Posted by Katy Meyers on February 7, 2013 under CAPBlog | 
This year, in celebration of Digital Learning Day (Feb. 6), we decided to host a workshop for anthropologists on how to use social media for their research, networking and teaching. At Campus Archaeology we use social media all the time to connect with the public, to share our work and to collaborate on projects. So we know the value of having social media skills in this field. In the workshop yesterday we taught a group of graduate and undergraduate students why they should be using social media, the basics of some social media platforms, and some of the creative uses for research, networking and teaching.
Digital Learning Day Workshop in Progress, Photo by Lynne Goldstein via Twitter
The workshop began with some of the principles of maintaining an online identity, including keeping a consistent image and description of yourself across all platforms and tools, and awareness of privacy and copyright. Next we introduced some of our favorite tools for networking, research and teaching. These included Twitter, Facebook, Academia.edu, LinkedIn, Zotero, Flickr, Pinterest, and designing a personal website through platforms like WordPress or Google Sites. Then we discussed the different ways that you can use these tools for networking, research and teaching. Following this segment, the participants had a chance to play with some of the tools, set up accounts, and begin networking amongst themselves. Overall we had a great turnout and wonderful group discussion over the merits of these tools.
Some of the discussion included: how can you use social media effectively in the classroom without it being a distraction, what should I be tweeting about, how do I use visual sites like Flickr and Pinterest if my work is highly sensitive and my informants can’t be photographed, what is an appropriate photo for my account, should I use my real name or not on accounts, how do I make accounts like Facebook more professionally appropriate?
We also had some great advice from participants on how to get started using these tools and what worked for them. One stated that she didn’t know what to post on Twitter or how to interact, so she started following people in her sub-field, watched their interactions, and then when she felt comfortable joined in with them. Another mentioned the benefit of having a personal website as a homespace that all other accounts and social media tools could point to, and how it serves as a more expanded CV.
It was a very successful Digital Learning Day, and hopefully the participants will be able to put their new digital skills to use!
Posted by sabrina on October 1, 2012 under CAPBlog |
Next weekend, on Saturday, October 6th, Campus Archaeology Program will be making a special appearance at the State Historical Museum’s yearly Michigan Archaeology Day. The theme for this year is “Hot Iron and Cold Winters,” and will highlight the Fayette Historic Town Site, an immigrant iron town in the Upper Peninsula founded by the Jackson Iron Company in 1867. This time period is analogous with the foundation of our university.
From 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, there will be presentations, demonstrations, and exhibitions from different universities and societies to show what archaeologists are up to in the state of Michigan. As you make your way through the museum, the exhibition tables are set up chronologically according to time period in human history.
I had the opportunity to see the behind the scenes construction of the event and was able to go into the private rooms where there are human remains and a Native American weapon that was found in the Upper Peninsula and was carbon dated at 20 AD. Everyone is working very hard to make this an informative and interactive day.
The Campus Archaeology Program’s graduate fellows will be there with our exhibition which will have some of our best prehistoric and historic artifacts from MSU’s campus, a poster showing who we are and what we do, a visual activity for children, and more. This is a great opportunity for the public to learn about thousands of years of Michigan history and for us to show the important and interesting things that we are uncovering on our historic campus. We look forward to seeing you there.
Click here to visit the event’s official website.
Our Facebook event page is here.
Michigan Historical Museum’s Facebook page is here.
Posted by Katy Meyers on March 26, 2011 under Uncategorized |
This post is week 4 (and the final post) of the Blogging in Archaeology questions posed by Colleen Morgan of the blog Middle Savagery.
Question: Consider the act of publication for this blog carnival. How could we best capture the interplay, the multimedia experience of blogging as a more formalized publication? What would be the best outcome for this collection of insights from archaeological bloggers?
The MSU Campus Archaeology Crew
As a finale to this blogging month, we discussed this week’s question as a group and voted on what we thought would be the best way to ‘publish’ this collection of blog posts and discussions. We came up with three ideas that we all like.
First, we think that the SAA should put the “discussion” on their website. This could be done a couple of different ways – as a “static” item, or as something dynamic (we prefer this).
Second, we think that it would be useful to publish a version of the posts and the process background as an article in the SAA Archaeological Record. This would reach people who might not see the blogs in another form.
Finally, we suggest a blogroll as a potential way to both continue the conversation and expand it, as well as expanding access to the blogs of those who participated.
An official peer-reviewed article is also a possibility, but there was not general agreement on the form or nature of this option. The above 3 ideas seem logical to us.
Thanks for allowing us to participate! We’ve had a lot of fun!
Posted by Katy Meyers on March 10, 2011 under CAPBlog |
This post is week 2 of the Blogging in Archaeology questions posed by Colleen Morgan of the blog Middle Savagery.
Question 2: In our last question, many emphasized the public access that blogging brings to archaeology, the option to ‘phone a friend’ as Campus Archaeology’s own Kristin Sewell stated. Blogging gives new scholars a chance to speak out, to debunk 2012 foolishness and to give a little bit back to the public that usually signs our paychecks in one way or another. Though it is generally embraced, public outreach can be incredible difficult, tricky and prone to hidden downsides. Blogging archaeology is often fraught with tensions that are sometimes not immediately apparent. Beyond the general problems that come with performing as a public intellectual, what risks do archaeologists take when they are making themselves available to the public via blogging? What are the unexpected consequences of blogging? How do you choose what to share?
Terry Brock:
Terry is officially part of the SAA session on blogging, but he is also a key member of the MSU Campus Archaeology team. Please see his excellent post on this question at http://dirt.terrypbrock.com/
Katy Meyers:
Bloggers are becoming one of the more public faces of archaeology, and as scholars, we are given a certain amount of credibility in the eyes of the general audience. As the public voices of archaeology, we have an obligation to present the data in a way that is both understandable and shows the construction of our arguments. How we interpret evidence and come to our conclusions may be a well known process to our academic peers, but the general audience does not normally know the bridges we make from data to theory. I’m not saying we’re superheros, but with great power comes great responsibility. We have a very specific knowledge, and it is our job to convey our full arguments to the public. We have the power to clarify and debunk the problems of more popular news sources, but we also have to remember that we can be prone to the same problems if we are not careful about the arguments we make. The more clear the argument is, the more evidence we reveal, the more we open ourselves to criticism- but this is just part of the blogging life. To summarize: bloggers, like superheros, need to wield their public power for the greater good, fix the injustices of the popular media, accept the criticisms gracefully, and not fall to the kryptonite of implicit arguments.
Chris Stawski:
Blogging for the Campus Archaeology program at Michigan State University has been a wonderful opportunity to share with the community our goals, our plans and our up to the minute details with regard to research and investigation. That being said, the CAP program has a wonderful, albeit unique, situation in which we can share details about our research and excavations to the public; so unique that we can use blogging and social media to show in real-time where we are, what we are digging, and what we are finding. This security and protection offered to CAP and the archaeology on campus is not always the case. As archaeologists, we must be very careful as to what information we are sharing via blogging, both for intellectual property issues as well as for the sake of protecting the very archaeology we are trying to share. I know of many tales where the misuse of blogging, media, or other public forms of information about archaeology has led to the looting of both sites and intellectual property. This is a very thin line we walk, and we must be very careful to adhere to the principles endowed to us as being professionals in the field of anthropological archaeology. And the sword cuts both ways: just as there is no way to filter what degree of professional and scholarly work is available to readers about archaeology in the blogging realm, there is also no way to gauge the intentions of the vast public we communicate with.
Lynne Goldstein (CAP Director):
I think Terry’s response to this question provides Campus Archaeology’s general perspective when it comes to blogging. We deal with many different audiences, many of whom have conflicting, or simply different, interests. It is not hard to imagine situations in which we could say something that could delight one set of readers and infuriate others. Since we regularly interact with everyone from the President of the university to the Head of Physical Plant to staff, faculty, students, alums, and the general public, it is a tricky path to navigate. In addition, our blog posts are explicitly under the Campus Archaeology website, so the link is a direct, not just an assumed, one.
Although Campus Archaeology has been very careful and has generally not had problems due to our posts, I can think of two examples that may be useful to share. First, we are always aware that we are inextricably linked to MSU. If we are about to take a stand or post something that is even potentially problematic for MSU, we not only think long and hard about it, but I also warn MSU’s administration that it’s coming. In my experience here, if people are forewarned, problems are minimized. No one likes to be blindsided, and people always remember that you were considerate enough to forewarn them. We also occasionally post more than one side of an issue to make it clear that we understand the complexities of the situation.
The second example has to do with someone else’s blog during job interviews. In interviewing candidates, one of our faculty members found a link to a candidate’s Facebook page and blog. There were posts and photos that our faculty member found offensive and potentially unethical, and raised this as an issue at a faculty meeting. The candidate was called, and said that it was an old page that should have been removed. While some faculty were willing to chalk it up to youth, others were not, and this candidate provided the department an easy way to eliminate one of many candidates. Was this right or fair? I’m not sure, but I do know that when there are many candidates for a job (which there always are these days), you don’t want to give a potential employer excuses to eliminate you.
I don’t think people should be afraid of blogging or afraid of offending someone, but bloggers need to be strategic, and conscious of the potential impact of their posts. The question I am at a loss to answer is: How do we identify a credible or good blog? Amateur archaeologists and students ask me this question all of the time, and I am never sure how to answer it.
Kristin Sewell:
Last week’s responses discussed the range of advantages blogging offers and highlighted the benefits of broad access to information and the dissemination of knowledge. This week’s question addresses the other side of the coin: broad access to misinformation and the introduction and reproduction of inaccuracies, scholarly errors, and all too common lapses in personal judgment. How do we, bloggers, decide what to write about?
My blog is personal, admittedly. I write about my work, my formative strategies, my ideas, and to a limited extent, my life. Writing personally can be a slippery ledge to stand on. As Terry pointed out, archaeologists represent the public face of archaeology, organizations and institutions—made up of other professionals— and ourselves as scholars and intellectuals. How can we protect ourselves and our profession from the seductive lure of the virtual soapbox and the instant gratification afforded by the medium?
Here are ten rules to blog by:
1. Scientific responsibility- As scientists, we owe it to the discipline to share our data once we’re done with it, to publish our results and to present our work for peer review. Like money, information is just paper if you keep it to yourself.
2. Respect thought genealogy- There are very few new ideas. Know where yours are coming from and cite your sources.
3. Professional integrity- Be cautious when publishing location information. You may inadvertently put artifacts or sites at risk not only to looters or vandals but to unintentional damage caused by the curious.
4. Accuracy the first time- Remember your blog is written in indelible ink. Once you put it out there, it’s there forever.
5. Admit what you don’t know- There’s nothing wrong with recognizing holes in your research, asking new questions, and acknowledging the need for further study. This is far better than proclaiming absolute knowledge and it will save you from the embarrassment of having a luminary in your field point out the gaps in your research to you and others.
6. Check yourself- Before you publish your post, review it for potentially offensive language, sexism, racism, and intellectual condescension. This may seem like a no-brainer but play it safe and do it anyway. This is not about being politically correct. It’s about being smart. Keep your emotions in check.
7. Archaeology is anthropology- We study human populations not just biological specimens or historical data points. Remember it’s about the people.
8. Compassion- Be sensitive to the wishes of descendants and the communities you’re working with. Your data is their history.
9. Personal integrity- If you write about antics in the field or professional shenanigans, remember you’re writing about your colleagues and blogging about them is nothing short of gossip.
10. Protect your future- Don’t give future employers a reason to eliminate you from the hiring pool and don’t give colleagues a reason to suspect lapses in your otherwise sound judgment. Everyone makes mistakes, but that doesn’t mean you should photograph them and put them on Facebook.
Grace Krause:
Blogging represents a relationship between archaeologists and the public, and thus the consequences are bi-directional. What we chose to put on the internet not only affects our image, but the learning ability of the public as well. Over-sharing is not limited to unfortunate photographs and details of your weekend bender. Information overload can discourage public interest. Like a finely crafted museum exhibit that balances aesthetics, hard data, and public expectations, a blog that encourages creative thinking instead of endless facts and dominant opinions will be far more likely to reach a greater audience. The opposite can also become a problem, when archaeology becomes digital for the sake of being digital without a specific goal in mind. Archaeologists should ponder beforehand a model for an attractive and engaging blog. Themes that tie entries together and how the archaeological process is presented are both important points of consideration. CAP is an obvious example—our theme is the cultural heritage of MSU. Our blog is a news tool, but also challenges readers of all levels to become immersed in the process of archaeology.
Posted by admin on March 5, 2011 under CAPBlog |
Over the next four weeks, the Campus Archaeology team members will be participating in answering a series of questions posed by Colleen Morgan (@clmorgan), on her blog, Middle Savagery, in order to prepare for the SAA Conference session on Blogging in Archaeology. Terry Brock will be presenting a paper in the session (read his responses here), but we will all participate in answering the questions over the next few weeks.
Question 1: The emergence of the short form, or blog entry, is becoming a popular way to transmit a wide range of archaeological knowledge. What is the place of this conversation within academic, professional, and public discourse? Simply put, what can the short form do for archaeology?
Katy Meyers: Blogging as Community and Open Access Knowledge
Blogging in archaeology is a powerful tool for the transmission of information and opinion in a more accessible and open format. It allows for a range of both knowledge, often not covered in professional journals or magazines, to be dispersed among the discipline and the public. However, as blogging increases as a form of scholarly communication, the question is how we fit this type of knowledge into our preconceptions of academic work. These brief snippets of archaeological data are critiqued as unmonitored, un-refereed, and not subject to the same standards as the classic forms of scholarly work. However, this is not entirely true. As much as the author does have free range over their opinions, they are subject to the critique of the greater archaeological audience. Blogging is a way of throwing your ideas into the academic community; your work is open to criticism and debate.
This new form of information sharing is a way to open the conversation to all levels of academic, and speed the growth of our collective knowledge. Instead of open dialogue between scholars around the world limited to large professional conferences, blogging serves as a way to continue the conversation throughout the year with anyone who can access a computer. In the MSU Campus Archaeology Program, blogging is a way for us to share what we are working on, but also to open the conversation up to the whole community. By writing these short, more informal posts, we are making archaeology more accessible. When we share our data, we open ourselves up to critique, but the benefit is that we increase the public’s awareness of the presence of archaeology in their own community and that way that their history is being constructed.
Chris Stawski: The Blogging Paradigm
The short form, or blogging, has revolutionized authorship and writing, and has coincided with one of the largest trends in the computer world to date: social media and smart devices. The key word for this dramatic paradigm shift that blogging has brought about is access. Blogging is many things, but first and foremost, it is accessible. With the use of mobile devices, laptops and pads of all sorts, information is so readily available and so easily created and shared, that people are scrambling to keep up.
In the realm of anthropological archaeology, blogging is creating a niche. It has been used to create journals in the field to more professional publication-style entries in the office. It has been used as a public forum for engagement where the audience may be infinite in composition, and it has been used, well here for example, in a more structured format where the audience is more specialized. Once again, the beauty in blogging is its accessibility, its adaptability.
My hope is that for archaeology, we do not try and usher blogging into one course or the other, but instead utilize its ability so that it can adapt to many forums and to address a range of audiences. Many think that blogging in archaeology needs to be refereed, and taken down a more “traditional” path. Yes, that is one course that may be explored. We must realize, though, that when we do that, we are challenging the basic principles on which blogging was founded. We are limiting its accessibility, and instead of blogging, we are now just creating an on-line, short-form publication. I would like to see blogging in archaeology continue to create a link between the public and the archaeologist, to enhance the public’s perception of archaeology and continue to make this knowledge accessible to any and all.
Kristin Sewell: Blogging: What’s in it for writers?
My colleagues have shown the benefits of the short form and how blogs as a medium of knowledge transmission have opened the world up for immediate and unlimited access to information exchange. The internet is, after all is said and done, the modern oracle. To borrow a phrase from the popular game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire, the internet is the best “phone a friend” lifeline anyone could ask for. Blogs offer access to all with the only requisites being an open internet port and moderate curiosity. For archaeology, that means knowledge that used to be accessible only through professional membership and admission to university is now available to anyone. Blogs clearly have a benefit for scholarly researchers and the reading public at large.
But why write? As a graduate student, I am advised by a chorus of professors and advanced students to write, write again, and write some more. Practice the craft of composition and analysis! Whether you struggle for an hour and produce 200 words or churn out 10 pages of text with the greatest of ease, the advice is always the same: write and write every day. There’s a universe of literature on the subject of how to become a better writer – much of it in the blogosphere—with advice on exploring topics, generating ideas, and producing words for the page. But in this case, the answer is in the question, young grasshopper. Blog! Not only does blogging allow the writer to concentrate in a single area of interest—a luxury for many students—but blogging allows the writer to get ideas published and reviewed by a broad audience of critics many of whom are avid and knowledgeable readers in the very subject area of interest! The short form provides an opportunity for readers to read and writers to write with near limitless possibilities. So, I say, blog, blog again, and blog some more. Have a voice. Be heard. Be read.
Lynne Goldstein, CAP Director: Blogging and Engagement
From the perspective of Director of Campus Archaeology, blogging (for us) has accomplished a number of things that traditional forms of writing and engagement have not been able to do. First, we are able to reach many more people in many more places (both academic and public) than we have ever been able to reach by traditional means. Second, readers are far more likely to engage with a blog – they will post comments and ask questions that might otherwise never get asked or answered. A professional can try to explain or clarify a concept for an amateur, or a member of the public can ask direct questions from an archaeologist. Professionals themselves can use blogs to discuss issues with other professionals. We have had the experience of all of these types of engagement with our blog. Finally, blogs can provide some basic discussion and ideas for more traditionally published papers and books. In trying to understand some of the comments, one may well develop an important aspect of a paper that might otherwise not happen.
Although a seemingly extraneous example, we have found that people become so engaged with our program and its social media that we routinely get visits from many when we do fieldwork, and when we complain that it is cold, folks even bring us coffee! It’s great when that happens and we are very appreciative, but it also tells us that we have an engaged, supportive, and committed audience for what we are doing.
How should blogs count in an academic setting? I’m not sure, but I think they should count in the tally of what the individual has done. Blogs are certainly the most directly reviewed kind of publication, by professionals and others, but I think they represent an extremely productive way to set forth ideas and concepts that can be subsequently turned into more traditional academic works. Blogs can also be further developed into different forms of public engagement, and academics who do such work should really be rewarded for this.
One thing that most people don’t talk about in terms of blogs and social media – the responsibility that it places on professionals to respond to inaccurate or problematic material. If we want effective tools, we have to take part in the discussions and fulfill our obligations as professionals.
I have to admit that before I created the Campus Archaeology Program, I had not given a lot of thought to blogging. However, after my experience over a 2.5 year period, I would never begin a project without blogs and other social media. The great thing about blogging and other social media is that it is not static and that people understand that the form is improved with engagement.
Grace Krause: The Missing Link
Others have put very relevant emphasis on the role of blogging for easy distribution of academic knowledge and debate, but for me short form plays a slightly different role. Blogging is news, whether the individual updates of our CAP field school students or the international solidarity expressed in finding truth during the recent internet blackout in Egypt. Much of the information and opinion expressed on blogs is transient and will never be formally published, but this does not mean there is no value in fast-paced reporting. Rather, blogging represents a missing link in the academic thought process that was rarely seen before the rising popularity of digital media. This is what is happening, this is what we’re thinking about right now as opposed to waiting months or years for an official publication, if it ever comes. Blog entries are Polaroid pictures of archaeological ideas, instant and unpolished, but nevertheless the perfect way to watch those ideas germinate and develop over time.
Posted by Terry Brock on March 2, 2011 under CAPBlog |
At the end of March, I will be taking part in a session at the Society for American Archaeology Conference in Sacramento entitled “Blogging Archaeology”. The session is organized by Colleen Morgan, a graduate student at Berkeley, and the author of the blog “Middle Savagery“, one of the premier archaeology blogs. I will be presenting a paper about the archaeology blogging project we did this past summer during the archaeological field school, and co-authoring a paper with Sarah Nohe of the Florida Public Archaeology Network about the use of social media in public archaeology.
In preparation for the session, Colleen has organized a Blog Carnival on a surrounding a series of questions relating to blogging and archaeology, and has opened the floor to all who would like to participate. For those of you who are archaeologists and blog, I would encourage you to take part. I will be responding to the questions on my personal blog. In all, this is an important discussion for archaeologists, as the Internet has become the primary way that most people answer questions. One of the reasons why Campus Archaeology uses a blog is to make sure that people asking questions about MSU’s past and its archaeology are getting the answers from the source. Please join us for what should be a wonderful discussion!
Posted by Terry Brock on May 25, 2010 under CAPBlog |
In one week, the 2010 Campus Archaeology Field School will begin, and we’d like you to be a part of it.
16 students have enrolled in our Field School, and they will be doing the dirty work: digging, screening, and cleaning artifacts. However, we want this project to be more than an exercise in learning about archaeology and MSU’s past for them. We want it to be an opportunity for you, as well.
As always, we will be continuing to tweet and post to Facebook with updates about what is happening while we are excavating, where we are digging, and why we’re doing what we’re doing. We encourage you to keep asking us questions, help us identify artifacts, or send in memories about where we are excavating. We will also provide you with summary posts to this blog every week about our weekly progress.
You are also welcome to visit us on-site. We will be excavating in the West Circle area of campus, conducting survey during the first few weeks, and will select a permanent location based on our survey results. If you do visit, you will be taken around the site by our students, who will be acting as tour guides.
The final way to take part is to continue being a part of our online community. Our students will be posting to the Field School class blog, and will be doing so with you in mind. Each post will discuss what they’re learning, what they’re doing, and why they’re doing it. They may cover a range of topics from posts about certain artifacts, techniques and methods, or links between the archaeological record and MSU’s past. We hope that you will take the time to subscribe to the RSS Feed, read their posts, and provide them with questions and reflections about what they’re up to. This portion of the field school is designed to teach them about the importance of interacting with the community, and your participation will help to make that a worthwhile experience for them. Please be mindful that this space is a virtual classroom, and that they are learning. If you have any problems about what or how they’re being taught, please direct your concern to the project directors, Lynne Goldstein and Terry Brock.
Please visit our class website here, and visit the “For the Public” link to read about your role in the Field School!
Posted by Terry Brock on April 20, 2010 under CAPBlog |
The Campus Archaeology Program has been considering using location based mobile software for a while now. One of our interns, Jamie Henry, has been working on a research project discussing the possible applications for this platform for public engagement. Our director, Lynne Goldstein, and Campus Archaeologist, Terry Brock, have both been using Foursquare since January. Today, Campus Archaeology has decided to take the plunge.
Why?
Because archaeology is inherently spatial and is located all over MSU’s campus. Yet, it’s not visible on the current landscape. We want you to learn about your campus, what spaces mean, when they were built, and what they looked like before. We want you to be able to experience the campus as it was in the 19th century. Foursquare gives us an opportunity to not only share this information about historical spaces on campus, but to do it in a fun and engaging way. We will be marking historic spots on campus, such as our first dormitory at Saints’ Rest, and loading them with tips so you can learn about the space. You may decide to check in at the library, only to learn that the fountain right in front of it sits on top of the old Physics building, or that the library itself sits in a space once occupied by one of the earlier Wells Halls. At some point, you may even be able to take your family and friends on a little tour of campus, using our campus tips as a guide!
Using Foursquare will provide another opportunity for us to engage with you about the spaces around you. It will allow us to create a virtual historic landscape for you to explore and ask questions about, making the campus space unique and exciting. Please become our friend at the following link:
http://foursquare.com/user/capmsu
Posted by Terry Brock on January 12, 2010 under CAPBlog |
Many professions have professional organizations. Archaeologists and anthropologists are no different: we have a number of conferences that are scheduled throughout the year, and are for a number of different topics or areas of archaeology. This past weekend, Terry Brock and Lynne Goldstein attended the Annual Conference of the Society for Historical Archaeology, and presented a poster about how the Campus Archaeology Program has been using Digital Social Media to engage the public (i.e. YOU!). SHA is a professional organization that focuses on archaeology that happens post-colonial contact, roughly from 1500 to the present.
These conferences are important for a number of reasons. It allows archaeologists to share the research that they are doing, looking for other people who are doing similar work to theirs, or for ideas as to how to interpret or analyze what they have found. For others, it is a time to network, meeting people for work or looking for jobs. For students, it can be an opportunity to get a wide exposure to a number of different topics, and to be introduced to people for the first time. For Campus Archaeology, we were able to spread the word about two unique things we are doing: mitigating the cultural resources on a college campus, and using Digital Social Media to share what we find.
This conference was held at Amelia Island, Florida, and was largely organized by the Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN) and the University of West Florida. There was a very heavy emphasis on public engagement, which was emphasized by the recipient of the SHA’s prestigious J.C. Harrington Award, Judy Bense (@jbense3). Dr. Bense, currently the President of UWF, was the founder of the Florida Public Archaeology Network. Michigan State and Campus Archaeology has an important link to this program: Dr. Goldstein sits on their board.
This emphasis fit our presentation well: our use of Digital social media is unique, and many of the visitors to our poster were intrigued by the possibilities. This is fantastic, because hopefully it means that they will utilize these media to engage their communities. FPAN has already started using twitter, and you can follow them @FL_Archaeology and @FPANsoutheast.
In all, this is an exciting development. We hope that our use of digital social media has been helpful for you. Please let us know if there are things you’d like to see us do more of or things you’d like to see less of. We are open to your feedback, since you are the community we are trying to serve. Also, if you enjoy what we’re doing, please tell other people! The more people we can reach the more effective we will be.
Posted by Terry Brock on December 23, 2009 under CAPBlog |
Terry Brock, Campus Archaeologist, and Lynne Goldstein, the director of Campus Archaeology, will be presenting a poster at the Society for Historical Archaeology Annual Conference in January about Campus Archaeology’s use of digital social media as a means of community engagement. We consider the way we use web-based technologies such as Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr to be unique to more traditional forms of engagement, such as site-visits or newsletters. This poster highlights three important and unique elements of this type of engagement: real-time engagement with all elements of the research project, the ability to connect with different communities, and opening the possibility for two-way communication between and among archaeologists and the public.
Since this poster is about you and our interactions, we thought we would share it with you before we even get to the conference!! You can view it below. It is much easier to see if you view it in Full Screen. Let us know what you think: what part of our use of digital social media have you enjoyed the most? What could we do better?
