Trends and Issues in Virtual Communities

Abstract

“As internet access expands and cost of acquiring technology decreases, the presence and important of virtual communities is reaching a peak. While many libraries have attempted to take advantage of these virtual communities, managing streams of communication can prove difficult. Social media presence is often seen as an unimportant aspect of library marketing, and librarians with little training on virtual community management as well as social media strategy are often left in charge of the library's twitter handle. In this paper, opportunities for librarians to improve their presence in online communities will be explored, as well as major pitfalls that may arise when attempting to take on such an impressive task.”

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