Live Blogging from CAM part3: Museums as Forums

This may seem obvious and yet it needs to be stated. The purpose of museums has been discussed and debated since the concept of museums first began, but one phrase that often emerges in these discussions is that "museums are forums." Similar to this sentiment is that museums are spaces for focussed social interactions. Well, for goodness' sake, what on earth better way to help museums to actually more fully and completely serve these functions than by enaging in social media that is specifically designed with exactly those purposes in mind? Some of us spend hours and hours trying to explain the relevance and importance of Web 2.0, but really the explanation is simple: if museums are truly to be forums, they must engage in social media.