YouTube (youtube.com)
I must admit that I'm a bit of a YouTube addict; I've had an account since March of 2007, and started uploading videos only a few months after that ... So far none of my creations have made me "internet famous" yet, although footage I took of Wes Welker dancing at a Boston Celtics game did go "viral" for a couple weeks (over 40,000 views as of this writing, and it was linked on the websites of the Boston Globe and Sports Illustrated).
While many people still consider YouTube to be nothing more than a place to waste time watching stupid cat videos and bizarre internet memes (or a combination of both!) when you really should be working, a lot of libraries have been using it as a potential resource to reach their patrons ... Many of the resulting videos created by these libraries/librarians have been informative, emotional, humorous, silly and visually striking.
Flickr (flickr.com)
As a photo-sharing site, Flickr definitely promotes itself as a social-networking tool as well ... The language used on the frontpage ("Keep up with your friends and share your stories with comments & notes"; "Upload your photos once to Flickr, then easily and safely share them"; "Join one of over 10 million active groups to take part in the conversation, learn from our other 60 million photographers and share your own story through photos"; "See the world through someone else’s eyes, right here on Flickr") certainly sends the message to potential users that this is a thriving community for people to become a part of.
Taking the tour only strengthens this message, as Flickr bills itself as "the best online management and sharing application in the world" (bold statement!); you can add notes to your photographs (like annotations on YouTube videos) and add people's names to the photos you've taken (like tagging other users in Facebook photos). There's even a "guest pass" to invite people without a Flickr account to view your private photos (no doubt in an attempt to entice them to sign up themselves).
In addition, there is a tool called the Organizr which allows Flickr users to "label, tag and organize [their] photos on the web" ... This helps make it easier for users to find the kinds of photographs that they're looking for, since they can be organized by things like category ("Galleries") or location ("Places").
Flickr even allows users to get really creative via the App Garden, a place where "anyone can write their own program to present public Flickr data ... in new and different ways; the App Garden is a place where developers can showcase the applications they've created and where you can find new ways to explore Flickr." This is a great way for social-networking sites to really let their users feel like they have a hand in the direction of the growth/evolution of these communities.
DeviantArt (deviantart.com)
Don't let the name of this site scare you off; while the term "deviant" has certain negative connotations which you might not necessarily want associated with your library (and believe me, there is some freaky stuff to be found here if you dig deep enough), this site actually houses some very talented artists.
Unlike Flickr, which focuses more on photography, DeviantArt places an emphasis on illustrations, calling itself "the largest online community of artists and art-lovers" ... Taking the tour reveals that there are "over 100 million original works of art" created by its over 12 million members, with artists "from over 190 countries"; that certainly is a very diverse and thriving community!
The site encourages users to group their favorite images into "art collections" (it's interesting to note that they never use terms like "images" or "graphics files" but instead emphasize the uniqueness and creativity of their users by referring to everything as "artwork" or the more eye-catching "deviations"), while also offering tutorials on how to better create one's own artwork.
In fact, DeviantArt members (the "deviants") are not limited to simply creating images, as the site accepts "images, literature, film or Flash [animations]" and displays them all for free ("build an instant audience by displaying your work in front of over 11 million members!").
Much like a typical social networking site, DeviantArt emphasizes the interactive elements of their community ("engage with other artists by commenting on their artwork and profile pages") and allows users to post journal entries that others may follow and comment on.
Searching for artwork is pretty easy (there is a "mature content filter" if you don't want to stumble upon anything controversial), and can be divided either by category or groups ... In fact, using the latter search led me to this group of creative librarians sharing their artwork ("Ranganathan Has a Posse!"). There's also a gallery for the Worcester Public Library Manga Club; maybe Stacy can tell us more about that one ;)
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