Background

Throughout Winter Quarter 2009, a group of students in the Master of Communication in Digital Media program at UW has been working with program director Hanson Hosein to help shape a vision of Media Space at UW. Task number one was to develop a Web Site that explains Media Space, demonstrates practical applications of Media Space’s goals, and meets real needs for MCDM students and others to work together effectively.

The Web Site

Check out the Alpha version here http://mediaspace.washington.edu/space/

One thing we identified right away is that there is no end to great ideas. If we picked a few ideas and created a Media Space Web site that supported them, then what would happen to the other great ideas? To keep them from being lost, we focused on differentiating projects and environments:

• The Media Space Web site is not a project. It is an environment.
• Projects end when the quarter ends. The Media Space environment begins when the quarter ends.

A couple of weeks from now, the first iteration of the Media Space Web site will be launched. A few highlights of what you can expect:

1. A profile-centered experience. When you login, the site will be about you, your tools, and your collaborators.
2. Did we mention collaborators? Like any good social media site, Media Space connects people. You will be able to link up with people, form groups, share files, and more.
3. Have a good idea and want to see what others think of it? Want to find a cool project to work on? Central to the Media Space experience will be an idea-sharing module where anyone, inside the UW or outside the UW can post ideas and look for collaborators.

Next Steps

Once the site has launched, students in one of next quarter’s MCDM classes (is this COM 581: Social Production and Distribution of Digital Content?) will use the site as a collaboration tool and we’ll be soliciting their feedback on what works, what doesn’t, and what should be added.

Of course, anyone will be able to use Media Space as soon as it launches, and we’d love nothing more than to see lots of people diving in, making connections, and providing feedback. We’ve started talking about the best way to keep this going as a growing, iterative environment that helps us connect the amazing work going on at UW both internally and with partners outside the University.Your contributions and feedback will help shape what these next steps look like.

Stay Tuned

Keep your eyes on this URL for more updates as it all comes together. We can’t wait for you to see what we’ve been working on!