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Hi all, this is a really interesting thread, and something I'm just starting to become interested in myself. In a project we are just about to be running with teenagers, we are playing about with the idea of using something like Facebook. The reasons behind this are similar, but not the same, as below. Yes we want to engage with teenagers on a platform they use and understand, and something that can be accessed remotely to the museum, but the main reason I want to use something like this is that these are 'social networking sites.' What better way to advocate the service to a large and distanced audience, such as teenagers, than to have them act as the advocates! My idea is simple, that the small group of teenagers I am working with over the summer all have a facebook account, they start a group which is formed of themselves, and they can add images (of the museum and objects if they wish), and their thoughts, reasons, ideas etc on these, and also mingle them with 'non-museum' images about themselves and their lives. Basically explaining what being a teenager in canterbury in 2007 is like. The theory behind this is that there isn't a 'museum hand' controlling what they write or say, and so the teenagers can advocate the service in their own words to their own peers. This to me is a much better way of running a site like this, it then lives for the duration it should live, and doesn't suffer 'ditching and moving' resentment when the next big thing comes along, because it isn't run by us, it's run by them. By allowing them to add the images to the site, they choose what they like and generate the debate and idea flow around that. In this way I'd hope we would gain the benefits of it, but by empowering the young people we work with, rather than some kind of obvious band-wagon jumping exercise on our part, which as was pointed out below, would have people join a group, but never know if they ever turn up again, or, even worse, turns out to be all us lot subscribing to each others' groups! Peter Peter Davies Outreach Officer (City Museums) tel: 01227 475 203 email: [log in to unmask] website: www.favourite-things.org.uk England will be smokefree from 1st July 2007. For more information ring 0800 169 169 7 or for local advice contact our team at [log in to unmask] DISCLAIMER: This email and any files transmitted with it may contain privileged or confidential information. It is intended solely for the person to whom it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient please destroy or delete the content of this message immediately and notify the sender by reply email. Opinions, conclusions and other information in this message that does not relate to the official business of Canterbury City Council shall be understood as neither given nor endorsed by the Council. This message has been checked for all known viruses. ************************************************** For mcg information and to manage your subscription to the list, visit the website at http://www.museumscomputergroup.org.uk **************************************************