Smithsonian Commons–first look @ new website mockup
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.