Social Networking

I've been meaning to post about social networking for a while now. So many people/places/organizations have presences on social networking sites that I kind of feel that we really need to take advantage of the networking opportunities this creates. Nearly all of my younger relatives keep in touch via Facebook - and not email. That's a trend I think we need to keep in mind when it comes to PR for library events -the younger generation doesn't use email nearly as much as the older generation. It's also something that has made me begin to reconsider whether or not the library should be blocking social networking sites. By blocking them for minors (especially teens!), are we alienating our future customers? Are we being over-protective as to the danger/risk and need to protect minors? Is there a grey area where perhaps we should be blocking these sites for young children, but not for teenagers?

Personally, I have a Facebook account, but I haven't done much with it. As a means to stay in touch with family and friends, I really need to start taking advantage of what Facebook offers.