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Posted 08-12-2011 at 23:42
I'm taking part in a session of the Theoretical Archaeology Group Conference next week. See below for abstracts from myself and the other speakers in this session.
How do we fit in to a world of Wikipedia, Facebook and Twitter?
I'm still writing my presentation so ideas are very welcome - what would you like me to include?
Session: Dr. Web-Love: Or, How I Learnt to Stop Worrying & Love Social Media
Lorna Richardson (University College London), Patrick Hadley (University of York) & Don Henson
(Council for British Archaeology & Director of CASPAR)
Introduction:
It seems ironic that the discipline dedicated to the study of humanity’s interfaces between
society and technology should not take time to reflect on its own use (and non-use) of explicitly
social technologies.
Social media are tools that facilitate information sharing, interaction and community-forming
over the internet. For archaeology, they can and are contributing to all of these in both the
professional and voluntary sectors of archaeology and heritage, and when used as a public
engagement tool.
Archaeology, like many academic disciplines, frequently invests resources in the development of
new data-generation tools (e. g., scientific techniques) or data-management tools (e. g., digital
preservation) but rarely considers (methodologically or theoretically) its data-sharing tools, let
alone the social factors entangled with these.
Social media forms have been termed ‘architectures of participation’ (O’Reilly 2004). As such
they are often most rapidly embraced by those lacking traditional infrastructures to mediate
their interests. Therefore, archaeologists, as a group with a number of well-established
infrastructures (universities, units, publishing, conferences and so on) have been slower to
make use of them than other sectors of society. The facility of social media to decentralise
the power structures of these infrastructures has rarely been explicitly discussed within
archaeology.
However, other thinkers have claimed that the change brought by social media (let alone the
rest of the digital universe) is an order of magnitude more significant than the invention of the
printing press (Shirky 2008). The geo-political effects of that piece of technology have been well
documented but were only visible with hindsight. We would like to make a call-to-arms for
archaeologists to be proactive and reflexive about the current revolution rather than allowing
it to pass them by.
The session will draw on theoretical perspectives from Public Archaeology, big-data
approaches and research into the interface between society and technology. We will then build
on the theory with methodology and practice to help archaeologists from all backgrounds
(especially technophobes!) understand how social media might affect their work.
The importance of developing and sustaining audiences, and measuring the impact of the use
of social media as a tool for public engagement will be especially highlighted.
Morning papers will be followed by a short afternoon practical session led by experienced
digital archaeologists. These sessions, held in either a computer cluster room or on
participant’s laptops, will provide a chance to explore social media tools in an archaeological
context, and consult digitally-minded archaeologists about the ways in which to apply the
theory to practice, through web-based tools can help with their work.
66
O’Reilly 2004. The Architecture of Participation. O’Reilly Media Newsletter (available on-line:
http://oreilly.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/articles/architecture_of_participation.html, accessed 19
May 2011).
Shirky Clay. 2008. Here comes everybody : the power of organizing without organizations. New
York: Penguin Press.
I should be Tweeting? Poking? Blogging? What do those words even mean? Exploring the
complexities of social media & archaeology
Doug Rocks-Macqueen (University of Edinburgh)
While many archaeologists, organizations, or university departments are told they should be
on Facebook, join Twitter or start a blog? Very few understand the time commitment involved
or what this even means. Moreover, very few people know how individuals interact with social
media, an aspect that is too often over simplified, and how that can affect an archaeologists
or their organization. Once these complexities are discussed this paper will then tackle the
question? What does social media mean for the future of archaeology? This paper will explore
these issues through a series of case studies including:
Archaeologists getting fired for blogging
American Anthropology Association blog censorship/moderation choices
Using social media as academic publication
We're All in This Together: Can social media be used to promote cohesion & shared advocacy
among the various communities within archaeology?
Andy Brockman (Mortimer)
The web site and Facebook Group "Mortimer" [http://www.savearchaeology.co.uk ] were launched
in July this year to provide a fresh, independent campaigning voice for archaeologists and
people who care about archaeology and heritage. This paper explores how the team behind
"Mortimer" have drawn inspiration from campaigning sites such as 38 Degrees, in attempting
to use the Worldwide Web and Social Media to identify issues and bring together a broad
constituency of voices to act as campaigners and advocates, for the archaeological and heritage
sector, working as part of the wider environmental movement. It asks the questions such as:
What are the practical considerations facing such a project? How can audiences and issues be
identified? When it comes to campaigning are dedicated websites already yesterday’s solution?
Does the use of social media enable a wider conversation within archaeology and society or
do they simply move existing interests and conversations to a new forum while excluding some
interested parties through the use of technology which is still not universal?
67
Why Archaeologists should ‘Like’ Facebook: the case study of Love Archaeology
Morgana McCabe (University of Glasgow), Jennifer Novotny (University of Glasgow) & Rebecca
Younger (University of Glasgow)
Reflecting upon a year of running the Facebook page ‘Love Archaeology at Glasgow University’,
this paper explores how a proactive but small departmental social page went global, generating
merchandise and creating an international community unique to online space. We reflect upon
that community, and how and when it mobilises, exploring both the successes and frictions
which emerged from the destabilisation of the normal real world power structures behind
the Facebook group. We discuss in practical terms how such communities are created and
maintained, both through intentional practices and those that emerge unexpectedly from
social interactions. By comparison with our less successful Twitter page, we demonstrate how
successes and failures can informed our understanding of Love Archaeology’s audience needs.
It is this kind of reflexivity which is essential to creating and maintaining meaningful levels
of participation in social networking endeavours. These online spaces are ever changing and
require unique management and administration. Their collaborative and decentralised nature
also gives rise to equally unique problems. To assist others treading the same ground, we
seek to unpack our experiences, exploring the kind of data Facebook can collect for its users,
and to highlight how archaeologists can use such data to improve future forays into the social
networking revolution.
The Megalithic Portal: 10 years & counting as a community of interest & social network
Andy Burnham (The Megalithic Portal)
The Megalithic Portal web 'resource' is art image gallery, part gazetteer and site database,
part news aggregator, part mapping tool, part ideas melting pot. It has been operating as an
independent 'community of interest' social network since 2001, run by a distributed team
of online volunteers predominantly from the UK and Germany. This paper will look at the
Megalithic Portal as a case study of public engagement in online archaeology and consider
the interaction of archaeology and other communities of interest that have formed on the
Internet. The resource that created over the past 10 years has indeed been 'embraced by
those lacking traditional infrastructures to mediate their interests.' (to recklessly paraphrase
the session abstract) Whether we would want to 'decentralise the power structures of these
infrastructures' (or even say it with a straight face) is up for debate.
Wikipedia, its GLAM collaborations, & how archaeologists can use it to disseminate their work
to both specialist & popular audiences
Andy Mabbett (ARKive)
Wikipedia is the world's sixth most visited website but few archaeologists understand the
mechanics behind this vast and complex project. Through its (democratically selected)
organisation Wikipedia is connecting with Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (the
GLAM project) and having great successes. Using examples from these projects, this paper
will explain how archaeologists can use Wikipedia to disseminate their work to both specialist
and popular audiences. Archaeology has much to gain from engaging with Wikipedia as one of
the most powerful frameworks for organising knowledge yet seen during the beginnings of the
Internet age.
Twitter & Archaeology: Creating a community of practice in 140 characters or less
Lorna Richardson (University College London)
This paper discusses the use that the archaeological community makes of Twitter, at present,
based on a survey of Archaeological Tweeters conducted by the author in 2011. Such research
reveals that this Web-based application is now prevalently an intra-specialist networking tool
rather than one of public engagement. Research directions that might help to extend the use
of Twitter for communicating with non-specialists are suggested and theoretical issues such as
influence, popularity, authority, accuracy, and credibility are discussed in relation to Tweeting,
and indicators and modalities for measuring them are proposed. These may be useful, in the
future, to evaluate initiatives of public engagement with archaeology supported by the Twitter
platform.
Perpetual Beta as an Archaeological Attitude
Pat Hadley (University of York)
Perpetual beta is now a common way of producing computer software. At its most fundamental
it is a philosophy of working that admits that very little is ever truly complete or fixable as a
'finished product'. It also breaks down the barriers between producers and consumers and
makes production a far more social process. This paper explores the pros and cons of this
philosophy (in combination with social media tools) as applied to archaeological workflows and
modes of production. Using the archetypal archaeological product - the excavation monograph
– as an example, I explore whether an attitude of perpetual beta is a crucial stepping-stone to
open access production, open data and stronger collaborations in archaeology.
"Excava(c)tion" in Vignale - Archaeology on stage, archaeology on the Web
Stefano Costa (Università di Siena) & Francesco Ripanti (Università di Siena)
As an orchestra or a rock star, archaeologists have their audience too. This paper wants to
highlight an integrated approach between fieldwork, its account and its dissemination to the
public in different ways, including social media. This potential integration has come to life
in the just finished 2011 excavation of the Roman mansio of Vignale (Italy) and it has been
named "Excava(c)tion". Continuing and increasing the late lamented Richard Hall's way of
telling archaeology, "Excava(c)tion" doesn't mean a new way of digging but another way of
approaching the excavation, an approach integrated toward and with the public, both on
site and on the social Web. "Excava(c)tion" conceives the site as a stage and digging as a
performance, through a continuous dialogue between archaeologists and the public.
Archaeologists share their work in the form of guided tours (live, theatrical-like performances),
communicative diaries and videos (edited, motion-picture performances) and on a blog
(http://www.uominiecoseavignale.it). They receive back comments and oral accounts from the local
community about the main themes of common interest.
"Excava(c)tion" means for us engagement both of archaeologists and the public in the pursuit
of a global multivocality during archaeological excavation.
Posted 09-12-2011 at 00:33
To 'cut to the chase' as it were - the Portal is something of an anachronism in these days of ultra slick 'application' style web sites. What is it that we do differently to Wikipedia, Facebook, Twitter and so on.
'Why are you (still) here' ?
[ This message was edited by: Andy B on 2011-12-09 00:49 ]
Posted 10-12-2011 at 00:19
I would disagree with the term 'Anachronism' in reference to the Megalithic Portal, Andy. The format is by no means dated, the material is constantly current and the interaction among participants is really quite refreshing.
While Forum Dwellers debate the important or arcane back and forth, the 'meat & potatoes' of the Portal is its cataloging of Ancient Sites. Up-to-date while remaining constantly fluid is its greatest appeal.
Neither static nor old; its alive and very relevant.
Posted 12-12-2011 at 01:56
"Cutting to the chase" I think MP does what computers do best - it serves as a database.
It provides locations and photographs of ancient sites, enabling people to find them and recognise them - with lots of added information on the history, folklore etc. All supplied by people with genuine a interest in the sites.
Unlike for example, these quotes about a pic on Thicker:-
Friend A: So is this the Great Pyramid?
Friend B: Dunno, the pic I took had a bloke in red shorts by it.
Friend C: He's AndyB. Got lots of friends and I'm one.
Friend A: So he'd know if this was the Great Pyramid then?
Friend C: Dunno, I've only just signed up as a friend. Look at these (blue link). I like the "does my bum look big in red shorts" pic.
Posted 12-12-2011 at 15:13
'For the database' is a good answer, including of course all the photos and other things we have stashed away. Add the human side as well with people to help interpret and argue over it all and that's what we're here for.
I have thought many a time about updating the underlying system but I've never found anything that can support all the features that we have all together in one go. At least we can use the 'themes' to make it look nice on the surface. I do very much like the seamless history we have going back to 2001, in a strange way we have our own 'archaeology' developing as I occasionally come upon 'buried finds' in here that I didn't know we had.
That's something many web sites ignore, including many online newspaper sites, when they update to the 'latest thing' and lose their archive in the process.
Posted 13-12-2011 at 00:10
The site data is 'only' about 16GB at the moment. The vast majority of this is photos. It's not larger because we only store 'web size' images helpfully resized by our contributors.
On 2011-12-09 00:33, Andy B wrote:
To 'cut to the chase' as it were - the Portal is something of an anachronism in these days of ultra slick 'application' style web sites. What is it that we do differently to Wikipedia, Facebook, Twitter and so on.
'Why are you (still) here' ?
[ This message was edited by: Andy B on 2011-12-09 00:49 ]
Hi Andy
I've spoken at TAG and I think you'll be very interested in the way that so many of the papers presented have only a fleeting contact with anything tangible! I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
I think that what the MP offers is philosophical rather than technological as it is inclusive, non-judgemental (the mods certainly try), mostly user generated content, user subsidised and offers a place to either relax in or get all hot and bothered. I think of it as a sort of non-exclusive club (you know leather armchairs, roaring fire, brandy on tap sort of club) with a library attached. I may not agree with (or even have that much respect for) some people in the club but there's some interesting conversations.
In certain ways this site offers an "old fashioned" approach with longevity of dialogues rather than the rather flippant, move on quickly to new things, if it's not happening now it out of here types like Twitter!
Posted 15-12-2011 at 21:48
>I wonder if Aubrey Burl will come in to listen to you?
Nice thought, I know he lives around there - sadly not
I took part in a fascinating session which was quite well attended. An interesting nugget of gossip was from Pamela Jane Smith on the sex lives of the Cambridge professors who set up the University archaeology department. Apparently it was well known who the womanisers were and who was sleeping with whom (many of them!). Needless to say this information is not recorded in her Personal Histories Project but lots else interesting is:
http://www.personal-histories.co.uk and http://sms.cam.ac.uk/collection/750864
Featured in the films are, among others, Colin Renfrew, Mike Schiffer, Meg Conkey, Henrietta Moore, Richard Bradley, Chris Stringer, Meave Leakey, Jane Goodall, Robert Hinde and David Attenborough talking about archaeology on TV in the 1950s and his memories of working on 'Animal, Vegetable Mineral'.
Back to TAG, unfortunately we had to cut the visit short as Ruth has a bad cold and it wasn't fair on her to make her stay on. I think the talk went down well - they were very polite about it anyway Hopefully I have made some good contacts and apologies to anyone I didn't have a chance to chat to in the time available - please email me! (contact link in left menu)
Posted 15-12-2011 at 22:28
Blimey - I can see four people started following us on Twitter within a few minutes of my talk starting this morning - social media in action! (See under 'News and Links' above if you would like to)
Posted 16-12-2011 at 15:50
I actually mentioned Aubrey Burl twice in my talk, firstly for being brave enough to engage with alternative groups by agreeing to speak at the past Ley Hunter and Megalithomania conferences (this being one of my themes).
And secondly crediting him for being kind enough to allow us to 'seed' our online stone circle and row database with the location data from his books, which really made him a pioneer of in the use of social media on the internet to improve the quality of an archaological data resource. I still remember the fun I had getting the stone row data off one of those non standard Amstrad 3 inch disks - remember them. So thanks Dr Burl!
[ This message was edited by: Andy B on 2011-12-16 15:52 ]
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