MySpace, Bebo and Facebook

Had a look at Hitwize newsletter and saw that these sites are indeed popular - they appeal to the young and young at heart and are to be enjoyed as all fun things are. There are so many 'fun' things that can be done as entertainment (more like online magazines than anything else) on these sites, including chatting when friends are online. An ideal way to re-establish contact with old friends and lost family members!

For libraries the same would apply with fun things to tempt children and young people's keen (or jaded)interest in all things novel - a good way to draw them into the world of reading via songs, games, puzzles, questionaires, profiles, competitions etc. As I said in my ebook blog, anything that gets them reading is okay in my book, real or e-!

I had a look at Auckland's and Rotorua's Spaces and enjoyed them - lots of interesting items. I think one of the better spinoffs would be to get people to become "Friends of the Library." The Friends of the Library movement sometimes lags for want of young blood - this would certainly be a way of attracting younger members and encouraging them to be a very real part of their local public library.

Lost interest in MySpace when I saw the sponsored link at the bottom advertising free chats with Hot and Sexy Singles in your Zip code - entry free. These sites are visited by children who should not be exposed to sexual predators online. That is why I am not a fan of these sites and never will be! TV is bad enough without adding insult to injury.

Not my idea of recreating paradise, but then I am hopelessly out of date, old fashioned, uncool, politically incorrect and idealistic. Innocence is a gift of life and should not be degraded by perverts online or anywhere else for that matter! The reality of course is that they would not exist if there weren't a market for them. So what does that say about the human race? Not much. Sigh!