MuseumMobile Wiki

In the ideal tardis-like interface, the stop would open a window onto a huge range of data and content on the object or exhibit, like Museum Pipes. Until that non-Euclidean interface has been designed, links will do just fine. But I don’t mean links to yet more museum-authored content; here is where third party and user-generated content find their voice in the tour. As discussed in the MuseumMobile.info podcast with SmartHistory.org, there is incredible opportunity for museum content to link to related objects in other collections, to other scholars’ commentary on the collection, and even to user-generated content. In selecting the links, curator of the tour can then also curate the conversation around the displays.

As Chris Anderson said in his keynote address at the Smithsonian 2.0 conference, the greatest passion happens in the niche specialities of the long tail and we should assume that the best person to infect our audiences with their enthusiasm does not work for us and we cannot find them. But they can find us if we put out the call, and so-doing will enrich the network of opportunities for audiences to connect with our content immeasurably.