Original Article Available online at www.bpasjournals.com
Use of Social Networking Sites/Web 2.0 Tools: A Study of Central Universities of Delhi
Dr. Anil Kumar Dhiman*, Shafali Joshi**
Author’s Affiliation:
*Information Scientist, Gurukul Kangri University, Haridwar, Uttarakhand 249 404, India E-mail: [email protected]
**Research Scholar (LIS), Shri Venkateshwara University, Gajraula, Uttar Pradesh 244 236, India E-mail: [email protected]
Corresponding Author: Dr. Anil Kumar Dhiman, Information Scientist, Gurukul Kangri University, Haridwar, Uttarakhand 249 404, India
E-mail: [email protected]
Received on 30.03.2020, Accepted on 18.05.2020
INTRODUCTION
Social Networking sites are the online platforms which people use to build social networks or social relations with other people who share similar activities. SNSs provides facility to users for creating their profile and allow interaction with other users on the sites. They help to share first-hand information among individuals. Social Networking sites also provides a platform to the social community of the people interested in a particular subject or interest.
Social media are the results of development of Web 2.0 facility which is providing a two-way communication media for exchange of ideas, information and learning. Use of social networking tools is essential as it helps to update to end users and provide feedback about the institution or organization.
ABSTRACT
Social networking sites (SNSs) / Web 2.0 tools are the results of advancement in information technology which are gaining their importance not only in social life but also showing their presence in educational organizations. It is seen, now a day's, everyone is connected with each other by means of various social networks like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogs, etc. which is an effective medium to share the knowledge and skills of the users. SNSs are also offering the opportunity to reach out to its clients.
Hence, the number of universities which adopt SNSs are increasing. The present study is an investigation of five central universities of Delhi which are making use of social networking tools / web 2.0 tools in one or other ways in their websites.
KEYWORDS: Social Networking Sites, SNS, Web 2.0 Tools, Central Universities.
66 Library Progress (International)/ Vol.40 No.1/ January-June 2020 WHAT ARE SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES (SNSs) /WEB 2.0 TOOLS
Oxford English Dictionary defines social media [networking sites] as “the use or establishment of social networks or connections; the use of Web sites which enable users to interact with one another, find and contact people with common interests, etc.” (Social Networking, 2010).
While Kaplan and Haenlein (2010) have defined social media as the “group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content”.
Web 2.0 is perceived as second generation of web development and design that facilitates communication, secures information sharing, interoperability, and collaboration on the World Wide Web. It is the Web 2.0 concepts which have led to the development and evolution of web-based communities, hosted services, and applications such as social-networking sites, video-sharing sites, wikis, blogs, and folksonomies. Web 2.0 provides a new way of using the Internet for interactive purposes; thus, fostering the collaboration among users, which in turn generates new strategies and thinking to meet out the increasing demands of ever-changing society. SNS usually has a new user input, a list of people with whom they share a connection and then allow the people on the list to confirm or deny the connection. New user can search for more new connections once his connection is established.
Figure 1: Various Types of Social Media
(Source: https://www.tdktalks.com/social-networking-tools-for-toastmasters/)
Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+ are the most common SNSs. Figure 1 shows some of the sites being used worldwide. However, some social networking sites like LinkedIn are used for establishing professional connections, while other sites like Facebook straddle the line between private and professional. There are also many other networking sites which are built for a specific user base, such as cultural or political groups within a given area or even traders in financial markets.
Thus, social networking includes all types of collaborative environments which are using Web 2.0 technologies. These tools help the professionals to share information with research scholars, students and faculty members in an effective way in the academic environment.
USES OF SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES/WEB 2.0 TOOLS IN LIBRARIES
Social media provides a platform that goes beyond the traditional ways of service delivery by allowing patrons to interact in real time with librarians. It is seen that libraries are actively establishing their presence on their various websites by given the popularity of social media. Though,
67 Library Progress (International)/ Vol.40 No.1/ January-June 2020
the primary goals of inclusion of social media in libraries maximize library exposure, modernize the image of library and e-reputation, but it also offers specific contents, and helps in building discussion groups and collaborative work, reaching new audience of potential users (Harnesk and Salmon, 2010).
Dhiman (2012) mentions that social networking sites allow the users to stay updated on library events and help in planning the events the users wish to attend without having to physically go to the library. Further, the library can post images of books for discussion groups, post news about the library, and also the pictures and videos of the library and library events. Thus, they also allow libraries to interact with patrons through discussion boards and walls, image tagging, and comments. Besides, social networking sites also allow users to reach out to libraries, where the users can leave feedback for libraries and can make suggestions to improve services in a setting that is comfortable for the patrons. SNS also can facilitate the collaborations and promote effective communication between the librarians and their users.
EARLIER STUDIES
Chu and Du (2013) have carried out an exploratory study for investigating the use of social networking tools in academic libraries by examining the extent of their use, library staff’s perceptions of their usefulness and challenges, and factors influencing decisions to use or not to use such tools.
The study was carried out using web-based survey, in which Facebook and Twitter were found as the most commonly adopted tools in university libraries. Further, most of library staff had positive perceptions on the usefulness of social networking tools, but hesitancy among library staff and limited participation of users were perceived to be hindrances.
Dhiman (2015) has studied about the possibilities of using social media in public libraries by taking state central libraries into account. It is noted in the study that academic libraries are availing the benefits of social networking services, but as far as the public libraries are concerned, they still have to wait for its full implementation in the services. Thus, the need exists for the librarians that they should include social networking skills in library instruction activities in order to become knowledgeable by staying themselves abreast of the literature, listservs, biblioblogs, podcats etc. not only within their field but also beyond it.
Mingle, Lamptey and Hassan (2014) have conducted a study on the use of social media and Web 2.0 technologies for information service delivery in academic libraries in Ghana by having the analysis of 18 library websites and its parent institution websites as well as the interview of two social media experts. It is noted in the study that the percentage of academic libraries using Web 2.0 and social media tools in Ghana is low. Inspite of the fact that academic librarians in Ghana have a good knowledge of the common Web 2.0 tools and social media applications. Some recommendations are also given which include the conscious efforts by librarians to use and training to use these tools to support their use and to ensure effective communication with the patrons in the academic libraries.
Kalra and Dhingra (2016) have conducted a study on the use of social networking tools in 46 central universities of the country by using self-check method. It is noted in the study that fifty percent of the central university libraries have adopted one or more social networking tools. Further, RSS Feeds, Ask the Librarian/Chat with Librarian, Feedback, Suggestions and Comments, Contact Details/Form/Email/Phones, Library Blog, Instant Messaging are the most popular application tools used by at least one or more central universities libraries.
Dhiman and Joshi (2019) have analysed the contents of central university websites by taking into account the five central universities which exist in Delhi. The study notes that that most of the services are common in university websites and the services are to facilitate their users. It is also observed that the university websites are the good medium to get aware about the library resources without physically going to the library and if the material is not available within the concerned library, the same can be offered through inter- library loan from other libraries to the users.
68 Library Progress (International)/ Vol.40 No.1/ January-June 2020
Rani and Dhiman (2019) have also studied the effect of social media on the libraries. They are of the opinion that SNS/Web 2.0 tools can be used to promote the library services, workshop and other events to be organized. Further, they may be used to show the special features of any library and their cooperation with their clientele because using SNS/Web 2.0 tools, better communication can be made with the clientele and their problems, if any can be tackled easily.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
It is seen that the development in social networking tools offered a platform for potential users to communicate with users more directly. So, the results of this research will provide a wider picture of the use of social networking tools in the universities to pursue following objectives:
1. To find out the websites of the central universities in Delhi which have social networking / web 2.0 application.
2. To find out the types of social networking sites/ web 2.0 tools being used in the central universities of Delhi.
3. To consolidate the central universities websites using social networking sties/ Web 2.0 tools.
4. To ascertain the percentage of using social network sites/ Web 2.0 tools by central universities, and
5. To study the reasons and effectiveness of using the social networking sites / Web 2.0 tools for information sharing by the university websites.
SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The study is conducted to examine the 05 central universities of Delhi Capital Territory. Only those social networking tools/ categories have been recorded which are implemented in the central universities of Delhi. Thus, this study is limited for five central university websites and no other university is considered in the present study.
BRIEF PROFILE OF CENTRAL UNIVERSITIES IN DELHI
Though, there exist many universities in Delhi but only following five central universities are considered for the present study. Their brief introduction is given below:
University of Delhi: University of Delhi was established in February, 1922. It is one of the premier institutions of higher learning in the country. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in a wide range of disciplines in addition to short and long-term certificate/diploma courses in several application-oriented subjects.
Jawaharlal Nehru University: Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi came into existence in 1969. It is primarily concerned with post-graduate education and the research.
Jamia Millia Islamia: Jamia Millia Islamia which was started functioning as a deemed to be university in 1962, acquired the status of a central university in December 1988. It imparts education from nursery stage to post-graduate and doctorate levels in various disciplines.
Indira Gandhi National Open University: Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) was established in 1985 by an Act of Parliament with the dual responsibilities of enhancing access and equity to higher education through distance mode; and promoting, coordinating and determining standards in open learning and distance education systems. Since then, the IGNOU has undergone rapid expansion and emerged as an international institution in the field of Open and Distance Learning.
South Asian University: South Asian University (SAU) is an international university established by eight member nations of South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) viz.
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. SAU started its operations from the academic year 2010. Presently, the university offers post-graduate and doctoral
69 Library Progress (International)/ Vol.40 No.1/ January-June 2020
programmes in various disciplines, such as the Economics, Computer Science, Biotechnology, Mathematics, Sociology, International Relations and the Law. SAU attracts students from all member nations and its degrees are recognized by all the eight SAARC countries. However, the university is currently functioning from Akbar Bhawan Campus in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi but eventually it will move in to its 100-acre campus in Maidan Garhi, South Delhi where construction is under way.
METHODOLOGY
The websites of 05 central universities of Delhi have been analysed and studied with social networking categories as checkpoints. Only those social networking have been taken into account as checkpoints which are implemented in central university websites. The observation method was used to collect data from the five central university websites of Delhi. Further, on objective number 5, random interaction on five points mentioned in table 5 were made with a few library staff/users to know their opinions on the reasons and effectiveness of using the social networking sites/ Web 2.0 tools.
DATA TABULATION AND ANALYSIS
The data were collected from the university websites. Further, they were tabulated and analysed to verify various objectives framed for the study.
Central Universities with their Year of Establishment and URL
Table 1 shows the information about five central universities in Delhi with their year of establishment, and the URL, i.e. universal resource locator.
Table 1: List of Central Universities with their Year of Establishment and URL
S.
No.
Name of the University Year of
Establishment URL
1. Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) 1985 www.ignou.ac.in
2. Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) 1920 (1988) www.jmi.ac.in
3. Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) 1969 www.jnu.ac.in
4. University of Delhi (DU) 1922 www.du.ac.in
5. South Asian University (SAU) 2010 www.sau.int
It is clearly seen from the table that Jamia Millia Islamia is the oldest university and South Asian University is the latest.
Name of SNSs/Web 2.0 Tools being used in Central Universities
Table 2 shows the information about social networking tools available on the central universities’
websites of Delhi. Facebook and YouTube are being used by Jamia Millia Islamia and University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University. Facebook, and Twitter is used by Indira Gandhi National Open University. While, Facebook, Blogs, Twitter and Google+ and YouTube is being used by South Asian University.
Table 2: List of the Types of SNS being used in Central Universities
S. No. Name of the University SNS/Web 2.0 Tools Used 1. Indira Gandhi National Open
University
Facebook, Twitter, Contact us
2. Jamia Millia Islamia Facebook, Youtube, Contact us 3. Jawaharlal Nehru University Youtube, Contact us
4. University of Delhi Facebook, Youtube. Contact us
5. South Asian University Facebook, Blogs, Twitter, Google+, Youtube, Contact us
70 Library Progress (International)/ Vol.40 No.1/ January-June 2020 However, Contact Us facility is there in all university websites.
Consolidation of Central Universities Websites using SNSs/Web 2.0 Tools
Table 3 shows considerable variation in the use of social networking tools on the central university Websites of Delhi. Among the five universities, four are using Facebook, one university using Blog and Google +, two universities using Twitter, four universities using YouTube, and all five universities have a contact us tool in their websites.
Table 3: Consolidation of Central Universities Websites using Social Networking Tools
Types of SNS /Web 2.0 Tools
Number of Central Universities Using SNS/Web 2.0 Tools
Universities Using Corresponding Social Network Tools
Facebook 4 DU, JMI, IGNOU, SAU
Blog 1 SAU
Twitter 2 IGNOU, SAU
Google+ 1 SAU
Youtube 4 DU, JNU, JMI, SAU
Contact Us 5 DU, JNU, JMI, IGNOU, SAU
Percentage of Using SNSs/ Web 2.0 Tools by Central Universities
Facebook, Blogs, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube are the major types of SNS/Web 2.0 tools which are used by the universities undertaken for the study in their websites. Thus, Facebook and YouTube are on the top which are used by 04 universities that constitute to 80 percent use of SNS/Web 2.0. It is followed by the use of Twitter by 02 universities which constitute to 40 percent use of SNS/ Web 2.0;
and further by the use of Blogs and Google + by 01 university each constituting to 20 percent.
Table 4: Percentage of Using Social Network Sites/ Web 2.0 Tools by Central Universities
Social Networking Sites /Web 2.0 Tools DU JNU JMI IGNOU SAU Percentage of Use
Facebook Yes - Yes Yes Yes 80%
Blogs - - - - Yes 20%
Twitter - - - Yes Yes 40%
Google+ - - - - Yes 20%
YouTube Yes Yes Yes - Yes 80%
Contact Us Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 100%
However, Contact Us is given in all the university websites studied. It is also shown in figure 2.
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
DU JNU JMI
IGNOU
SAU %
Facebook Blogs Twitter Google+
YouTube Contact Us
Figure 2: Percentage of Using Social Network Sites/ Web 2.0 Tools
71 Library Progress (International)/ Vol.40 No.1/ January-June 2020 Reasons and Effectiveness of Using SNSs/ Web 2.0 Tools
Five reasons were identified for using SNSs/Web 2.0 tools, namely, instant online discussions, relationships with the clientele, knowledge sharing, low cost communication medium and connect any time.
Table 5: Reasons and Effectiveness of Using SNS/ Web 2.0 Tools
Reasons for Using SNS /Web 2.0 Tools DU JNU JMI IGNOU SAU Percentage of Use Instant Online Discussions Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 100%
Relationships with the Clientele Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 100%
Knowledge Sharing Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 100%
Low Cost Communication Medium Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 100%
Connect Any Time Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 100%
It may be seen from the table 5 that all universities undertaken for the study use SNS/Web 2.0 tools for various reasons, such as instant communication purpose, as low-cost communication medium and because of the facility of connecting any time for clarification on certain points related to the universities.
FINDINGS OF THE STUDY Major findings of the study are:
Only five central universities are considered in the study, and all are having their websites.
South Asian University is using maximum types of SNS/Web 2.0 tools, i.e. making use of Facebook, blogs, twitter and Google+ and YouTube. However, contact us facility is there in all university websites.
Facebook and YouTube are on the top which are used by four universities that constitute to 80 percent use of SNS/Web 2.0. It is followed by the use of Twitter by 02 universities which constitute to 20 percent use of SNSs/ Web 2.0; and further by the use of Blogs and Google+ by 01 university each constituting to 20 percent.
SNSs/Web 2.0 tools are used for various purposes, namely, instant online discussions, relationships with the clientele, knowledge sharing, low cost communication medium and connect any time by all university websites frequently.
Thus, the study reveals the SAU is the only University to use most of the social networking sites/Web 2.0 tools on its website among the other central universities in Delhi.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVING THE USE OF SNS/WEB 2.0
The following recommendations are made for making good use of SNS/Web 2.0 tools in university environment:
Continuous efforts are to be made by University Authorities to make use of social media and web 2.0 technologies.
A dedicated person, who should be well versed with the latest technology, is to be deployed to maintain the progress in the usage of social media. Besides, lower staff also needs to be trained for helping in the creation and management of social media platforms.
Though, internet connectivity and bandwidth are no problem in urban area but it is the problem in remote areas. Thus, efforts should be made to provide easy and fast internet connectivity in remote areas so that remote area clientele could make use of these facilities.
University websites should also be mobile friendly so that clientele those are not having desktops or laptops etc., could make use of SNSs/Web 2.0 tools.
It is also seen that websites are not frequently updated due to which many time, latest information is not retrieved through websites. Thus, websites need to be updated on regular basis at least on weekly basis. It will create and sustain the interest of clientele also.
72 Library Progress (International)/ Vol.40 No.1/ January-June 2020
Last but not least, there should also be involvement of librarians or other library staff who should linked the activities of their library with in university website. Further, libraries should organize training programmes for patrons as well as the online sessions so that their clientele could watch and learn from them the use of SNSs / Web 2.0 tools.
CONCLUSION
It is observed that the availability of Web 2.0 technologies such as Blogs, Wikis, social networking websites, RSS, YouTube and podcasts is offering great opportunities to strengthen their connections with users.
The results of the present study show that despite of the tremendous growth and expansion of internet facilities, the social networking tools/Web 2.0 tools used by the central universities of Delhi on their websites are not much enough. It is very clear form the study that though five central university websites are using some of the SNS/Web 2.0 tools but among them South Asian University is ahead which is using most of the tools. Thus, other universities are also advised to follow the methods of providing information and other services to their users through the use of SNS/Web 2.0 tools.
REFERENCES
[1]. Chu, S.K.W. and Du, H. (2013). Social Networking Tools for Academic Libraries. Journal of Librarianship & Information Science, 45 (1): 64-75.
[2]. Dhiman, A.K. (2012). Social Networking Sites: Implications and Applications for Libraries. In Shantanu Ganguly, Rama Nand Malviya and P.K. Bhattacharya (Eds.): Creating Digital Library in Globalized E-Society. D.P.S. Publishing House, New Delhi. Pp. 261-69.
[3]. Dhiman, A.K. (2015). Opportunities of Using Social Media in Public Libraries: A Study of State Libraries. In Kanwal Ameen and Nosheen Fatima Warraich (Eds.): Looking Back, Moving Forward: Proceeding of International conference on Information Management and Libraries (ICIML) Lahore, Pakistan. Department of Information Management, University of the Punjab, Lahore (Pakistan). Pp. 387-402.
[4]. Dhiman, A.K. and Joshi, S. (2019). Content Analysis of Delhi Based Central University Websites. Professional Journal of Library and Information Technology, 9 (1): 10-17.
[5]. Harnesk, J. and Salmon, M. (2010). Social Media in Libraries. Available at:
www.slideshare.net/jhoussiere/social-media-usage-in-libraries-in-europe-survey-teaser.
[6]. Kalra, Jaya and Dhingra, Shweta. (2016). Use of Social Networking Tools by the Libraries of Central Universities of India: A Study. SSARSC International Journal of Library Information Network and Knowledge, 1 (1): 1-13.
[7]. Kaplan, A.M. and Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the World, Unite! The Challenges and Opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons, 53 (1): 59-68.
[8]. Mingle, J. W., Lamptey, R.B. and Hassan, A. (2014). The Use of Social Media and Web 2.0 for Information Service Delivery in Academic Libraries in Ghana. In H. R. Asamoah-Hassan and I. K. Antwi, (Eds.): Proceedings of the 1st International Conference of the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Ghana. CARLIGH, Ghana. Pp. 184-197.
[9]. Rani, Y. and Dhiman, A.K. (2019). Social Media ka Granthalayon par Prabahav (In Hindi).
Granthalaya Vigyan, 50 (1-2): 18-25.
[10]. Social Networking (2010). Oxford English Dictionary Online. Available at:
http://www.dictionary.oed.com.
