Model Call Girl in Bikash Puri Delhi reach out to us at 🔝9953056974🔝
Tripping over reference -wi--2011
1. Tripping Over Reference
The importance of link placement
(and other stuff)
Bill Pardue (bpardue@ahml.info)
PR for Virtual Reference—updated 5/19/2011
2. Placement is promotion!
Press releases, handouts, ads, etc. tend to
create brief “spikes” in usage.
Proper placement assures that people will find
the link to VR when and where they need it!
(This doesn’t mean not to do handouts, ads,
etc.!)
Source: Elaina Norlin, “Creating a Purple Cow, VRD 2005.
3. Not just a “QuestionPoint thing”
Promote multiple avenues for reference:
Chat
IM
VOIP
Twitter/FB
Phone & in-person
But today, we’re talking about AskAway/QP!
4. Looking at the statistics
Looked at referrer page info from QP
Three months: 458 Sessions
139 sessions from home page & catalog
319 came from everywhere else!
70% of sessions originated from places other
than home page & catalog
5. December 2006 Stats (more detail)
136 Total chat sessions
Home Page: 48 referrals
Websites/DBs page: 17
Kids World: 17
Catalog: 9
Contact Us: 7
38 sessions from other locations!
6. Placement tips
Get your link:
As part of the basic page template
“Above the fold” (test it at 800x600)
Use graphic and brief text
AskAway branding essential, but make sure
patron understands what it is! E.G., “Ask a
Question Live Online” or “Get Live Online Help”
7. Current practices (a quick look)
Looked at 20 libraries
Home page link: 19 (why not 20?)
Part of site “template”: 8
Link via catalog: 0
Placement (homepage):
Low: 5 lower left; 1 lower right; 2 lower center
High: 4 upper left; 5 upper right; 2 upper center
1 Dead center
8. Think about your vendors
Your catalog
Your subscription databases
FirstSearch, Gale, Ebsco, Proquest, Wilson, etc.
Many support “branded” links, which can include
VR service. Contact your vendor for details.
We’ve had relatively few sessions from these,
but why not catch what you can?
16. Do you maintain any other sites?
E.G., Community information directories
17. Market it as local information
“Ask a question about Arlington Heights” or “Live Help 24/7”
Don’t necessarily play up the librarian angle as the main point!
18. Links on other community sites?
Town/village site
Chamber of Commerce
Social service agencies
Be ready to answer questions relevant to
these sites or to arrange referrals!
There’s a political element to this.
19. Look for social sites/blogs!
Not just your own blog
Look for other sites where people might post
comments/questions—post answers and give
your URL!
Follow tweets about your town to see if it’s
worth sending a link as a reply.
“Local” version of “Slam the Boards?”
20. Think of anywhere else!
E.G., In the signature of outgoing e-mails to patrons
QR Codes: on business cards, posted around the library, book
inserts:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZJFUVXcKIw
(Also, generate bit.ly address for your qwidget/chat form and then
go to that address followed by “qrcode. E.G.:
http://bit.ly/jTgK8E.qrcode)
AHML: http://bit.ly/askahml
Your library’s tweets and FB posts
21. We’re after the “long tail!”
Most of these won’t contribute large numbers
You’re doing this to increase referrals
incrementally.
1 or 2 per month from multiple sources
begins to add up!