project, it is difficult to have absolute certainty that the comments come from a

Seminole/Miccosukee source; therefore, verification of a contributor's identity is an

important issue to be addressed.

      There are several ways to gauge the validity of the comment source. For

example, each comment is sent regularly to each site member's email and can be

viewed by many other Seminoles and Miccosukees on the site. This may lend itself to

self-regulation because other participants who are invested in the project will likely feel

compelled to challenge any questionable comments (Saul Drake, Personal

Correspondence October 28, 2009). Secondly, if a person was very active in adding

questionable comments, the wiki administrator may engage them in email conversation

or, in extreme situations, delete their comments. Museums need to verify the sources of

the wiki contributions when deciding how to apply the information to collections records

or exhibits. In light of these issues, I would recommend that future museum wiki

managers contact the Tribal Government Office or other official community hub in order

to recruit participants by invitation only, on a members-only site. This option is likely to

require more time and relationship building with the community, and may reduce the

range of participation. Limiting access in this way also risks the exclusion of Tribal

members who are not on Tribal government list-serves.

                                    Conclusion

Possibilities for Wikis as a Tool for Museum Partnerships

      Through implementing my project, I have come to realize that wikis offer wide-

reaching possibilities for museums in collaborative projects. As museums continue to

work in more participatory ways, the wiki model can serve as an effective tool for

partnership. It seems likely, considering recent growth in public use of social media, that