This document provides guidance for museums looking to get involved in web 2.0 technologies and platforms. It outlines some common fears and challenges such as loss of control and maintenance issues. However, it also discusses the opportunities for micro-audiences, interactivity, and bridging distances. The document then gives considerations for how to approach various aspects of a web 2.0 project such as audience, purpose, ownership, editing, and community participation. It emphasizes the importance of planning for maintenance and having an "escape route" if the project does not go as intended.

1. Getting your feet wet in web 2.0 Cynthia Iburg Senior Educator Canadian Museum of Nature

2. My Experience Facebook group Blog Voicethread YouTube Wiki

3. Fears and challenges Loss of control Maintenance Unfamiliarity

4. Opportunities and Benefits Micro-audiences Interactivity Participation Bridging distances

5. Things to Consider

6. Internal vs External How much control do you need to have? Do you want to participate in existing communities?

7. Examples Indianapolis Children's Museum http://treeofpromise.org/ Brooklyn Museum http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/community/

8. Audience Who are you trying to reach? Be specific! The web is about micro-niches.

9. Purpose What is the objective of the web product? * education * promotion * connecting with members

10. Voice Who is the author? * institution * one employee * one division/project

11. http://museumtwo.blogspot.com/2007/03/institutional-blogs-different-voices.html

12. Ownership Which department within your institution “owns” the product?

13. Language Do you have a bilingual mandate? How to you approach two languages? * one bilingual * two simultaneous * different content in each

14. Editing Will the content be formally edited or not? Web 2.0 tends to be casual and over-editing can be a turn off.

15. “Look and Feel” How do you make it clear that the web product belongs to your institution without interfering with the casual nature of the community?

16. Community Will you participate in an existing community? How will you give to that community in addition to accessing their members?

17. Maintenance Who will be responsible for maintaining content? Will it be in their official annual goals? How much time will you give them?

19. Copyright issues How will you address issues of copyright and IP? Visuals are very important to web 2.0.

20. Linking Will you link your web product back to your official site?

21. Particiaption How will you manage participation? Almost all web 2.0 products have the opportunity to leave comments as a minimum. You will not be able to control what people write.

22. Lifespan Plan an escape route. Especially when first starting out, give yourself a manageable window in which to run the product; you can always extend it. Don’t go into an indefinite commitment.

23. Resources Nina Simon’s blog Museums2.0 http://museumtwo.blogspot.com/ Museums and the Web http://museumsandtheweb.blogspot.com/

24. Some of my projects Interactive info site http://nature.ca/explore/di-ef/index_e.cfm Blog http://cmndropbydrop.wordpress.com/ National Café Scientifique http://voicethread.com/#u155263.b394303.i2721455

25. Try it!