Ivan Davydov Net-nformation resources on culture and art

Starting with the subject we have to make a stipulation. First of all, as it is seen from the title, we'll discuss media projects only. What is not less important, we'll focus on Net editions exclusively, i.e. those that don't have analogues in traditional media. For the last two years more or less complete versions of majority of central and regional newspapers, magazines and radio and TV sites have appeared. The most part of it has cultural headings, or at least regular publications on current cultural situation or history on culture and art. Although these sections do not differ from their paper, TV or radio prototypes.

Classification

About five hundred sites are registered in the 'Art' section of a popular catalogue of Russian Net resources named "Rambler" (http://www.rambler.ru). About half of it can be qualified as media projects. In fact, the number of the like sites is much more larger, including those sites that can be named monosubject, though either registered in other categories more matching their subjects ('Cinema', 'Music', etc.), or not registered at all. It's evident that absence of stiff classification for such kind of resources makes the access of a researcher difficult, and what's more important impedes users searching information. That's why we're going to offer a number of classifications (on various grounds), that will be used further to describe general situation with cultural and information resources in Russian Internet.

The most general division indicator, to our mind, is the following: if the edition is focused on cultural and art problems, or has wider range of subjects, and the subjects we're interested in are covered in specific divisions (more seldom, without subdivision from general information stream).

The following division may also seem considerable: one part of the projects specialized exclusively on Internet cultural life (though number of such is too little), the other one covers off-line cultural life, and the third and the smallest presents both, on-line and off-line cultural events.

Projects we're interested in can be also divided into polysubject and monosubject (additional definitions seem not to be necessary). It is evident that the groups that appeared according to the given division may partly intersect with the groups that appeared according to the division given in the latter paragraph. But this coincidence is by no means complete. A good number of classifications is offered here only because it allows to take into account maximum number of indications essential for evaluation of the project, hence to clearly and precisely describe the picture on current existence of the Internet-media class we're interested in.

Character of the prepared information within the project seems to be essential, as well. On this basis, the resources can be divided into copy resources and editorial (prepared by a group of authors) ones. This mode of division may seem a sort of a clone of routine division into traditional 'projects' (worked out and supported by a group of persons) and 'home pages'. However, this is not true. At present, we have lots of projects being a content worked out by a concrete author and supported and published by a group (e.g. "Contemporary Russian Literature with Kuritsyn" - http://www.guelman.ru/slava). In this case, by the way, we can again observe the intersection of the divided groups since all known copy projects are monosubject ones (perhaps, except 'The Cultural Guide' by Serguei Kuznetsov, http://www.russ.ru/culture/guide, but this is not an independent project being part of a larger one). On the contrary, not every monosubject project is a copy project, and many of them totally match the editorial category.

The type of information presented in the project is regarded to be considerably important as well. Here, the following division proves to be correct: resources presenting news exclusively (announcement of future event, advertising items, etc.), commenting resources (literary and art criticism), and resources combining the first two types of information.
Thus, we've easily reached the last of the offered classifications. Cultural resources are worth dividing into financed resources and those produced by attempts of enthusiasts enjoying universal respect. It's also worth pointing out that the most part of cultural and cultural and information resources of the Russian Internet, making first steps of its development, were produced exactly in that way (only a few years ago). Tendencies beginning to show in this field should be only welcomed for some reasons. There's no doubt that lack of financing does not considerably influence quality of the content. Sometimes 'home pages' on the cultural news, history of culture or analysis of the current cultural situation are created by brilliant professionals in this or that field, surpassing in the content quality some of the financed projects worked out by an editorial group (one of the most striking examples is 'Virtual Cinema Study' by Guennady Maslovsky, http://www.litera.ru/vkino). Although non-financed projects are literally doomed because of a poor design (if only by a lucky and quite rare strike of coincidence the author of the project is also a designer). Absence of handy skills in working out web projects tells on suitable archives and navigation. And besides, total absence of advertising doesn't give way to publicity of the project.

Characteristics of polysubject projects

Starting with the first pithy part of this article we'll try to certify the used methodology. The reader may find complex structure of the offered divisions superfluous. The method that presents multitude of projects coming to their content difference, not taking into consideration their specific structure, may seem more natural. We believe that such an approach would not allow to adequately formulate many problems. In this case there's no surprise that we'll dwell only on some of the divided resources that seem to us most essential. Less essential indications will be taken into account by all means, and accentuated when it is necessary.

Thus, the number of resources drawn by attention of creators concentrated on more or less wide sector of cultural life is quite restricted. The most considerable reason here is the obvious necessity of financing. 

There're some other reasons. Analysis of going to the sites shows that the greatest demand belongs to political resources of the Russian Net (we don't take porno sites with a traditionally high rating); then the resources connected with computer technologies come (with an exception of successful rival of political resources, that is game sites that can be regarded as cultural subject resources). Cultural resources may try the third place. Such an estimation seems to be rather approximate. And this fact may witness that the Russian Internet public satisfies its cultural interests addressing off-line resources. There's just no substantial demand for on-line cultural resources. Hence we sorrowfully have to state that it could be difficult to forecast production of polysubject Net resources on culture and art in the nearest future. You could hardly find a person who would agree to invest into projects known unpopular. The negative role is also played by off-line mass media expansion of the last half a year. More or less complete MM versions are placed in the Net which is a positive fact, though only on the one hand, due to high quality of the content that 'lifts the plank'. On the other hand, specific Net mass media may not survive in this competition.
The users may not feel lack of quantity of Net mass media on culture and art as a problem. But we dare suppose that the larger is importance of Internet as an information media. 

We mean precisely structured resource catalogues on culture and art (including classifications like offered in the first part of the article, or even more detailed ones). Resource catalogues are traditionally rather popular, but all catalogues available in the Russian Internet for the moment are trying to embrace too wide range of subjects, simultaneously lacking concentration on a particular subject. Secondly, they show absence of clear classification and stiff demands for site registration in this or that category. The list of shortcoming can be continued. We believe that these catalogues frequently complicate, and not facilitate the search. One makes use of them just having no other choice. Though things go not as bad with the catalogues on culture and art. There is some number of monosubject catalogues uniting resources on literature, music, etc. Some of monosubject sites hold rather complete collections of references that can be used as mini-catalogues. Although there is no original portal which could pool cultural resources of the Russian Net together. Let us hope that it will be built in the nearest future.
It's worth saying that there is a number of polysubject projects of news type in the Net. First of all, it is various advertising material (though even here we have much more monosubject projects). But, developing, they come across not so many problems. Most part of information published within these projects is of advertising origin that helps to afford not a poor living. It's obvious that while polysubject projects give preferences to analyses, criticism and commentaries, and may cover, at least theoretically, cultural events taking place on a rather vast territory, news resources of the cultural sphere pool together the news located within a concrete city. Here we deal, naturally, with wealthy capital sites (e.g. Moscow oriented project, http://www.weekend.ru). Regional structures of this kind also take place but the number is too little, the demand is rather low. But this is already reflection of the situation, and we could go too far from the Net studying its reasons.

Even now one can feel patent lack of polysubject cultural resources of quite different kind. We mean projects showing cultural life in the Net. Since this phenomenon exists there is need in reflecting upon it. Though little attempts are made to comprehend it. It's difficult to consider what is the reason and what are the consequences here - is it lack of places or lack of professionals interested in development of the Net and efficient discussion of specific Net cultural events, or perhaps, even the cultural history of the Net. Nevertheless, we can name some resources of this kind. Firstly, it's the 'Net Culture' heading in 'The Russian Magazine' (http://www.russ.ru/netcult/index.html). Inspite of the heading it can't be describes as a cultural resource, though articles and expert materials on various problems of Internet culture are being published there. As a shortcoming caught at first sight absence of clearly formulated editorial programme is worth pointing out. It seems not to be any other polysubject information resources on Net culture - sites and magazines similar to 'Internet Planet', 'Internet World', 'Inter.Net', etc. are not examined in this article being primely Net versions of traditional editions though covering Internet problems.

So-called web-reviews partly function as polysubject cultural resources on cultural problems within Internet. This is a traditional genre for Russian Internet representing more or less wide annotation to references on new or interesting, on an author's point of view, resources. Nevertheless, a number of essential shortcomings can be found there. First of all, as far as we know, there are no reviews dedicated exclusively to problems of Net culture and cultural events in the Net. Information on cultural events here is presented on par with other information (Marat Guelman's site 'Contemporary Art in the Net' cannot be regarded as an exception here, at least to our mind; 'in the Net' constitutes rather the mode of existence than the topics). These reviews, without an exception, are copy projects, and the authors are not always efficient enough to give description of a cultural event, moreover, to reflect on it. We can already constitute fall of users' interest to this type of reviews that is very much obvious if compared with a particular 'review boom' that took place only about a year or half a year ago. If constructing of a subject portal of a high quality does not seem impossible, unfortunately, it is too hard to believe in an efficient review of Net cultural events combining a complete list of news and a suspended professional commentary.

Characteristics of monosubject resources

As we've already noted, the number of monosubject information cultural resources in the Net tops the number of polysubject ones. The overwhelming majority is copy projects existing due to enthusiasm of the authors. The most wide range of resources is represented in literature, music, theatre, visual arts, web design and electronic art. Though one can come across rather interesting resources on most exotic topics like art of tattoo, North America Indians culture, etc.
It is easy to examine resources following basic subjects, and paying attention to the problems and specific traits of the indicated group in general.

a) Literature
Perhaps, literature resources are represented most widely in the Russian Net. It seems embarrassing to indicate the exact number as well as to offer a comprehensive classification taking into account all resources of the type. We'll, nevertheless, try to describe those ones that can be regarded as media.

These are libraries, first of all. Electronic text collections are rather popular with the users, though containing diverse shortcomings. The most wide collections (and the most popular) are being generated on a simple basic principle: practically any kind of digitized text is uploaded. It is too difficult to retrace the conception according to which the text massif is being formed, and, perhaps, there isn't one at all. A typical example of such an approach is the most popular and one of the best libraries of the Russian Net - Maxim Moshkov's Library (http://www.lib.ru). This kind of library may contain and contains critical essays on various cultural and art problems (of most various quality, let's add to be fair). And this is the very first reason why libraries can be regarded as information resources.

First of all, these libraries are generated on the basis of literary societies - open, as the Stern LITO (http://www.lito.spb.ru), or disguised, as the 'Periscope' journal (http://www.periscope.ru). With this mode of text forming, the library becomes a true cultural and information resource, serving as a sort of magazine of a literary group. They accumulate literary criticism within the group, as well. Theoretical role of these resources is quite clear. Practically everything sets once again against one of the points of our classification.

Secondly, there is a considerable number of subject libraries in the Russian Net. One can find not only books on a particular subject here, but pages devoted to a concrete author, as well. Apart from literary (philosophic, etc.) works, sites of this type contain criticism on a particular subject. All problems of lack of financing and professional web support are obvious here, though there are sites of an extremely high level. Example - site 'Books of Vasily Rozanov' (http://users.kaluga.ru/kosmorama/). When regularly renovated similar sites become interesting and valuable cultural and informational resources. Not the last role here belongs to the subjective factor, that is efficiency of the author of the site (since this type of editions is usually a copy project). It took, for instance, a rather short time for 'Contemporary Russian Literature with Kuritsyn' (http://www.guelman.ru/slava/index.html) to become one of the most popular literary resources of the Russian Net. To be quite fair, we should remark that the site is financed and supported by a professional team, though the main reason of success is, undoubtedly, that the author knows the subject. This site is also an ideal example of combining literature and infoproject; it contains both, original texts, criticism and even a sort of advertisement of literary events.

It is natural that besides various projects that can be qualified as libraries the Net contains, say, pure critical literary sites. Unfortunately, the number is not so large. The majority is oriented either on off-line literature only, or on off-line literature for the most part, i.e. the situation here is similar to the situation with polysubject resources.

Sites on multitude literary competitions combining traits of libraries and literary and critical projects, hence holding unique features, stand by themselves as a type. They contain both, texts of competition works and peculiar criticism, more often as discussions (open or expert). The specific is in the very idea of the competition and choosing of the best work. 

b) Music
There are not so many resources connected with music in the Russian Net. The biggest part represents collections of audiophiles what is can be easily explained - that's what users are primely interested in.

Here we have majority of information, subject or dedicated to one musician, and sites dubbing the situation with literature. There are some absolutely brilliant ones, like 'Jazz in Russia' (http://www.jazz.ru/), though quality of the content and web presentation of the largest part is beyond criticism. Reasons of such a condition are quite obvious, as we've already mentioned. These sites are, as a rule, copy non-financed projects (primely just fan home pages). Even in the most rare cases when the author of the site is competent enough to provide it with quality material he lacks possibilities for generating the design and the structure. And the advertisement is even not worth talking about. 

In this situation, specific Net resources start playing their particular role. Firstly, these are official sites of music groups and musicians. As a rule, they are being regularly refreshed and accumulate information of different type, including ads, criticism (even off-line reprints) and interviews. This changes them into valuable resources, though oriented, first of all, on fans.
Secondly, though it might seem surprising, corporate sites of recording companies sometimes perform as information resources. The situation here resembles of the situation with virtual bookshops. Motivated by advertising goals exclusively the creators upload not only business information but also music world news, interviews, etc. The site of "DANA" company may stand here as an example (http://www.danamusic.ru/).

Problems of the sites with more wide subjects are generally typical for polysubject projects. Financing necessity and lack of demand together with active and overwhelming off-line invasion into the Net, make difficult the survival, for the moment at least.

c) Visual arts; web design, theatre
Situation with representing original projects on painting, photography and web design in the Net is rather regrettable. We mean information projects. Some information (off-line events mostly) can be taken from materials published on polysubject cultural and information sites. As a rule, creators of original Net projects are concentrated on the artefacts as such, and are not reflecting on them. There is quite an impressing number of web galleries presenting both, well-known and unknown artists, though we practically lack sites on contemporary art problems, as much as worthy sites on fine art history. The problem of shortage in news information is partly solved by projects accumulated in the 'Museums of Russia' server(http:/museum.ru/). But it doesn't submit absence of criticism and analysis.

Practically the same situation is being observed with information resources on photography. Five fingers will do to count the projects that can have a claim on mass media status. Example - 'OK Photo' (http://www.nt.unets.ru/okphoto/). And this seems to be the only magazine on theory of photography. We can, by the way, draw an analogy to the role that plays the project 'Museums of Russia' and the role of wonderfully made site of Moscow House of Photography (http:/www.mdf.ru/). Meanwhile, a few sites of photostudios do not contain anything worth attention, except corporate information and samples.

We dare include theatre resources into this section following rather a banal reason - there is nothing of the kind at all. One can come through unique ones like, for instance, http:/www.theatre.ru and a few regional resources of the type, though generated less wider. And some of the theatres have personal pages performing cultural and information functions, thus repeating the mechanism described when talking of home pages of music groups and musicians. And, again, polysubject resources publishing sometimes information on theatre can be of help in this case.

d) Cinema
And on the contrary, there are many various information projects on the cinema in the Net. We consider the following types of sites could be marked here. These are, first of all, wide subjects resources of not a large number. It's worth underlining that the overwhelming majority here bents for news information - ads, ratings, 'star life' news, etc. Maximum of criticism one can count on is reviews on new pictures. We believe the most bright exception here is the 'Virtual Cinema Study' project that has been already mentioned, though generated and supported by a solemn enthusiast, hence not presentable and hardly known.
It's necessary to note restricted subject projects that are, as a rule, generated by enthusiasts and share the same problems we've already discussed in this article. These are the pages dedicated to the creator's favorite picture, or more seldom to a favorite film director. The fact that some of them are of a rather high quality might arise surprise.
Here, similar to literature and music, corporate sites start performing as information editions. Publishing announcements of films and some news the sites of video production companies turn into a sort of mass media due to the principle 'better something than zero'.

CONCLUSION

Thus, we cannot say that information field of Net mass media connected with cultural subjects is empty. However, it is not much ploughed. Quantity of information and cultural resources of the Russian Net undoubtedly surpasses similar off-line editions. But a vast part of these resources generated by creators that deserve attention, and by no means respect, remains just without demand.

As we've already mentioned, part of the problem might be solved by a full-fledged subject catalogue on resources containing classification and directions of selection. There isn't one at the moment. And organizing of various competitions is not less important here. But we believe this is not the prime thing.
Up to the moment, most people considers Internet a marginal sphere unable to generate anything worthy. It is typical that some off-line mass media support this sort of impression on purpose, encouraged by many recent political scandals connected with the Net. 

Talking on perspectives of development in this sphere the following forecast seems to be discharged. First of all, numerous number of chances to catch the public's attention (and to survive in the long run) belongs to projects that are not only cultural, leaving aside news resources of the advertising type. Information blocks 'fastened' to popular information, primely information political Net media, have the chance to reach the public and to find the consumer. These resources will be polysubject that is explained by the character of general projects. And this is more a positive tendency since there's a keen lack of polysubject cultural resources. It will be more and more complicated for narrow-subject resources to be at least noticed.

Then we may forecast that in the nearest future quantity and the role, and let's hope quality, of resources connected with development of various art forms within the Net. To our mind, it will be connected with off-line editions expansion. It's too difficult to compete with them which is proved by great change in the rating of resource popularity in the last half a year. The creators are, as a rule, outsiders to specific Net problems. Even now they are not able to provide an efficient commentary on any Internet event. Though undoubtedly, there are efficient people in the Net society, and they'll have a vast field for activities.

We also consider that the capital projects will again prevaluate in the field of cultural and information on-line mass media. The reasons are quite clear. It is quite unclear how to change the situation here. In many cases regional resources do not have opportunities to reach the mass public that they really deserve. There is nothing left but hope that targeted projects oriented on promotion of regional resources will come up.

APPENDIX

In this enclosure we give a summary review of the most interesting, to our mind, resources in order of content parts of the article. The review contains both, participants of competition and projects that didn't take part in it. The choice was made on basis of our, alas, personal preferences, though we did our best to be extremely objective.

Polysubject resources:

General subjects
'Cultural news' in 'The Russian Magazine'
http://www.russ.ru/culture/index.html
This had been a rather poor heading. For the moment the editors have managed to recruit well-known Moscow art-critics, and things started improving. It contains a Moscow oriented ad column and articles on vast specter of actual topics.

'Zhurnal.ru'
http://www.zhurnal.ru/
The oldest and once the best Russian Net humanitarian project has lost its unity. It's music and cinema headings only that are being refreshed by new ads and articles.
This is, unfortunately, nearly a complete list of polysubject cultural and information editions with no off-line analogues. It is typical that both editions had paper versions but had to gave them up on financial accounts.

Polysubject editions oriented on Net subjects
'Net Culture' in 'The Russian Magazine'
http://www.russ.ru/netcult/index.html
This is almost a unique edition of the type except magazines with paper versions. Materials on Net cultural phenomena actually appear here on par with other, though regularly and on the most wide specter of topics, and are of a rather high quality, as a rule.

Monosubject projects

a) Literature

Libraries
For the moment we are familiar to more than three hundred Russian e-libraries. 'Literature' server (http://www.litera.ru) contains the most complete catalogue.

Nonsubject libraries
Maxim Moshkov's Library
http://www.lib.ru
The most voluminous and popular among Russian e-libraries. Absence of a long thought rubricator might be considered a shortcoming. One can quite often come through inefficiently digitized texts, as well. Though this may be similarly regarded to other current non-subject libraries.

Language Shop
http://vladivostok.com/Speaking_In_Tongues
We consider it the best library in the Russian Net which could be named a media project as, apart from translations from classic and contemporary foreign literature, contains regularly uploaded literary criticism of highest quality and some other materials.

Subject libraries
1812 Project Library
http://www.museum.ru/museum/1812/Library/
Mostly voluminous collection of texts including original electronic editions.

Jewels of English Poetry
http://www.geocities.com/MadisonAvenue/1502
Collection of translated English poetry containing criticism.

Slang folklore
http://www.aviso.com.ua/blat/
A brilliantly generated collection containing also a block of additional materials on the topic.

Literary Competitions
The most complete address list of existing competitions is on the http://www.guelman.ru/frei/. In the article we've already reflected on their specific characteristics.

b) Music

Most interesting subject projects
An Author Song at Sergo and Chizh
http://www.ksp.krsk.ru/
The most complete subject resource.

'Ivanov' Rock Magazine
http://www.ivanov.ru
Russian and foreign rock music magazine exploiting Internet possibilities for presenting the material that is rather unusual for Net editions.

'Light music for the little bit hard of hearing' in the 'Lenin' magazine
http://www.imperium.lenin.ru/LENIN/
Reviews on shows of some of Russian rock groups traditionally generated in a rather provocative manner.

c) Cinema

Wide subjects editions
Virtual Cinema Study
http://www.litera.ru//vkino/
Extensive and regularly renovated project on contemporary Russian cinema. The author makes attempts to generated it as a hypertext.

'Cinema Express'
http://www.kino.orc.ru/index.shtml
Daily magazine with prevalence of news, though containing critical reviews on new films.