Today I chanced upon a brochure for an exhibition featuring artefacts from the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology. This museum houses the Iceman, the celebrated gentleman found frozen in the Similaun Glacier in the Otzal Alps. The exhibition is being held at the Australian National Maritime Museum.
The brochure included links to an Iceman blog on MySpace as well as a feature page on the museum’s web site. The museum’s web site also has a link to that MySpace Iceman blog. The blog is titled ‘Who iced Otzi?’. Otzi is the nickname given to the Iceman. I think that calling the blog ‘Who iced Otzi?’ is in bad taste.
The museum describe the blog as follows: “Through the wonders of MySpace, Otzi himself shares a creative story tracing his last days alive.” The story is purely fictional of course. It relies in part on some of the archaeological evidence found with the Iceman’s body (clothing, tools, personal belongings and evidence of injuries incurred).
What I find interesting is the use of the adjective ‘wonderful’ by the NMA staff to describe MySpace. I feel that MySpace is one of the most visually repelling web-based mediums. The Iceman blog features banner advertising in addition to the cluttered design, ragged fonts and busy layout that are the hallmarks of the design nightmare that is MySpace. How can the National Maritime Museum possibly consider MySpace to be ‘wonderful’. No doubt the curators or project officers involved with the exhibition felt it would be hip with the kids. The Iceman has 182 ‘friends’ to date. They include Rene Descartes, Stephen Hawkings, Tutankhamun, David Byrne, Ice T and Vanilla Ice.
Surely the National Maritime Museum could have created something a little more visually pleasant and authentic than that awful MySpace blog? They could have emulated Pepy’s Diary or at least used WordPress or TypePad as the blog engine.
December 17th, 2007 at 3:50 am
I applaud the fact that the NMA have used a traditional webpage on their website, alongside a social networking tool like Myspace to promote this exhibition.
MySpace may seem ugly and disorganised to you – but it is an important communication medium for many young people, artists, musicians and others. How can you dismiss something which is used by so many people? I’m glad the NMA haven’t!
In my opinion, Otzi’s Myspace page is a very creative use of a new medium. The story has been cleverly constructed and despite the ‘My Spacey-ness’ of the design, imparts a huge amount of info. If you check out the comments, you’ll also notice a number of young people who have started commented and engaged in the space – something you rarely see on a teacher’s hosted wordpress blog!
Otzi’s ‘friends’ also include Sir David Attenborough and several international museums which seems a great endorsement to me, rather than something to be sneered at!
Thank you for bringing this to my attention! I’ll be following Otzi with interest!
December 17th, 2007 at 3:54 am
Oops – I shoulda called them the ANMM (http://www.anmm.gov.au) – but you get my point!
December 17th, 2007 at 7:38 am
Hi Jokay,
Thanks for the comment. Much appreciated. I agree that MySpace is indeed used by a phenomenal number of people from a diverse set of disciplines. I feel that is a positive yet I still also feel that the Otzi MySpace page is unattractive.
I consider that the following sites are examples of good design.
The New Ice Age http://www.smh.com.au/multimedia/newiceage/main.html
SS Misr – 1947 Journey http://www.smh.com.au/multimedia/misr/slides.html
Theban Mapping Project http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/
If you would like any additional info on Otzi please drop me a line.
Cheers, John.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:54 am
Yes… but how many young people are engaging in those pages? (And I mean choosing to engage rather than being forced to by their teachers!)
I am a designer – so aesthetic is important to me… and yet.. I can’t agree that something is inherently superior because it’s prettier.
We can create all the pretty WordPress blogs we like or employ flash designers to make lovely animations – but do students actually engage in that content by choice?
It seems to me the ANMM are taking it to their audience rather than expecting their audience to come to them… and isn’t that part of their job?
December 18th, 2007 at 7:02 am
Hi there Jokay,
Thank you once again for the reply. I agree too that many young people are engaging in the ANMM pages. That is very good to see. The ANMM did exactly the right thing there.
In a previous existence I worked with Barry Harper, John Hedberg and Rob Wright at the Interactive Multimedia Learning Laboratory (now emLab) at the UOW designing web sites, CD-ROMs and engaged in HCI ~ situated learning based research. Some of the products the team produced did rather well. I am humbled to have been a part of that. Later I worked with ICUS eLearning in Singapore and co-designed eLearning solutions for Singapore Airlines, Nokia and JP Morgan Bank. They had exacting requirements. As a result I can say that I also agree with you that pretty does not necessarily equate with superiority. No issue with that.
ANMM are taking it to their audience. They are doing a good job in that respect. They are connecting. I agree there as well.
I simply feel that MySpace as a medium lacks good interface design. Just my feelings. That is all.
Cheers
John
December 18th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Thanks for your comments.
At the Australian National Maritime Museum, we’re exploring different ways to engage new audiences online.
Our aim is to provoke interest in people who may not have otherwise visited the museum or our website.
The museum is exploring, it’s MySpace now, but who knows what’s next? As far as experiments go, this was fairly low risk, but has generated significant interest and the potential to build ongoing relationships with new audiences.
Ali Gordon
Marketing Services Manager
Australian National Maritime Museum
December 18th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Thank you for the gracious comments Ali. I appreciate the manner in which you couched your response.
Hope you did not find my observations too harsh. Perhaps they were. I have worked on a number of multimedia and international eLearning projects prior to my sea-change from Singapore in 2004. The teams of which I was a part always went for ‘clean’ designs. I know that has imbued myself within an inherent bias. I think my own web site is too cluttered these days however as you mention regarding your own work I am also experimenting to see how these online tools function in terms of usefulness. Some work. Some do not.
As I agreed with Joanna I think it is positive that the ANMM is indeed getting out to its audience and engaging a young audience in a positive manner. You should engage Joanna and explore the possibilities of Second Life. She is a world authority in that area of educational technology convergence.
Kind regards
John