Long Road

As these “commons” projects proliferate it’s valuable to keep in mind both the possibilities of openness and its limits. It’s nice to see the Smithsonian getting out there and engaging the public. I hope they also remember there are many different publics that have, and will have, different types of relationships to their “content.” A valuable lesson–and one that seems hard for some “public” institutions to grasp– is that their mandate to serve the public is actually multifaceted (and sometimes contradictory!) and that being open isn’t always the best way to serve these publics. So watch and send in comments! They ask specifically, does the new site lead to “sociability” and does it show or highlight the Smithsonian as a “trusted” institution….? You can also check out their overall web and new media strategy wiki here.

Yep, three years ago I started this blog and the first post had the image that is now in the header–an image I love from the streets of Sydney reminding us outsiders to ‘look right’ lest we be run down by oncoming traffic. It’s a good reminder that sometimes we need to slow down and look at things from a different angle. With that lesson in mind, I started this blog and have been an on-and-off blogger over the last three years–last year was not my best year, but with the new design, minimalist look, and somewhat slightly shifted focus I promise to be a better blogger…=)

For the past three years my main focus was Aboriginal politics and intersecting themes in that orbit. With the publication of my book this year and my growing digital work, I’ve decided to take this blog in a slightly new direction. While I will still post important events in Aboriginal politics and especially in the Northern Territory, my main focus will be this beast of an emerging field called Digital Humanities which encompasses my recent work on digital technologies, intellectual property rights, Indigenous uses of new technologies, cultural heritage management and debates about ‘open access.’

So with that in mind–here we go, a new year, a new long road!