Library Marketing Tips Using Google Buzz

Use the Buzz to Build One Google’s new microblogging service, is getting a lot of, well, buzz. “Hello World!” has literally been replaced by “Buzz! Buzz!” by new people trying it out. If you’re not familiar with it, here’s the best way to explain it: It’s all of the elements that one could think of […]

The iPad, Tablets and E-Readers in Libraries: Game Changers or Are They Just Another Mobile Technology?

My wife loves to read magazines and books every night after work. I love to read articles on my iPhone. The problem is that when you’re reading a magazine or a book, it’s obvious what you’re doing. When I’m “reading” my iPhone, in her eyes, I’m working. Yes, some of them are articles, news and […]

Text Messaging: The New 800 Number in Customer Service and Advertising Response

Augmenting Toll Free 800 Numbers With Mobile Text Messaging for Customer Service Americans are texting more than they’re talking, a trend that’s likely to grow more than slow down over the next 5-10 years. It’s easy and it’s quick. The popularity and usage of texting is no surprise as the on-the-go lifestyle ends up being […]

Text Messaging Use in Helplines, Hotlines and Info Lines

Help and Info is Only a Text Away Yesterday Scarleteen, a free sexuality information resource for teens and young adults went live with their Text Scarleteen service. I’ve been quite impressed by the buzz already surrounding their launch of the service in the first day (and their graphic, above, is great as well). Owned and […]

Word of Mouth Marketing in Libraries – Info and Articles

Then and Now… Faberge Shampoo started it all with their famous commercial from the 1970s. Peggy Barber and Linda Wallace nail it in their new article, “The Power of Word-of-Mouth Marketing” in the November issue of American Libraries Magazine. We wrote a post called “Word of Mouth: The Best Form of Social Media” as part […]

Texting the Library – Beyond Reference Services

Text the Library With Comments, Feedback and Suggestions Enabling libraries to set up mobile text messaging reference services so patrons can ask questions has been the primary use of our technology to date. In fact, mobile questions and answers is our business, it’s what we geek out on every day at work. But there’s another […]

RefStart: Virtual Reference + Social Media + Search =)

It’s official, RefStart is now LIVE! When Text a Librarian launched at ALA Midwinter in January earlier this year, we began hearing of the difficulties of managing all of the various virtual reference utilities, social networks, search engines and reference sites available. “I wish I could have everything in one place” became a current theme. […]

Library Marketing Tips, Part 2: The Morning News, Videos and Slideshows

I have a horrible habit of watching anything moving on a screen. Blame it on a short attention span or being raised as a latch-key kid, but if it’s on a screen and it’s moving, I can’t seem to take my eyes off of it. I’ve gotten better, now if I go into a restaurant […]

Using a Mobile / Cell Phone for SMS Text Message Reference Services at Your Library: Thoughts for Consideration

Why can’t we just use a phone to handle SMS reference services? We get that question a lot. It is a great question seeing as mobile phones provide the “truest” form of SMS communications – similar to listening to a vinyl album on a record player. Our answer usually goes something like this: You can…BUT… […]