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  • From: Danyl Strype <strypey AT disintermedia.net.nz>
  • To: Creative Commons Aotearoa New Zealand discussion <cc-nz AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Cc-nz] CrowdFunding campaign for WebCitation.org
  • Date: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 16:49:49 +1200

Kia ora koutou

The folks behind the WebCitation archive site are running a
crowdfunding drive to allow them to upgrade and maintain the service.
I'd like to encourage everyone to throw them at least the price of a
coffee, and those on the list in the GLAM sector to please pass this
message around your networks:
http://webcitation.org/

The idea behind WebCitation is that people can cite documents from the
web in their writing, in the sure knowledge that if the webpage
changes, or the site disappears from the web completely, a permanently
archived copy from the relevant time period is stored on WebCitation.

Folks have suggested that the WayBack Machine on Archive.org can
sometimes be used for this purpose, but it's somewhat hit and miss.
Archive.org only seems to crawl any given website at fairly random
intervals, and often only takes a copy of the front page, not the
contents.

For example, when I search Archive.org for
http://archive.indymedia.org.nz, there are two stored copies of the
front page, but nothing else. When I 'archive' (or 'WebCite') a page
on WebCitation though, it takes a snapshot of the entire site
(AFAICT): http://www.webcitation.org/6Ha9Ki2VI

Being an archive site, this isn't going to change. But if I WebCite
the live site at Aotearoa.Indymedia.org, I can then come back in 6
months time and WebCite it again, ensuring I can always reference the
activist history being recorded on the site as crowdsourced news
articles, even if the Indymedia collective folds, and the site goes
offline for good.

WebCitation also provides both a short and long ("transparent") url to
refer to the archived copy, and citation information in the form:
AUTHORNAME. Aotearoa Indymedia Archive (Prior to 5-11-2012). Aotearoa
Independent Media Centre. 2013-06-23.
URL:http://archive.indymedia.org.nz/. Accessed: 2013-06-23. (Archived
by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/6Ha9Ki2VI)

As you can see, this feature is designed to allow users to WebCite a
specific document, and record metadata related to title, author,
publisher, date etc, although this is not compulsory. This flexibility
allows the site to be used for other research purposes, like taking
copies of political statements or PR claims on company websites, so
they can't be changed and then denied.

WebCitation is already a fantastically useful and valuable service.
With the funding they are asking for, they can not only maintain it,
but improve it. Please consider supporting them.

Hei kōnā
Strypey

--
Danyl Strype
Community Developer
Disintermedia.net.nz/strype

"Geeks are those who partake in our culture."
- .ISOcrates

"Uncomfortable alliances are not just necessary; they reflect and
speak to the tremendous possibility of our political moment."
- Harmony Goldberg and Joshua Kahn Russell
http://www.nationofchange.org/new-radical-alliances-new-era-1337004193

"Both Marxists and Chicago-school libertarian economists can agree
that free software is the best model."
- Keith C Curtis
http://keithcu.com/wordpress/?page_id=407



  • [Cc-nz] CrowdFunding campaign for WebCitation.org, Danyl Strype, 06/23/2013

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