Social Archivist

There’s so much emphasis on making sure you back up your files otherwise things could be lost forever. This is just part of the solution. Another important aspect is organizing the copies (disks, tapes, CDs, DVDs) into some sort of system which can be easily found later on (easier said than done).

Often overlooked, however, is the meta-data (context) for the files.

Much like the tin full of photos with an occasional penciled name or date on the back, will our digital backups be confusing puzzles without the proper context for people in the future?

I was thinking about this while working on a book of my son’s first year: I must put in names of people and places for his future reference!