful/helpful.  Laura advised:
    • they changed their Group page to a Fan page as advertising bots seemed to be attracted to group pages, and for some reason Fan Pages were better at deterring them. 
    • for any troubleshooting, if she could not get the answer from the Facebook Help pages then she used google and found the answer there.  
    • They used Facebook to promote their Family & Friends night which was hugely successful, she believes mainly due to the promotion on Facebook.
    Static FBML app 
    Experimented with the static FBML application. While the information gathered on what the application could do sounded promising in reality I have found it to be very frustrating and not as easy to use as it was made out to be.  I ended up consulting two friends who work in web design about this application.  One helped with the differences in coding that needed to be applied to the html and other introduced me to and gave me a training session in Dreamweaver as it was believed this would be timesaving and helpful when coding for the static FBML app.  This proved to be correct.  They also worked out that the stylesheet needed to be hosted on the web for it to work and this was done through my server space as CSU.  I made a note to dicuss with the TSC about whether our server would allow us to do this. 

    I ran into some more problems with the app.  While the page I created in dreamweaver displayed correctly it would not in Facebook. Hosting the css stylesheet on a server and linking it into the FBML app was easy enough but it appears FBML and the stylesheet are not talking to each other properly. I consulted a friend who has had experience with the application to see if he knows of any reason why then page will not display correctly.  There seems to be a little lag sometimes with FB recognising new or changed code.  If the code is changed the version information in the code also needs to be changed.

    Consulting my 2 friends proved to be invaluable to the project.

    Sources used: 

    Facebook Static FBML FAQ / Tutorial

    Facebook: The Most Common Static FBML Problems & Their Solutions

    Static FBML: Use External Stylesheet or CSS Styles Won't Work in Internet Explorer - Useful information :
    • "Your stylesheet file needs to be hosted on a Web server. If you don't have a Web hosting service or FTP knowledge, I recommend setting up a Google Sites account and creating your stylesheet there."
    • "add this string to the end of your external stylesheet call to force Facebook to refresh the version it has cached (example):
    <link href="http://yoursite.com/styles/layout.css?v=10.0" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
    Increment the "v=" number to refresh Facebook's cached version of your stylesheet (10.0, 10.1 .... 10.9, 11.1, 11.2 .... etc.), and then save your FBML box.
    If at all possible, you should choose the option to use an external stylesheet. You have much greater flexibility in applying — and making changes to — your CSS using a stand-alone stylesheet." 

    Comprehensive Static FBML Troubleshooting Guide - Why You Can't Add the App or Why Your Code Isn't Working

    How-to Guide to create a Static FBML Landing Page for your Facebook Fan Page

    5 Tips for Designing Custom Facebook Tabs Using FBML

    Basic HTML code for your Static FBML pages on Facebook

    Facebook Pages: FBML Examples (Part 1)

    Add A Custom Tab to Your Facebook Fan Page – Starter Template Included
     
    How to Customize Your Facebook Page Using Static FBML
     
    Facebook Markup Language (FBML)


    Facebook Moving Away From FBML - Useful information:
    "We will begin supporting IFrames for Page tabs in the next few months. Developers building canvas applications should start using IFrames immediately. By the end of this year, we will no longer allow new FBML applications to be created, so all new canvas applications and Page tabs will have to be based on IFrames and our JavaScript SDK. We will, however, continue to support existing implementations of the older authentication mechanism as well as FBML on Page tabs and applications." Decided based on this information to continue using static FBML as I was unable to get iFrames to work at all on the FB page.

    Also discovered that Facebook is no longer allowing FBML boxes. This is fine, it still allows tabs. With the new Facebook profile, having more than 5 tabs (all that FB allows to be visible, others are accessed via a drop down arrow) should not be a problem as all tabs are lined vertically down the left had side of the page.
     
    Randomise your messages facebook : will not include in the FB page myself but will advise MDC of this option in case she wants to implement it at a later stage

    7 FBML examples to rock your Facebook fan page. : will forward this information to MDC but will not implement it myself as I do not want to create too much work or deviate away from the brief.  These are options that can be added at any stage at the discretion of the MDC and LTC.

    Polls
    Found the SurveyGizmo app that provides surveys, quizes and polls.  Yet to have a play with this app, thought it might be best to do this with the LTC.

    Info/Location tab
    Due to the default info tab only allowing 1 address and 1 set of opening hours, I decided to use the static FBML app for the inf/location tab.

    Other Available Applications

    ____________________________________________________________________

    Interesting information found during Module readings in INF206 that may become useful

    Survival Guide: Online Social Networking by Shally Steckerl

    "There is one important weakness in this new generation of collaborative social networking. If users do not trust the system to protect their relationships, then they will not use the application effectively and gain very little incremental advantage from their connections. On the other hand, too much protection limits the effective range or depth of penetration achievable within a user's extended 'friend of a friend' network, thus also limiting the effectiveness of such a network.

    Somewhere between those two extremes lies the advantage of a well- utilised and semi-trusted professional social network."
    "Online social networking software enables you to find quality people who may not be familiar with you or with your organisation, and creates an opportunity to connect with them and sell them on your opportunities. They may be unfamiliar with your company or business, or may not have even been looking for something.

    Because you already know someone who knows them, you can feel more comfortable that they are a quality prospect. Also, because of that mutual connection, you can more easily overcome cumbersome barriers and begin a relationship with a little more trust and warmth than with a total stranger. Like 'six degrees of Kevin Bacon', social networking sheds light on the contacts you never knew you had. Here are some advantages:

    You can contact people in your network to:
    • Rekindle old connections
    • Maximise value in your weak connections
    • Build business relationships with clients or hiring managers
    • Find and meet prospective jobseekers
    • Grow a referral network
    • Heighten your corporate and personal brand
    • Make new connections and grow your sphere of influence
    • Open doors to future career opportunities, increased pay or promotions
    • Increase visibility, which improves influence and effectiveness internally with your organisation as well as externally.
    • Find new leads for networking into companies to:
    • Educate yourself and ask questions about other organisations
    • Conduct competitive intelligence on companies, industries or individuals
    • Make fewer cold calls and better prepare for them
    • Leverage contacts you already have.
    ______________________________________________________
    Social Network Design: Examples and Best Practices
    By Cameron Chapman
    July 13th, 2009
    Design56 CommentsPublishing Policy

    "According to Nielsen Online, social networks and blogs are now the 4th most popular kinds of online activities. 67% of the world online population are now visiting them and the time they’re spending on them is growing by three times the overall growth rate of the internet. Social networks are now visited more often than personal email is read. Some social networks have grown to such enormous proportions that they rival entire countries in terms of population—if Facebook, for example, was a country, it would be the fifth-most-populated in the world (right between Indonesia and Brazil)."

    "The volume of information on a social network can quickly become overwhelming. Don’t contribute to this problem by then offering them a dozen different options for each action they might take on your site. Simplify the information and choices you give them to make their user experience better."