I am perhaps old fashioned in this regard but I am wary of Google's dependence on advertising revenue, and a potential creep of the ad world into enterprise applications and services. (sidebar ads are optional but for how long?)
Google is a darling now - but the belle of the ball is rarely a permanent position. There is always the risk that Google will tighten the corporate screws, no guarantee that gmail will always be harmless or even inexpensive ... A backlash against Google at some point is probably inevitable - this could impact cultural heritage institutions sensitive about such associations (no different than say, considering corporate sponsors for an exhibition). I recently used a museum's collection search powered by Windows Live. I didn't find what I was looking for and as a bonus got a whole bunch of ads on the side. I found this distressing. Peter Dueker On 4/16/08 12:20 PM, "Chuck Patch" <chuck.patch at gmail.com> wrote: > OK. I held off hijacking the thread until someone else did it for me.. > > Interesting. During the month(s) our internal systems were down following > Katrina, I set up initial communications among the staff using Google groups > and set up people without personal email accounts on Google mail. While we > later developed an online staff directory that people could personally > update while on the road, it was the initial use of the Google group that > allowed us to get in contact. Although I suspect that there would still be > significant resistance among our tech folk, the truth is that there is > nothing that our institution does with Exchange that couldn't be done in > Google mail, which is another way of saying that no one uses any of the > useful features in Exchange, such as meeting scheduling etc. Or rather, a > handful will and the rest never pay attention to those features which makes > them useless. > > I also agree with Ari that staff will probably hate the Google apps and > prefer Office, but then when has anyone's staff not hated anything other > than what they've been using? Switch them to Office 2007 and I promise > Google Apps will look fabulous. I think the real hump for most institutions > to surmount is the sense that you're much more reliant on your ISP with this > system. In fact, it's not email where web services are making inroads, it's > in more peripheral stuff like event registration, online calendaring, shop > stores, etc that are raising the comfort level for things closer to the > mission. > > Chuck Patch > > > On Wed, Apr 16, 2008 at 10:43 AM, Leonard Steinbach <lensteinbach at > gmail.com> > wrote: > >> I have been strongly urging cultural institutions, especially those with >> minimal or overworked, overstretched technology staffs to give serious >> consideration to moving to G-mail under their education/non-profit >> organization program. Many colleges/universities have been going, or are >> considering going, this route, with Arizona State University among the >> leaders in this. (they have been a bit radical in some other technology >> approaches as well). The academic sector may prove a good role model in >> this. >> >> I wont recapitulate the full apps >> program<http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/org/index.html>but the >> increased storage capacity, sophisticated spam filtering, easy >> access to other google apps , migration assistance, retention of >> institutional email addressing, ease of remote access, become compelling >> cases for evaluation. Undoubtedly one factor would be the extent to which >> specialized features of Exchange used by staff can not be easily >> replaced. >> >> I have long posited that, generally speaking, the core competency of >> museums is not the management of complex systems, but the creative use of >> them and that museums should be vigilant in periodically reevaluating >> where >> there time and costs are dedicated. >> >> For some museums, internal email management may be appropriate, but for >> many >> it probably no longer is. In an era of increasing emergence of webware as >> an effective application strategy, legacy, in-house systems will come >> under >> increasing scrutiny. I think Email is a start. >> >> >> >> >> >> <http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/edu/index.html> >> >> >> >> >> >> On Wed, Apr 16, 2008 at 9:32 AM, Chuck Patch <chuck.patch at gmail.com> >> wrote: >> >>> I'd be interested in learning what led you to consider this option. >>> >>> Chuck Patch >>> >>> On Tue, Apr 15, 2008 at 2:05 PM, Stan Orchard <stanorchard at mac.com> >> wrote: >>> >>>> I'd love to see any comments here on the list. Thanks! >>>> >>>> On Apr 15, 2008, at 11:07 AM, Nancy Pinn wrote: >>>>> We are taking a look at switching from Microsoft Exchange to Google >>>>> mail >>>>> for our email services. I am curious if any of you have made this >>>>> switch or have given it any serious consideration. Any thoughts you >>>>> would care to share will be appreciated. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> Please feel free to communicate with me directly at >>>>> npinn at thewalters.org >>>>> or calling me on 410-246-8339. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> Thanks, >>>>> >>>>> Nancy >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> Nancy C. Pinn >>>>> >>>>> Director of Information Technology >>>>> >>>>> The Walters Art Museum >>>>> >>>>> 600 North Charles Street >>>>> >>>>> Baltimore MD 21201 >>>>> >>>>> 410-547-9000 ext 339 >>>>> >>>>> 410-246-8339 - direct dial >>>>> >>>>> 410-244-5870 - fax >>>>> >>>>> www.thewalters.org >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>> You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum >>>>> Computer Network (http://www.mcn.edu) >>>>> >>>>> To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l at mcn.edu >>>>> >>>>> To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: >>>>> http://toronto.mediatrope.com/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum >>> Computer >>>> Network (http://www.mcn.edu) >>>> >>>> To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l at mcn.edu >>>> >>>> To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: >>>> http://toronto.mediatrope.com/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l >>>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum >> Computer >>> Network (http://www.mcn.edu) >>> >>> To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l at mcn.edu >>> >>> To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: >>> http://toronto.mediatrope.com/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l >>> >> _______________________________________________ >> You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum Computer >> Network (http://www.mcn.edu) >> >> To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l at mcn.edu >> >> To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: >> http://toronto.mediatrope.com/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l >> > _______________________________________________ > You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum Computer > Network (http://www.mcn.edu) > > To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l at mcn.edu > > To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: > http://toronto.mediatrope.com/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l
