This article presents an exploratory study of “Blobgects,”
an experimental interface for an online museum catalog
that enables social tagging and blogging activity
around a set of cultural heritage objects held by a preeminent
museum of anthropology and archaeology. This
study attempts to understand not just whether social
tagging and commenting about these objects is useful
but rather whose tags and voices matter in presenting
different “expert” perspectives around digital
museum objects. Based on an empirical comparison
between two different user groups (Canadian Inuit highschool
students and museum studies students in the
United States), we found that merely adding the ability
to tag and comment to the museum’s catalog does
not sufficiently allow users to learn about or engage
with the objects represented by catalog entries. Rather,
the specialist language of the catalog provides too little
contextualization for users to enter into the sort
of dialog that proponents of Web 2.0 technologies
promise. Overall, we propose a more nuanced application
ofWeb 2.0 technologies withinmuseums—one which
provides a contextual basis that gives users a starting
point for engagement and permits users to make
sense of objects in relation to their own needs, uses, and
understandings.
This article presents an exploratory study of “Blobgects,”an experimental interface for an online museum catalogthat enables social tagging and blogging activityaround a set of cultural heritage objects held by a preeminentmuseum of anthropology and archaeology. Thisstudy attempts to understand not just whether socialtagging and commenting about these objects is usefulbut rather whose tags and voices matter in presentingdifferent “expert” perspectives around digitalmuseum objects. Based on an empirical comparisonbetween two different user groups (Canadian Inuit highschoolstudents and museum studies students in theUnited States), we found that merely adding the abilityto tag and comment to the museum’s catalog doesnot sufficiently allow users to learn about or engagewith the objects represented by catalog entries. Rather,the specialist language of the catalog provides too littlecontextualization for users to enter into the sortof dialog that proponents of Web 2.0 technologiespromise. Overall, we propose a more nuanced applicationofWeb 2.0 technologies withinmuseums—one whichprovides a contextual basis that gives users a startingpoint for engagement and permits users to makesense of objects in relation to their own needs, uses, andunderstandings.
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