Banging My Head Against the Wall

Okay, so I am at the Internet Librarian Conference...perhaps because I do some work with my library's website, and because I work with teens (aka the minions of the internet).

I just finished listening to a session about how libraries can use flickr. Uhm, yah, not such a good session. Rather than talking about how Flickr can increase attendance at programs or instigate an online discussion about how libraries can do things differently, the talk focused almost entirely on the nifty things flickr can do. I'm okay with learning how to interact with the software better, but I still don't buy how this service can really be useful to libraries.

But that's not what has me banging my head against a wall.

Instead, it's conceited computer geeks. Not all computer geeks, just the conceited ones that make me feel stupid because I went to the movies with a guy on Saturday instead of staying home to code a virtual library in a fake city. They do it to me everytime. Seriously, I want to bang my head against a wall, or better yet, bang theirs against the wall of reality, the wall that exists OUTSIDE of a virtual space.

Here's my question: "People who blog have gotten fired for talking about their employers, what happens when people who use flickr start to post bad things about their library."

The answer: "Don't post bad things about your library."

And the audience laughs and laughs and laughs.

Yeah, it's funny, but I'm also in "professional" mode, and I want to learn what the ramifications of this software are for MY library. When I got to a committee meeting and try to convince administrators that this (or another tool) is something the library should invest time, and possibly money, into, I need to be prepared with answers to legitimate questions. If I buy into believing that libraries need my space or flickr or facebook or podcasting, I need to be prepared with the knowledge I will need to convince my supervisors of the need for these products!

And of course, there's the fact that conceited computer geeks always make me want to bang my head against a wall, regardless of the context.