An online toolbox

A ‘new’ and extensive social networking platform cannot be imposed, only encouraged. An appropriate ‘hook’ to increase participation would be providing access to an online suite of useful software tools for both Teaching and Research. Users would create a profile and be allocated secure space for the input, manipulation and storage of data. Emphasis would be on utility.

Tools could include:

Fieldnote editor

Kinship editor

Anthropac

Audio and video annotation

Citation notebook

Personal profiles could be linked (similar model to facebook or myspace) for social networking

Discussion groups and research groups can be created (invisible colleges - There are already research groups and alumni groups on facebook which distribute information about funding opportunities and projects).

One need we have identified is to draw together the plethora of platforms that are currently available and used for social networking. We could encourage the current generation of students to use this through methods classes. The network will continue and grow if it is genuinely useful as a social networking tool, if not, it is still a useful teaching and research toolbox.

The emphasis on provision of specialised tools provides some boundary maintenance and differentiates the facility from other social networking networks.

Storage of fieldnotes on the grid would facilitate future archiving where appropriate.

Personal profiles would outline the users reserach, and could might include research project wiki and discussion boards on various topics – There is the opportunity for contribution by peers.

Peer review through discussion boards? Pertinent discussions could be distilled and passed on to a separate publishing arm(s) as a multi-authored document for wider and authoritative distribution alongside researchers publications.

There is also the possibility of informant contributions to wiki as part of additional data collection. Simon 17-Jun-2007 16:09 BST