I was sitting at lunch today talking with new friends from the Museum World about why I, an "Orchestra" person was at a conference for Museums and the Web.   

Although yesterday was chock full of workshops and welcomes, the MW2008 Conference official kicked off this morning with Michael Geist as the Plenary Speaker. Geist, from the University of Ottawa, Canada, describes himself as a Law Professor and “trouble-maker.”

His thesis is that we need to have an engaged and active Hands On the Internet Policy.

He began with a look back at the web in 1997, and some of the prevailing ideas of that time:

government and policy needed to stay away from the web,

and

leave it to the industry and community that could self regulate as they go along,

but the truth is that this was a myth.

I'm at MW2008 conference in Montreal, and I’ve just been sitting in a great workshop on blogging run by Brian Kelly & Mike Ellis.

Its exciting to see the diversity of people in the session – coming from North America, Europe and New Zealand, and yet the similarity of needs and goals...

Session highlights:

Challenges to blogs: How do we...

I've just arrived at the Delta hotel in Montreal. It must be close to 25 years since I was here before.... as part of a music festival - sang with the Harmonic Choir on a barge or maybe it was a little island.  The Harmonic choir was (is) a group of 5-6 singers singing multiphonics - overtones...

  It's great to be back and I'm really looking forward to the conference.  After attending or helping to run something like 15 orchestra conferences, it will be so interesting to make a foray into the museum world. 

I'm particularly interested in how cultural groups use the web and social media, so its going to be a busy time.  Now to pour over the schedule.