A Note on Technology

    This is not a book about technology, or, more precisely, this is not a book about how museums can use the Web. It’s a book about designing physical spaces for participation in cultural institutions.

    You will, however, find the Web sprinkled throughout this book. The terms social media, participatory Web, social Web, and Web 2.0 describe a set of online platforms that are highly relevant to designing participatory experiences, and I often reference online platforms like blogs and wikis when describing the models and design frameworks for participation. In all cases, you will find links to the relevant websites, but I assume a basic level of familiarity.

    If you are looking for more information about participatory online platforms, I recommend the book Groundswell, by Charlene Li and Josh Bernhoff. It is written in a business context and is a highly readable book about social technologies and their impact on institutions and corporations. You will also find a lot of potentially useful background material on my blog, Museum 2.0 (www.museumtwo.blogspot.com).

Continue to the first chapter, or return to the outline.