Tuesday 22 September 2009

George Oates - alive and kicking: Into The Wild: Breathing New Life Into Collections

George Oates - alive and kicking
George Oates was/is the inspirational source behind the Flickr Commons, that part of the Flickr photo sharing site which is populated by cultural institutions who want to put public domain works into a common framework where people can annotate - add value, or just plain enjoy.

In the process she taught these institutions that radical trust wasn't a therapy, but an attitude - which if grasped, would give them new ways of talking to and collaborating with the people formally known as the audience.

Flickr goes mad without mescalin
In a decsion, December 2008, which still stuns those who knew her work, including a whole bunch of key people from some of the biggest institutions - Flickr  decided that George Oates should be one of the people they needed to let go.  How they did that is still one of the best/worse case scenarios of how to seriously dent your brand with one dumb HR action.

George Oates - alive and kicking
But can you put the good guys down for long? Doesn't look like it if this presentation to the UK Society of Archivists just over a week ago is anything to go by. Go make a coffee -  pour some water - and/or  treat yourself to whatever else comes with that.  And just watch/read the gift of George Oates that just keeps on giving.


Flickr Commons now?

They tell me there is now a two year waiting list to join/participate in Flickr Commons - what gives? Does Flickr want to keep doing this? Anyone know?

Acknolwedgement
And thanks to Courtney Johnston at the NZNL for the heads up.

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