The rather polar positions taken by some in the discussion of real museums vs. web museums ignores the fact, I think, that the final arbiter is the individual doing the visiting. My own experience, and work by people such as Sherry Turkle at MIT (she just published "Life on the Screen"), indicate that temperament and learning style, for lack of better words, will probably determine the options an individual visitor will take. Some will always opt for the plane fare rather than the hardware. I am fully wired for sound from my home, for example, but seldom visit the Web anymore in my spare time. I find a good book, real people and real places much more rewarding. That is partly a function of the current technological limitations, but not mostly. Others make different choices and that is how it should be and always will be (I hope). With respect to Real - and Web - museums, to argue that one is better than the other, or that one might or might not replace the other, gets in the way of developing a truly symbiotic relationship. The Web and its progeny will doubtless be an important aspect of museum work in the next century, just as conservation is now. Regardless of our own personalities we should welcome new options and methods that allow us to communicate effectively with a larger audience. What we really have to worry about is the same thing we have always worried about - what is it, exactly, that we want to communicate and how can we do it effectively? That has more to do with mission than with technology, and if technology forces us to revisit our mission, that is probably a good thing. And real sex is still much, much better..... Joe Nagel (KUSTOS Inc.) 2961 Semiahmoo Trail Surrey, B.C. V4P 1H4 604-531-6879, 604-594-2628 (FAX)