Web 2.0 tools and strategies for archives and local history collections

Theimer reviews the fundamental principles of important Web 2.0 tools. She includes plentiful examples of how archives around the world have been successfully using each one, and provides step-by-step tips on what you need to do to implement it in your own institution. There is guidance to help readers assess their current Web presence and evaluate how Web 2.0 tools can fit into an overall outreach plan. Advice for integration and implementation spans the gamut of Web 2.0 tools, including: - Blogs - Podcasting - Wikis - Twitter - Facebook - Flickr - YouTube - Mashups - Widgets Theimer also includes screenshots and checklists to further clarify each topic, as well as Sidebar Q&A's with organizations that have successfully utilized Web 2.0 tools, including the Library of Congress, Florida State Archives, Seattle Municipal Archives and many more. There are also suggestions for developing metrics to evaluate the success of your implementation, as well as appendices that list additional Web resources. If your goals include connecting unique archival material with people interested today, this book is for you.

• List of Figures p. ix
• Preface p. xi
• Acknowledgments p. xvii
• Introduction. Archives and the Web: Changes and Opportunities p. 1
• Chapter 1 Web 2.0 Basics p. 9
• What Is "Web 2.0" All About? p. 9
• Web 2.0 Building Blocks p. 11
• RSS (or "Really Simple Syndication") p. 11
• Tagging p. 12
• Social Bookmarking p. 12
• Myths and Misconceptions about Web 2.0 p. 15
• "Those Sites Are Scary and Dangerous" p. 15
• "Only Kids Use That Stuff" p. 16
• "It's Just a Fad" p. 16
• "If I Give My Content Away, People Will Misuse It" p. 17
• "If I Give My Content Away, I'll Lose Money" p. 17
• Chapter 2 Evaluating Your Current Web Presence and Setting Goals for Web 2.0 p. 21
• Assessing Your Current Web Site p. 21
• Does Your Web Site Answer the Key Questions- Who, What, When, Where, and How? p. 22
• Does Your Site Look Professional and Current? p. 23
• Is Your Web Site Usable? p. 24
• Assessing Your Existing Digital Resources p. 25
• Online Catalogs and Finding Aids p. 25
• Digitized Collections and Online Exhibitions p. 26
• Assessing Your Technical Resources p. 27
• Professional Technical Support p. 27
• Staff and Volunteers with Skills p. 28
• Hardware and Software p. 28
• Understanding Your Strategic Priorities p. 29
• Identifying Your Audiences p. 30
• Existing Audiences versus New Audiences p. 31
• Local Audiences versus Distant Audiences p. 31
• Chapter 3 Using Blogs p. 33
• What Is a Blog? p. 33
• Parts of a Blog p. 34
• Sidebar Content p. 35
• Blog Comments p. 35
• How Can Your Institution Use a Blog? p. 36
• Institutional Blogs p. 36
• Processing Blogs p. 40
• Archival Content Blogs p. 45
• Blogs Supporting Traditional Archival Systems p. 51
• What Does It Take to Start a Blog and Keep It Going? p. 52
• Chapter 4 Using Podcasts p. 57
• What Is a Podcast? p. 57
• Key Attributes p. 57
• Accessing a Podcast p. 58
• Podcast Structure p. 58
• Information to Support a Podcast p. 59
• How Can Your Institution Use a Podcast? p. 59
• Podcasting Public Programs p. 59
• Podcasting Digitized Archival Material p. 64
• Creating Unique Podcast Programs p. 68
• What Does It Take to Start a Podcast and Keep It Going? p. 71
• Chapter 5 Using Flickr and Other Image-Sharing Sites p. 79
• What Are Image-Sharing Sites? p. 79
• Setting Up a Flickr Account p. 80
• Uploading, Organizing, and Creating Metadata for Images p. 80
• Interacting with Other Flickr Users p. 81
• Letting People Interact with Your Images p. 82
• The Flickr Commons p. 83
• How Can Your Institution Use Flickr? p. 83
• Sharing Digitized Archival Material p. 83
• Sharing Current Photographs of Your Organization p. 89
• What Does It Take to Be Active on Flickr? p. 93
• Chapter 6 Using YouTube and Other Video-Sharing Sites p. 101
• What Are Video-Sharing Sites? p. 101
• Setting Up Accounts and Channels p. 102
• Finding Videos p. 103
• Interacting with and Organizing Videos p. 103
• Interacting with Other Users p. 104
• Uploading and Creating Metadata for Your Videos p. 104
• How Can Your Institution Use Video-Sharing Sites? p. 106
• Sharing Digitized Historical Content p. 108
• Sharing Videos You Created p. 113
• What Does It Take to Be Successful with Video Sharing? p. 117
• Chapter 7 Using Twitter (Microblogging) p. 121
• What Is Microblogging and What Is Twitter? p. 121
• Setting Up a Twitter Account p. 121
• Creating "Tweets," Following and Being Followed on Twitter p. 122
• Some Twitter Conventions p. 123
• Accessing Twitter p. 123
• How Can Your Institution Use Twitter? p. 124
• Providing News about Your Institution p. 124
• Innovative Uses for Twitter p. 127
• What Does It Take to Be Active on Twitter? p. 133
• Chapter 8 Using Wikis p. 137
• What Is a Wiki? p. 137
• What Wiki Web Sites Look Like to Users p. 138
• Contributing to a Wiki p. 140
• How Can Your Institution Use a Wiki? p. 141
• Wikis Created Primarily by Internal Contributors p. 141
• Wikis Targeted at Public Contributors p. 146
• What Does It Take to Start a Wiki and Keep It Going? p. 153
• Chapter 9 Using Facebook and Other Social Networking Services p. 159
• What Are Social Networking Services? p. 159
• Types of Facebook Accounts p. 160
• Establishing Your Facebook Presence p. 160
• Public and Private Information on Facebook p. 161
• Facebook Groups p. 161
• Facebook Pages p. 163
• Common Capabilities of Groups and Pages p. 165
• How Can Your Institution Use Facebook? p. 167
• Providing General Information p. 167
• Sharing Content and News p. 167
• Communicating with Supporters p. 169
• Sharing Information from Other Web 2.0 Sites p. 171
• Creating an Application p. 173
• Collecting Documentation of Your Community p. 174
• What Does It Take to Be Active on Facebook? p. 175
• Chapter 10 More 2.0 Tools to Consider p. 179
• Mashups p. 179
• What Is a Mashup? p. 179
• Archives and Historical Organizations Creating Mashups p. 180
• Widgets p. 186
• What Is a Widget? p. 186
• Archives and Historical Organizations and Widgets p. 187
• Online Chat p. 189
• How Does Online Chat Work? p. 190
• Online Chat in Archives and Historical Organizations p. 191
• Second Life p. 191
• How Does Second Life Work? p. 193
• Archives and Historical Organizations in Second Life p. 194
• Chapter 11 Measuring Your Success p. 199
• Plan How You're Going to Measure Before You Implement p. 200
• Measuring Outputs p. 200
• Measuring Outcomes p. 202
• Establishing Baseline Measurements p. 204
• Ensuring You Can Measure "Before" and "After" p. 204
• Creating Effective Measures of Web 2.0 "Outputs" p. 205
• Documenting Evidence of Your Success p. 206
• Capture Compelling Stories p. 207
• Sometimes the Medium Is the Message p. 207
• Chapter 12 Management and Other Considerations p. 209
• Planning for Success p. 209
• Getting Institutional Buy-In p. 209
• Considering Legal Issues p. 210
• Defining Tasks and Assigning Workload p. 212
• Creating Policies p. 213
• Preserving What You Create p. 214
• Learning about Your Users p. 216
• Publicizing Your Efforts p. 217
• Keeping Yourself in a "2.0" Frame of Mind p. 219
• Conclusion. Archives and the Web: Finding the Right Balance p. 221
• Appendix. Additional Resources p. 227
• Resources on Web 2.0, Social Media, the Evolution of the Web, and Related Topics p. 227
• Information on Specific Web 2.0 Tools p. 234
• Publications by Librarians and Archivists p. 235
• Index p. 241
• About the Author p. 246