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Dear colleagues and friends,
This summer seemed right for an archaeological experiment. Please allow me to explain the project for which I am hoping to find your support: a globally crowdsourced typology of pull tabs!
Inspired by the popularity of social media and concepts from sustainist frameworks like ‘commons’ and (worldwide) ‘connectedness’ it suddenly struck me what new technology might allow us to do as contemporary archaeologists. Not only can we share idea’s across the globe (which we do a lot already), but we can actually create global networks that can crowdsource datasets collected by both archaeologists and others together.
How amazing would it be if such an archaeological project could actually create community value on a global scale!?
I’m pretty sure I am not the first one who tries this, but it did trigger my spirit! After some months of pondering the idea (and occasional anxiety of risking permanent ego-damage in case of failure ;-) ) I decided to just take the leap and see what happens. Last Monday the website www.pulltabarchaeology.com came online and with help of a few friends I now try to pull this off.
The CHAT standing committee was so kind to immediately support the project. And now here’s my call to you!
Although I hope to stir enthusiasm in as many archaeologists, metal-detectorists and others as possible, the support of the CHAT community is most likely vital. Right now the plan consists of asking people to physically send me their pull tabs (ring pulls) for reference. For a crowdsourcing, that is a big leap, because it needs a lot more agency than simply clicking a button on your pc. However I trust my gut feeling it might work if there is enough others doing it and sharing.
In short: can you please send me pull tabs you find in digs or just in the streets! That would be truly amazing help!
Which pull tabs and ring pulls? Just all! They may be old, or recent, all are okay because we also will make a distribution map of all types. The more the merrier, and of course you will be rewarded with a star on the global map of pull tab enthousiasts if you help us out. You can send the pull tabs with as much or little context data as you wish (because that is what the public will do, too), but if you wish to go truly archaeological, here’s the full list of questions I’d be interested in: http://pulltabarchaeology.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/20180708b_Send_us_your_tabs.pdf
You can send the tabs to: Pull Tabs – Bennekomseweg 164, 6704AK Wageningen, the Netherlands.
But there is other ways to support.
The whole set up is rather intuitive at this moment. I am not ‘the One’ who knows it all, and Morpheus is not spotted so far either, so I am very open to discussion on how to improve the project, the science behind the typology, and to think along together about deeper research questions this project might address, like waste, modernity, consumerism, multivocality, community etc.
Also, funding is an issue of debate. The project is experimenting with Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/pulltabs The idea behind Patreon is that people support only if they like what I/we do on a small pledge per month basis. This demands high quality updates to invoke continued community involvement. In short: it only works if we succeed in truly creating value. It would be really helpful to read your suggestions on
· what to post,
· what to research and
· what share to keep create value for the community..
so I can keep the bare essentials like website hosting and, ok one organic cotton producers vlogging t-shirt ;-) alive. If you are a vlogger too, make sure to e-mail me, maybe we can ‘share a vid’ ;-) : [log in to unmask]
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Right now there is little that excites me more than this project and to see if we can make really it work! I truly hope you join the community in one way or another and share the fun. Of course, there is science behind it and it is important, but just the attempt, together, makes me cheer.
To end, here’s the complete list of how you can follow the project and to all information. The Patreon page and Facebook page will hold the most complete updates, so make sure you ‘like’ one of these.
https://www.patreon.com/pulltabs
https://www.facebook.com/pulltabarchaeology/
www.pulltabarchaeology.com (where the typology will be hosted)
https://www.instagram.com/pulltabarchaeology/ @pulltabarchaeology #pulltabarch
no special twitter account, just me @jobbew
Best to all!
Jobbe Wijnen
(Apologies for my occasionally flawed english)
ir. Jobbe Wijnen MSc
Bennekomseweg 164-4
6704AK Wageningen
06-38912981
http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=16433741
http://www.facebook.com/bouwbiografie
https://wageningen-ur.academia.edu/JobbeWijnen