:: Blogs, wikis, and fora ::

• MuseumBlogs
  "MuseumBlogs.org is a directory of museum and museum-related blogs as well as a space for re-postings. The purpose of the site is to raise awareness and increase the authority of blogs focusing on museum issues." Links to nearly 200 museum blogs.
  » http://www.museumblogs.org
• UK Museums and the Semantic Web
  An Arts and Humanities Research Council funded Thinktank, the primary collaborators being the Museums Computer Group, the MDA, the 24 Hour Museum, and the Department of Museum Studies at the University of Leicester, with strategic input from the Natural History Museum.
  "The semantic web is a set of related technologies which will make it easier to find and share information online. The objective of the Thinktank is, over a series of workshops, to identify the key challenges and opportunities for museums and to define how the culture sector should respond to them.
  The Thinktank brings together experts from a wide range of disciplines, including museum policy and management, cataloguing and computational science. Over the next ten months, a group of around 10 to 15 semantic web experts and museum professionals will gather in a series of closely documented meetings around the UK to explore the ways forward for the sector into this more digitally connected future.
  The Semantic Web Thinktank falls under the project ‘UK Museums and the Semantic Web’, funded as part of the Arts & Humanities Research Council’s Research Workshops (Museums and Galleries) Scheme."
  » http://culturalsemanticweb.wordpress.com
• Past Thinking
  "Past Thinking is a blog about where the past meets the future, covering archaeology, history, computing, and where they all meet." Personal blog by Tom Goskar, archaeological computing specialist with a particular interest in the application of 3D technologies within archaeology, and currently working as 'Archaeological Multimedia Developer' with Wessex Archaeology in Salisbury, UK.
  » http://www.pastthinking.com/blog/
• Museum 2.0
  A blog "about active participation in museums. The transition from 'visitor' to 'user'. From curator-generated to user-generated. From closed content to open-source forums.
  ... The Web showed that one way to keep a content delivery platform current is to involve its users as meaningful participants rather than passive recipients of that content. No museum is as flexible or participatory as the Web has become. Should they be? What are the possibilities and challenges in creating 'an architecture of participation'?
  This blog will explore the ways that museums do and can evolve from 1.0 (static content delivery machines) to 2.0 (dynamic content aggregation and network machines)."
  » http://museumtwo.blogspot.com
• Open Objects
  "Thoughts and ideas about IT issues in museums and archaeology, particularly user-centred development for online museum collections, objects and public archaeology." Personal blog of Mia Ridge, database developer at the Museum of London/MoLAS.
  » http://openobjects.blogspot.com
• New Museums
  "... contributing to an expanded discourse of technology in the service of cultural capital. A blog for Museum visitors, staff, practicioners and executives."
  » http://newmuseums.blogspot.com
• fresh + new(er)
  "Fresh+New is a blog produced by the Web Services & Digital Media team at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney. The purpose of the site is to act as a repository and sounding board for discussions around digital media and its use in museums."
  » http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/dmsblog/
• Museums and the Web
  "Taking a professional look at online web initiatives launched by museums and galleries worldwide."
  » http://museumsandtheweb.blogspot.com
• Musematic
  "Rants and raves on the latest trends in the world of museum informatics and technology. An intrepid cast of experts from the Museum Computer Network and AAM's Media & Technology Committee share their insights, observations and tricks of the trade".
  » http://www.musematic.org
• Museum Blogging
  "MuseumBlogging.com seeks to provide the best information on how museums and related institutions--including zoos, aquaria, science centers, and botanical gardens--can use blogs in support of outreach. Along the way, we'll discuss other forms of outreach, including exhibit, program, and curriculum development. Turn to MuseumBlogging.com for analysis, insight, ideas, and news of the latest research and resources on institutions of informal learning."
  » http://www.museumblogging.com
• Museum Virtual Worlds Wiki
  "... a place for sharing information and resources for museum and other educational web developers about online virtual worlds". Comprises four areas: 'Featured Projects' (links to some virtual world projects), 'Theory and Practice' (publications documenting practices of museums and research learning environments experimenting with and using virtual worlds), 'Virtual World Platforms' (information and resources about current virtual worlds platforms including Second Life and several Open Source platforms), and a directory of 'Virtual World Portals & Blogs'.
  » http://apps.exploratorium.edu/worlds/wiki/wikka.php?wakka=HomePage
• Museums Wiki
  A "new experimental Wiki for museums, set up by Jonathan Bowen". Not much to show for itself at the moment (and it's far from clear whether this site is about, or simply uses, ICT), but perhaps a site worth watching? See Bowen's conference papers at Museums and the Web 2006 and 2007:
  Museums and Wikipedia
  » http://www.archimuse.com/mw2006/papers/bowen/bowen.html
  A Museums Wiki
  » http://www.archimuse.com/mw2007/papers/bowen/bowen.html
• At The Museum: Museum Groups in Flickr
  A list of museum groups in Flickr, administered by Mamluke.
  » http://www.flickr.com/groups/40181466@N00/discuss/72157600087036508/
• Museum Professionals and Enthusiasts
  "Consider this as a possible Museum-L 2.0--a place to pose questions, make contacts, exchange ideas, seek advice or just bask in the warm glow of the cyber-presence of other museum-oriented people." Not a great deal of activity there at the moment, but perhaps worth watching?
  » http://museums.ning.com
• museumsandmedia--the Museums | Cultural Heritage | Digital Media Blog
  "The Museums | Cultural Heritage | Digital Media Blog ... is a research environment for exploring a variety of topics surrounding European museums and the preservation and dissemination of intangible cultural heritage by digital media."
  » http://museumsandmedia.wordpress.com
• DigitalHeritage
  This is the blog of the “Digital Heritage” optional course of the Art Gallery and Museum Studies MA course at the Centre for Museology, University of Manchester.
  The emerging field of Digital Heritage includes the theory and practice of digital media in museums, galleries and other cultural institutions. In this framework, the course aims to
  • Develop a critical understanding of the theory and practice of using digital media in museums, galleries and other heritage and memory institutions;
  • Provide a both broad and in-depth knowledge of the issues that arise by the use of new media for purposes of curation, interpretation, communication and learning;
  • Offer some practical knowledge and experience of using digital technologies and designing and producing digital content for museums and galleries; and
  • Provide a broad basis of generic theoretical and practical skills for museum professionals in the area of digital heritage.
  The Digital Heritage Blog aims to:
  • Provide an online collaborative notebook, where the class discussion on digital heritage is continued and expanded with the participation both of the course’s students and other academics and museum professionals;
  • Offer students the opportunity to reflect on the course’s themes each week;
  • Function as a bulletin board for class information;
  • Collect and keep track of online resources relevant to the course’s themes;
  • Enhance students’ learning experience through a blended learning environment that combines traditional paper-based methods with an online collaborative tool;
  • Offer the opportunity to students to acquire experience and transferable skills in running and using a piece of social educational software;
  • Present the students’ work to fellow students, academics and museum professionals, who are interested in the topic of digital heritage.
  » http://digitalheritage.wordpress.com
• Museums and Heritage
  Blog of University of Salford, Centre for Heritage Studies
  » http://heritagecluster.blogspot.com/