Virtual Discussions: Establishing a Positive Online Presence for Yourself
by Richard A. Murray

In an age in which electronic communication is changing nearly everything we do as librarians, one benefit of the Internet is often overlooked: the opportunity it gives information professionals to establish a personal presence for themselves in cyberspace. I’m not referring to the creation of web sites – either for your organization or yourself – but rather participation in virtual discussions via mailing lists, bulletin boards, or other electronic forums. There are a few ground rules you should keep in mind, but the benefits of participating can be quite significant.

Why participate in virtual discussions?

There are many reasons you should consider making virtual discussions a part of your professional routine. Perhaps the most obvious benefit is the opportunity they present to exchange information. A mailing list is often the perfect place to ask a tough question you haven’t been able to answer on your own; whatever dilemma you may be facing, it’s very likely others have already been there, and hearing what worked (or, just as importantly, didn’t work) for them can be invaluable. By watching the discussion you may also find solutions to problems you didn’t even realize you had. Putting policies in place before you face the problem can be a lifesaver – think of it as the library equivalent of preventive medicine.

Just as important as the valuable information you can get from mailing lists, however, are the benefits to your professional development. The opportunities for virtual networking are limitless, and you shouldn’t underestimate the contributions it can make to your career, especially if you’re not able to attend conferences in person. You never know where a contact you make via an online discussion might lead you. My participation in library-related mailing lists has led directly or indirectly to national committee appointments, chances to be published, and even job opportunities.

It can also be very beneficial just to get your name out there among other professionals in the field. Name recognition – provided it’s for positive reasons (more on that in a minute) – can lead to all sorts of opportunities. For example, if you decide to run for office in ALA or other professional organizations, a history of making useful contributions to mailing lists could make your name stand out in voters’ minds as someone they would like to represent them when they’re marking their ballots.

Getting involved

Now that we’ve established that electronic discussions can be beneficial, how do you get involved? Here’s your chance to use the research skills you learned on the job or in your library school reference class. Search the Web to identify mailing lists or bulletin boards that are relevant to your interests. Forums exist for just about any aspect or subsection of librarianship you can imagine. Start out by finding a couple of mailing lists that sound interesting and subscribe to them.

Once you’re on the list, you may be tempted to jump right in and start participating, but that may not be a good idea. You get points for enthusiasm, but it’s usually better to “lurk” on the list for a while before you start posting. Watch the discussion and see what kinds of things people are talking about, what the tone of the list is, how the traffic ebbs and flows, etc. See how things work and make sure it’s a group you want to get involved in before you start posting.

You may find that very busy mailing lists lead to a distracting number of messages pinging into your inbox at all times, which isn’t a situation you want – participation in virtual discussions should enhance your job performance, not hinder it. Most email programs can be set up to filter incoming messages containing certain information (e.g., a list’s “From:” or “Reply to:” address) into predefined folders. This method lets you check those messages en masse a couple of times a day rather than being overwhelmed by a constant barrage of incoming email. Most mailing lists also offer a digest option in which you receive one long message per day, often in the middle of the night, that compiles all of the day’s postings. You could use a free email service to set up an account that you use exclusively for virtual discussions rather than having messages come to your primary business account. Also, don’t feel compelled to read every message that comes in. Read the ones that interest you and delete the rest.

Rules to live by

The benefits of participating in electronic discussions can be enormous, but it’s also easy to get a reputation you may not want. The main thing to keep in mind is that your contributions should be positive. That’s not to say that everything has to be sweetness and light, or that you’re never allowed to disagree with anyone. The important thing is how you disagree. Here are some ground rules to keep in mind:

Be polite and professional
The tone in which you express yourself is just as important as the ideas you present. The spirit of some mailing lists may be very casual, but remember that no matter how informal things are, it’s still business correspondence, so write accordingly. Don’t attack other list members, no matter what they’ve said or how they’ve said it. If you want to disagree, by all means do so, but keep it professional. It’s often a good idea to save a message you’ve composed and come back to it later rather than sending it immediately, especially if you’re upset or excited. Sleep on it and come back to the message the next day to see if you still want to send it; often you’ll be amazed at what you wrote and almost sent to the list in the heat of the moment. It’s much, much better to respond tardily than to send a message you end up regretting to hundreds or thousands of people. It’s easy to develop a reputation of being rude, argumentative, or just plain nuts, but it’s very hard to change that reputation once you’ve gotten it.

Keep the dirty laundry to yourself
Once you’ve become a part of a mailing list, especially one on which you’ve made a number of personal contacts, it can be easy to give too much information. People frequently use these forums to air their dirty laundry, which is a mistake. The library world is a deceptively small one, and the gossip, criticism, and overly personal information you share often find their way to people you didn’t intend to hear them. If you’re having a bad experience with your supervisor or a coworker, don’t use a mailing list as a place to vent even if you’re “sure” you’re the only involved party who’s a member of that virtual community. You should never, ever say anything on a mailing list you wouldn’t be comfortable saying directly to your supervisor or coworkers. And remember: if you’re airing dirty laundry about your current employer, potential future employers will think, “If she’s saying this about where she works now, what will she say about us if we hire her?”

Don’t overdo it
Your posts to the discussion should contribute something valuable, like a unique perspective or some additional information. “Me too!” posts just clutter up people’s inboxes. (The same goes for the “Hear, hear!” post, or its even more ubiquitous – and misspelled – cousin, “Here, here!”). If your response is two or three words, it’s probably not contributing enough to be worth sending. If you simply want to agree with someone, consider doing it through private email.

Similarly, don’t get carried away with your responses and feel compelled to chime in on every topic. Most of us have been on a mailing list with an overly chatty subscriber who gives his or her opinion on everything. Being an active participant is one thing, but being the person who makes everyone roll their eyes in “Not him again” fashion is another. You want name recognition, but not because others set up their mail filters to send all messages from you directly to the trash can.

But what about freedom of speech?
Many mailing lists at some point have the “But isn’t it my right to say whatever I want to?” discussion, frequently just after an uncomfortable exchange between a handful of subscribers. The discussion gets heated, chaos ensues, someone steps in to remind people that all their antics are being seen by a thousand people, and someone else says, “I shouldn’t have to watch what I say on a mailing list of my peers!” In principle, no, you probably shouldn’t, but in real life, people are going to formulate their opinions of you based on how you behave in public. If you scream and shout and stamp your feet in front of a thousand people, you should understand that there might be consequences. More than one person I know has said, “If I were on a search committee and we got an application from _______, I would not hire him because of his behavior on Mailing List X.” If you develop a reputation of being inflammatory, insulting, or just plain obnoxious, it will affect your career. In other words, yes, you have the right to say and do whatever you want, but your audience also has the right to judge you based on it. Also keep in mind that many mailing lists are archived, so people could end up reading your comments -- positive or negative -- years from now.

Have fun ... but be smart
One thing I haven’t mentioned yet is that electronic discussions can be a lot of fun. I’ve gotten lots of good ideas from the mailing lists I subscribe to and have made many wonderful personal contacts, but I’ve also been very entertained. Our profession is full of interesting and amusing people, and taking part in virtual discussions is a great way to meet them and hear what they have to say. The downside is that on a fun mailing list, it can be easy to forget that it’s still all professional communication. The suggestions I’ve given here aren’t intended to scare you, but rather to help you make the most of the electronic discussions in which you participate. There’s a lot to be gained by making them a part of your life – information, networking, friendships, and fun – so be brave, be smart, and get involved!

Copyright 2004 by Richard A. Murray

About the author
Richard A. Murray is Catalog Librarian for Spanish & Portuguese Languages at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. A native of Raleigh, N.C., Rich earned a B.A. in International Studies and an M.S. in Library Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.