Posted a rough idea for a couple possibilities earlier.  Now that I’ve gotten some feedback here’s what I’ll focus on.

Over the summer, Amazon deleted copies of 1984 and Animal Farm from Kindle owners with no prior warning.  Though Amazon apologized for the incident and said this would not happen again, the fact that it did happen raises troubling questions about digital book ownership.

When we purchase an electronic copy of a book, do we lose ownership rights that are inherent to the book’s physical print form?  What does it mean to “own” a book on a proprietary device?  How will these issues evolve in the future?

More generally, how much control does the creator of a book have over how that book is distributed?  What future business models for distribution and ownership will affect the way we read?

I had a couple of ideas for exploration, so I’ll post them both and see what people gravitate toward.

1.  Yahoo! closed down Geocities this past October.  In the 1990’s, Geocities was the introduction to webpage design for millions of users.  Its ease of use gave the average web citizen the chance to share vast amounts of new creative work.  Pictures, poetry, short stories and general ranting abounded alongside slews of “Under Construction” signs.  This talk would explore digital preservation concerns over the death of Geocities, and examine the tireless work of some creative individuals to preserve those documents.

The Internet Archive, Reocities, and Internet Archaeology are among the preservationists who took it upon themselves to save these early websites.  We could talk about how and why they achieved this, and perhaps have a fun look at some of what was saved.

2.  Over the summer, Amazon removed copies of George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm from users who had purchased them via the Kindle.  While Amazon apologized for their treatment of this copyright issue, the incident raises a number of questions.  What does personal ownership mean when it comes to digital works?  How will these issues evolve as electronic media devices become more prevalent?