Global arts portal takes shape

Visiting Arts, in partnership with Creative Scotland, is trialling an online cultural information platform, described as a “facebook meets yellow pages for the cultural sector”. WorldCulture.Net is intended to be a “destination for artists and arts organisations to connect with each other and industry intelligence”, and to create a global network of people and content across the arts and cultural sector, connecting “artists with artists, artists with markets and artists with audiences”. Information from and about more than 50 countries will form the basis for the new cultural profiles. The site will also enable users to add and edit three types of content: endorsed (provided by a verified source such as the Ministry of Culture for a given country); user-generated (provided by anyone); and reviewed (verified by other users). Focus groups are being held across the UK and in Europe and Asia to inform the development of the site.