Adventures in Web 2.0

Jump to Comments

The gears in my head have been turning for quite some time on the possibilities of further combining the  intimate world of moving image archivists and social networking tools to better connect professionals in locations all over the world.  These colleagues keep in touch through sites like Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter, and discuss issues through various list serves, but the conversations in these social networking sites are scattered and not easily researched.  List serves tend to be impersonal, which may prevent some readers from participating.  In response to these challenges with the existing forms of communication, I have created a social network through Ning, a create-your-own social networking site, to provide a place for moving image archivists to socialize, discuss issues, and publish blogs to further advance the field of moving image archives.

My social network is called “Friends In Film: A meeting place for moving image archivists,” and is currently under construction.  I am attempting to lay the groundwork for a site that is welcoming, flexible, and encourages people to add content and share the site with others to create a resource that is constantly growing and changing and is valuable to its developers and readers.  My welcome to the site reads:

Welcome to Friends In Film: A meeting place for moving image archivists!

Join us to share and discuss issues and events relating to the field of moving image archives. All are welcome! Join groups, add to forum discussions, and invite friends to events in your area. Post blogs on a wide range of topics within the field. Tell us about your latest research, document exciting events, or share innovation whenever you see it. We would love to hear about anything archives. Get creative and utilize this site to its full potential to create a resource that harnesses the intelligence of the group to further advance the field of moving image archives. First stop, tell us about yourself in the Forum “Introduce Yourself” so we all can say hello. Develop your profile, add pics and RSS feeds from your favorite sites, and add or invite friends. Hit me up any time with questions, comments, or concerns. Thanks for joining the Friends In Film community!

Enjoy!

Danielle N. Kramer
Friends In Film
Creator

I hope that this introduction will draw in new members and encourage them to start participation right away.  The introduction of Ning social network Library 2.0 begins with a request for members to introduce themselves, which seems like it has been a successful way to integrate newcomers into their community.  By asking members to introduce themselves in a forum, I hope that they will receive a welcome from current members who will give new members confidence and encouragement to explore further.

The main purpose of this site is to bring together all contributors in the field together on a shared platform that allows concentrated discussion on topics that are in development.  When I attended the conference of the Association of Moving Image Archives last year, I witnessed that archives across the nation were dealing with very similar issues, and often times there were many different solutions.  It is not every day that so many archivists can get together in one place to throw all ideas together to build a common solution.  For many, it happens only once a year at the AMIA conference.  By providing forums to hash out the challenges like facing developments in educational programs, or creating a standard metadata schema for film collections, as many members who have opinions on the subject from their unique experiences can add to the discussion year round.

What draws me to Ning versus networking sites like Facebook and Myspace is that the mission and the conversations can’t get lost among the noise.  At any time, forum discussions, blogs, and groups will be archived, tagged for easy recovery and available for future research in a space dedicated entirely to the subject.  The fact that any member can blog allows for the culmination of rich and unique information that will make this site a value to the field.

This leads to the secondary purpose of the site.  I see this site being an accessible resource, opening a window to the field to encourage and educate curious new members who may develop into archivists one day.  The training and education is developing from apprentice-style experience into a professionalized field taught through higher education.  Due to this transition, it is sometimes difficult to find the best advice on how to break into the field.  I hope that newcomers can find their answers at Friends In Film, and that excited new talent and those wise in the ways of film archiving can find each other, both liable to prosper from finding the right fit.

Like I said, the site is in development.  I am adding some content as a foundation for beginning discussion, and designer Rhea H. Butcher is working on creating logos and a unique look for the site.  I will keep you posted on the development, and invite you all to join when the network is launched.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the project.  All comments are welcome.