My #MuseumTwitterati
Those of you who are Twitter-savvy will have seen the #TwitteratiChallenge doing the rounds, followed by the spin-off #MuseumTwitterati.
Started by @TeacherToolkit it's a simple idea to thank and support colleagues in the museum sector who inspire you on social media: 'recognise your most supportive colleagues in a simple blogpost shout-out. Whatever your reason, these 5 educators[museologists] should be your 5 go-to people in times of challenge and critique, or for verification and support.' See the rules and regulations below.
I was greatly honoured to be nominated by Mark Carnall earlier in the week. Mark is the Curator at the Grant Museum of Zoology at UCL. He inspires and amuses me in equal measure on Twitter, as well as kindly reading the odd blog post. He's a great example of a friendship built out of social media. So right back at you Mark!
5 other people have very definitely helped inform how I use Twitter, as well as why I think it's important:
Rebekah Higgitt @beckyfh
Becky's co-authored blog The H-Word combined with her pithy and pertinent Twitter conversations have led the way in getting history of science and scientific collections to public attention. I always go to her for a thought-provoking take on a modern scientific issue, as well as guidance on how to remain calm and polite in the face of online criticism.
Katie Eagleton @fearandsequins
Katie is, quite simply, who I would like to be when I grow up. She mixes vision and incredible hard-work with a no-nonsense but endlessly supportive approach to getting things done in the best possible way. Her feed will show you just how many other creative skills she also has under her belt.
Danny Birchall @dannybirchall
Like Mark, Danny is another museum friend who I would not have known without Twitter. I'm endlessly inspired by his digital innovations at the Wellcome Collection, as well as enjoying his more anarchic personal feed.
Ministry of Curiosity @CuriosityTweet
Jointly run by Terri Dendy and Kristin Hussey, the Ministry is a one-stop shop for museum events, exhibitions, conferences, debates, meet-ups and issues in London. They also launched a manifesto for museum social media at last year's MA conference. I don't know how these ladies fit in everything that they do.
Tincture of Museum @TinctureofMuseum
Claire is another person that I've only met fairly recently in real life but have long admired from afar. Her feed and blog combine thoughtful reviews and personal experiences with fearless calls to arms for changes in the museum sector.
Follow these 5 people, and not only will your day improve, but you'll see museums a little differently, which is what I think our use of Twitter is all about.
---
Rules:
You cannot knowingly include someone you work with in real life (ex-colleagues are fine, it’s a small sector and we’d run out of people in no time otherwise).
You cannot list somebody that has already been named if you are already aware of them being listed on #TwitteratiChallenge or #MuseumTwitterati (a lot of colleagues have already been nominated so apologies for any unwitting double nominations).
Copy and paste the ‘Rules’ and ‘What to do’ information into your own blog post and be sure to cite @TeacherToolkit since they came up with the idea.
What to do:
Within 7 days of being nominated you must write your own blogpost identifying the top-5 museologists that you regularly go to for ideas, support and challenge. Share this on Twitter using the hashtag #MuseumTwitterati and tag them in – they are thus nominated.
If you do not have your own blog, write your list by hand or on a computer, take a photo/screenshot and upload it to Twitter, tagging the people mentioned (yes, you can do that) and using the hashtag #MuseumTwitterati – they are thus nominated.