New media, new connections: Building Reddit's MuseumPros

Abstract

Museum workers have been conducting informal professional discourse on the Web for decades. Today, Reddit's “MuseumPros” is one such place where twenty-eight thousand individuals discuss the lived experiences of museum workers and develop collective actions, compare experiences in the sector, and strengthen professional networks by voicing their opinions, asking questions, seeking guidance, and sharing skills. As creators and moderators of MuseumPros, we have led this community from its inception by participating, mediating, and creating resources for the community. Broadly, this paper is an auto-ethnographic review which enables us to reflect upon this community and the values we instilled and to understand its uniqueness through its anonymity, diversity of voices, and methods of knowledge construction.