MW2009 Best of the Web Sites Selected

Congratulations to the winners of the

Museums and the Web 2009 Best of the Web Awards

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Best Overall

winner

Brooklyn Museum Collection

http://www.brooklynmuseum.org

The Panel said:

• If it's about trying brave things out, then they win. If its about engaging with audiences in new ways, they win. If it's about changing the traditional balance of power between museum, audience and curator, then they win. If it's about really demonstrating cultural leadership, they win. If it's about making something that requires audiences to 'stretch' a bit to make the connection, then they win. If it's about failing sometimes, well, they win too - but that's part of the risk of what makes their stuff so good.
• ... not just because of what they have done (fantastic site) but because they are pointing us in the direction we should all be taking in the future
• the trailblazer for where museums might/could/should go in the future.
  

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On-line Community or Service

winner

Brooklyn Museum Collection, Posse, and Tag! You are It!

http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/collections/

The Panel said:

• successfully integrates social networking and tagging features in a clear, well-designed, easy to use format
• set a high standard for all the other community
• novel use of terms like "posse" and reference to "tag, you're it" as a game provided the kick of energy and motivation that made me want to participate
• Perhaps the first example of collaborative tagging of collections I've seen that truly "works" from a social perspective
• The playfulness of "Tag! You're it!" covers up a deep understanding of what "the social web" is all about. Many other museums are playing with web2.0, but none (IMO) are actually living the social web in the way that Brooklyn are.
  

 

honourable mention

Flickr Commons

http://www.flickr.com/commons

and

Indicommons

http://www.indicommons.org

The Panel said:

• an incredible amount of value-add to the commons
• successfully champions and actively demonstrates the worth of the Commons
• This is an excellent example of collaboration across both professional and community networks.
• the barriers between the "stuffy old museum" and the one we're all hoping for are slowly breaking down

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Educational Site

winner

Tate Kids

http://kids.tate.org.uk/

The Panel said:

• Wonderful interactivity
• total fun
• truly teachable moment for color mixing
• lovely tone and instructions for kids
• terrific content
• pushes the envelope beyond any museum kids site I've seen recently
• I could hardly get back to work after using it

 

honourable mention

Firefly Watch, Museum of Science, Boston

https://www.mos.org/fireflywatch/

The Panel said:

• well designed, clearly presented
• appropriate for a wide age range of interested participants
• an excellent example of how to make a topic that is seemingly narrow into something engaging and fascinating
• I found myself wanting to participate when reading personal stories and encounters
• I learned new things very quickly

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Exhibition

winner

Click! A Crowd-Curated Exhibition

http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/click

The Panel said:

• took a concept -- "wisdom of the crowds" -- and played it out
• in the right place at the right time from a user perspective
• Excellent
• transparent and clear
• bridging the space between online and onsite
• Anyone who found this after the exhibition closed would ask, "When are they going to do this again?“

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Innovative or Experimental Site

winner

My Yard Our Message

http://myyardourmessage.com/

The Panel said:

• Awesome ... brilliant job
• leveraging a local event with national implications
• the quality of the final slogan boards were as good if not better than a corporate ad agency
• the content worked during election season but also stands up beautifully now, post-election, both in terms of interest and also as a historical snapshot of the thinking of the time

honourable mention

Astronomy Photographer of the Year (plus complimentary digital astronomy services)

http://www.nmm.ac.uk/astrophoto

The Panel said:

• There are a couple of innovations here, especially the concept of 'astrotagging' (instead of geotagging)
• I loved this - pretty much everything about it
• the fact it was done for free using external tools; the (very!) cunning use of technology
• a good Flickr collaboration

 

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Professional's Site

winner

CODART.nl

http://www.codart.nl

The Panel said:

• knits together content, listings, resources and more
• Graphics did not overwhelm the mission of the site.
  
• Very comprehensive.
  
• useful even beyond the specific focus of art from the low countries
• beautifully composed site, a gate to global network of museums that are presenting Dutch art

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Podcast (Audio / Video)

winner
RWM (Radio web MACBA)
http://rwm.macba.cat

The Panel said:

• offers an impressive array of podcasts.
• I like how they have organized the topics
• each podcast can be listened to in a player on the site
• in Spanish and Catalan, with transcripts
• An admirable effort

 

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Research Site

winner

Museum of Jewish Heritage Online Collection

http://collection.mjhnyc.org

The Panel said:

• simple and easy to use
• unpretentious
• You can format the way the site is rendered.
• Highlights on the homepage lead you into the collection, providing sharp zoomable images and short or long descriptions

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Small

winner

Museum 2.0

http://museumtwo.blogspot.com/

The Panel said:

• excellent content
• anticipates the needs and questions of people all over the museum sector
• editorial slant gives the site credibility, reach, and influence far beyond its budget and technical provision
• punches way above its weight in the museum and gallery professional sector

 

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People's choice

Chosen by the registrants on conference.archimuse.com

 

Video Active

http://www.videoactive.eu

 

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For background on the awards, see the MW2009 conference site.