1. Bringing Community Online online community, storytelling, and user experience Reforma National Conference III 2008 Bridging the Gap: Juntos @ the Border

2. 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

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

4. Online Community and the Library

6. Online community is personal about connections multidirectional about support about sharing messy

7. 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?

8. Storytelling as a Community Builder

9. 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

10. What does storytelling do? Passes along knowledge Builds trust Emotional connection Unlocks passion Builds self-esteem CONNECTS

11. What is digital storytelling? “A sneak peek into the soul.”

12. Storytelling and the online community Stories for connection Stories for change Teach storytelling to build information-age capacity

13. 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”

14. Design Empowers Community

15. 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.

16. 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

17. Factors to consider when designing for online community experience Conversation Trust Time Learning Cartoon by gapingvoidgapingvoid

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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.

21. Thank you! More resources will be found here: http://www.webjunction.org/conferences/articles/content/12912047