UKOLN
Raising Awareness

"A centre of excellence in digital information management, providing advice and services to the library, information and cultural heritage communities."

UKOLN is based at the University of Bath.

Exploiting the Potential of Web 2.0 and the Social Web

A Workshop for Renaissance West Midlands to be held on 26 February 2009

Background

Brian Kelly was a speaker and facilitator at a workshop organised on behalf of Renaissance West Midlands.

The title of the workshop is Exploiting the Potential of Web 2.0 and the Social Web. The workshop was held on Thursday 26th February 2009 at The Herbert, Coventry. Details on how to get to the Herbert are available.

Further details are available on the Renaissance West Midlands Web site.

The main venue was the Training room. In addition to the training room the New Media suite (which contains 11 PCs) and Learning Space 3 will be available for breakout sessions in the afternoon.

Workshop Wiki

Please note that a wiki has been set up for the workshop.

Abstract

Web 2.0 and the Social Web are terms which are now being used widely. But what do these terms mean? And what, if anything, can Web 2.0 and the Social Web offer to museums - especially small organisations with limited budgets and technical expertise?

This workshop, which is being organised by UKOLN, a national centre of expertise in digital information management on behalf of Renaissance West Midlands, will attempt to answer these questions. As well as demystifying the terms and the technologies, the workshop will also address the challenges which institutions may face in seeking to make use of Web 2.0 to support the needs of their users.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the workshop participants will:

  • Have gained an understanding of what is meant by the terms 'Web 2.0' and the 'Social Web'.
  • Have seen examples of Web 2.0 technologies including blogs, wikis and RSS.
  • Have seen examples of the non-technical aspects of Web 2.0 including the importance of openness and user generated content.
  • Have seen examples of how Web 2.0 is being used in the cultural heritage sector.
  • Have explored barriers to the effective use of Web 2.0.
  • Have discussed ways of addressing such barriers.
  • Have had the opportunity to develop links and share resources with other participants at the workshop.

Requirements

A networked PC will be required for the speakers.

A total of 8 PCs are available for the participants to use in the hands-on session.

Wiki

Timetable

The draft timetable is given below.

Time Session Comments
10.00-10.30 Registration and coffee  
10.30-10.40 Introduction Brian Kelly
10.40-11.30 An Introduction to Web 2.0 and the Social Web Talk - Brian Kelly
Slides: [MS PowerPoint format] - [HTML format]
11.30-12.00 Case Study: Using Myspace, Facebook and Flickr for the 'On the Pull' project at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery Catherine English, Curator (Collections Knowledge), Brighton Museum & Art Gallery
12.00-12.30 Case Study: Use of Web 2.0 Tools at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (BMAG) Onyemachi Shekerie, BMAG Not given due to firewall problems.
12.30-13.30 Lunch  
13.30-13.35 Introduction to the afternoon sessions Slides: [MS PowerPoint format] - [HTML format]
13.30-14.00 Hands on Session: Making use of Web 2.0 and Social Web services Hands on Session
14.00-14.30 Group Discussion 1: Exploring Options Discussion group on the potential benefits of Web 2.0 and the Social Web
14.30-15.00 Group Discussion 2: Addressing Barriers Discussion group on the barriers to the deployment and effective use of Web 2.0 and the Social Web
15.00-15.15 TEA  
15.15-15.45 Report Back Slides: [MS PowerPoint format] - [HTML format]
15.45-15.50 Conclusions  
15.50 Workshop finishes