tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post8174135215049397604..comments2024-03-27T05:04:39.476-07:00Comments on Museum 2.0: Guest Post from Museums and the Web: Bryan KennedyNina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11723930679606298550noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-3711619970912841452008-05-05T12:41:00.000-07:002008-05-05T12:41:00.000-07:00Thanks for the round-up Bryan. Some of the themes ...Thanks for the round-up Bryan. Some of the themes I took from the conference were: the critical role digitisation will play in the future; measuring impact of web work on the user not just via quantitative means but finding more qualitative approaches; focus on task not technology; using established open-source and web sites; the rise of social technologies and museums' experiences with those; the importance of standards; content is key and finally collaboration - between organisations, within organisations and with users.<BR/><BR/>I think this last point goes some way to contributing to the debate around your point on internal developers. Perhaps new models of organisational structures need to be found in order to develop the right mix of people for the range of projects that are on the go at any one time. There is a parallel debate in my own field of audience research, with those organisations that have gone the consultant-only route not building the in-house skills, but more importantly the buy-in and corporate knowledge to actually implement research findings and recognise their value.Lynda Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13250840956155339043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-927772251113073882008-04-22T11:23:00.000-07:002008-04-22T11:23:00.000-07:00I'm with Bryan here. If you don't bring the skill...I'm with Bryan here. If you don't bring the skills in-house, you never expand your reach. Contractors tend to sell products, and in a 2.0, perpetual beta kinda world, that's death. The cool thing you buy is generally one you can't tinker with, because contractors stasy alive by selling you the finished product. <BR/><BR/>What I think outsiders are great for is identifying new skills, platforms, etc. that you want to play with, but aren't ready to commit to. If it works, you can bring it aboard, if it doesn't, you move on.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06490800692200145594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-30088156247990558832008-04-21T12:02:00.000-07:002008-04-21T12:02:00.000-07:00I totally understand that museums often have a har...I totally understand that museums often have a hard time attracting top talent to high tech jobs because of the lure higher paying for profit world. However, there are a substantial population of people with expertise in programming and web development who are looking for meaningful and engaging projects that generate positive social change first and a big paycheck second (or third or fourth). We shouldn't discount the allure of getting to work in our diverse and multi-disciplinary field.<BR/><BR/>I would also argue that hiring outside firms can sometimes seem like the cheaper option but that in the long term it can often be much more expensive and doesn't build capacity at your institution. It really isn't an either/or option anyways. We ought to be doing both; hiring talented teams in house to drive quality projects with a technology perspective and contracting with outside experts when we need to bring in innovative ideas or specialized skill sets.<BR/><BR/>I totally agree with Nina that we should be emphasizing technical competency in content developers and general exhibits folks. However, the skill and expertise needed to create innovative, accessible, and education experiences using technology in museums is often underestimated. The internet and web tech has been sold to us as an easy as pie tool that anyone can do. But to be frank there is a grand difference between some one who can tap out a song on the piano and a grand performance of a professional.bryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04230820812862698386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-7237200781414641232008-04-21T08:04:00.000-07:002008-04-21T08:04:00.000-07:00Wallace,Bryan and I got into a discussion on the v...Wallace,<BR/>Bryan and I got into a discussion on the very same topic--and hope to do a longer post in the future about that issue. <BR/><BR/>My experience, like yours, is that most museum IT people are not paid competitively for their field, and therefore are less likely to be the kind of creative, highly skilled folks we want helping lead these kinds of projects.<BR/><BR/>I wonder if there shouldn't be more emphasis on young would-be exhibit and program developers gaining some technical skills so that they can be better integrated into the content side of the museum business. I worry about the siloing of IT vs. content and would prefer for us to see the web as one of many tools used in content development (and therefore more integrated into the content teams). <BR/><BR/>Museum IT/web folks, what keeps you at museums instead of going to places that offer better pay (and potentially, more creative control)?Nina Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11723930679606298550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-27605220498887960072008-04-19T15:43:00.000-07:002008-04-19T15:43:00.000-07:00You had me until the PS. Hiring programmers is a n...You had me until the PS. Hiring programmers is a nice thought, and I'm sure most museums, libraries and non-profits would love to do so, but in my experience most good programmers don't want to work for the wages those type of institutions can afford to pay. Which is why many turn to outside agencies for help. And although it is not without its downside, as far as budget constraints go, some agencies will even take on pro-bono work for a good cause and the publicity. I'm just not convinced having an in-house IT staff is always a prime solution, nor do I think the lack of internal IT has anything to do with a fear of losing a position of power. I agree that in a perfect world having internal staff who understand the nuances of the institution is what everyone would wish for, but in the real world it's simply not often practical. And besides,having a different (yet professional) "outsider" perspective can save an institution from the myopic viewpoint you mention under "sharing authority". It's hard to have it both ways.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-91738793614442172902008-04-19T09:39:00.000-07:002008-04-19T09:39:00.000-07:00The link to Freebase does not link to a Freebase ...The link to Freebase does not link to a Freebase website.Troy Mchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15054194615439575237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-63033353399156198912008-04-19T07:34:00.000-07:002008-04-19T07:34:00.000-07:00Good round-up! The point about having permanent i...Good round-up! The point about having permanent in-house developers is really important and I was glad to see it discussed so much at MW2008.<BR/><BR/>It's particularly on my mind at the moment because yesterday I gave a presentation (on publishing from collections databases and the possibilities of repositories or feeds of data) to a group mostly comprised of collections managers, and I was asked afterwards if this public accessibility meant "the death of the curator". I've gathered the impression that some curators think IT projects impose their grand visions of the new world, plunder their data, and leave the curators feeling slightly shell-shocked and unloved.<BR/><BR/>One way to engage with curatorial teams (and educators and marketers and whoever) and work around these fears and valuable critiques is to have permanent programmers on staff who demonstrably value and respect museum expertise and collections just as much as curators, and who are willing to respond to the concerns raised during digital projects.Mia Ridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12076000499686655997noreply@blogger.com