I doubt these could be considered as the ip of the webpage--they would still belong to their respective owners. And I think that people can be more likely to exaggerate online because of anonymity. There is usually no one who knows them to check their embellishments. I think that collecting such stories from local people would be more relevant to your audience, and maybe the boasting is part of the fun :) Shana On Mon, Apr 13, 2009 at 7:22 PM, Louisa Watrous <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Can you share the website? It sounds interesting, thanks! > Louisa Watrous > Mystic, CT > > ------------------------------ > *From:* Timothy McShane <[log in to unmask]> > *To:* [log in to unmask] > *Sent:* Monday, April 13, 2009 4:14:02 PM > *Subject:* [MUSEUM-L] The new oral history? > > I was researching a particular artefact on-line last week (a > toy--specifically, trying to identify a toy rolling pin as one that may have > been an accessory for and Easy Bake Oven), and came across a website where > people were submitting their memories of their childhood toys. There were > some really good first-person accounts there; material that would make > compelling additions to an upcoming exhibit we have in the works. I > initially dismissed the possibility of using any of it, though, thinking > it's too bad that material didn't come from a "legitimate" source. Over the > weekend, though, I got to reconsidering--are these reminiscences really that > much different from traditional oral history? Granted, there's no way to > ask follow-up questions to elicit further detail, and the site's user names > essentially makes the contributors anonymous--but does that have an impact > on the usefulness of the information in an exhibit? Sure, there's no way to > verify the accuracy/truthfulness of the stories, but there often isn't any > way to verify oral histories, either. I'm further inclined to think that, > due to the anonymous nature of the submissions, that the people making them > would be even less inclined to "embroider" their recollections, as they > really stand to gain nothing from it. > > Has anyone used such on-line material as first-hand accounts in exhibits? > I'd be inclined to think the material is copyrighted by the web page, but is > there any argument to be made that the individuals, by submitting these > stories to such a "public" space, are in fact making their stories public > domain? > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------ > Tim McShane, Assistant--Cultural History > Esplanade Museum > 401 First Street SE > Medicine Hat, AB T1A 8W2 > Tel: (403) 502-8587 > [log in to unmask] > > Disclaimer: The information transmitted is intended only for the > addressee and may contain confidential, proprietary and/or privileged > material. Any unauthorized review, distribution or other use of or > the taking of any action in reliance upon this information is > prohibited.. If you received this in error, please contact the sender > and delete or destroy this message and any copies > > > ========================================================= Important > Subscriber Information: > > The Museum-L FAQ file is located at > http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed > information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message > to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read > "help" (without the quotes). > > If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to > [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read > "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). > > ========================================================= Important > Subscriber Information: > > The Museum-L FAQ file is located at > http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed > information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message > to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read > "help" (without the quotes). > > If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to > [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read > "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). > -- Shana West Master of Arts, Museology University of Washington [log in to unmask] ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).