Webrecorder: Web Archiving for All!
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This document summarizes a presentation about Webrecorder, an open source tool for web archiving. Some key points: - Webrecorder allows users to make interactive captures of web pages as they are browsing, preserving things like JavaScript and forms. It provides tools for both capturing and replaying archived web content. - Capturing is done by individuals browsing page-by-page in a web browser. Collections can then be kept private or shared publicly. - The project is open source and free to use. It aims to make web archiving accessible for all through its hosted service and desktop player application. - Examples of collections created using Webrecorder include archives of the Obama White House's social media and net
Webrecorder: Web Archiving for All!
- 1. Webrecorder: Web archiving for all! ARLIS/NA February 26 & 27, 2018 Anna Perricci Webrecorder / Rhizome
- 2. Web archiving fundamentals • Web archiving: the process of selecting, capturing, saving and making accessible select content available online (e.g. websites) • Web archiving is a new and growing field and we need people with new ideas and evolving skill sets • Web archiving has a distinct lack of ‘silver bullets’ or comprehensive one-size- fits-all solutions
- 3. About Webrecorder Create high-fidelity, interactive captures of any web pages you browse http://webrecorder.io Webrecorder Player App
- 4. A project by with generous support from Webrecorder Project ● Robust tools ● Free to use ● Fully open source ● Using open standards ● Growing user community ● Quickly evolving
- 5. Webrecorder Team Dragan Espenschied Rhizome's Digital Conservator Ilya Kreymer Lead developer & Creator Mark Beasley Senior Front-End Developer Pat Shiu Design Lead Anna Perricci Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships
- 6. High fidelity web collecting (archiving) • Capture any web page loaded in the browser • Archive interactive content (only available after user input) • Same system for recording and playback (web browser)
- 7. Collecting at human scale • Webrecorder: web archiving for all! • Collecting is done by a person via a web browser one page at a time • Can import and augment collections created by crawlers The payoff for careful capture is an accurate representation of the original
- 8. Record=capture / replay=browse • Webrecorder.io is used to make interactive captures of web pages as users see them while archiving, but is not a screen recording software that can play recordings back like a video • Replay means you can access the content captured in the web archive and browse it interactively like the live web (or a bit like a slideshow with arrow button)
- 20. Browsing a bound archive • Each collection is a separate unit so at this time you can only navigate content within one collection at a time • This gives tight curatorial control though the boundaries of the collection can sometimes be hit quickly
- 21. Patching with Open Web Archives & Live Web • What is Patching? – Filling in missing resources in an archive using other sources • Other sources = other web archives and/or the live web
- 23. Importing Content from Open Web Archive • Extraction is the importation of content from other open web archives • Archives included in public-web-archives repository can be extracted from
- 24. Preconfigured browsers • Using a preconfigured browsers to capture and replay web content that may not be supported in current or future web browsers • e.g. Java applets or Flash • Access with a preconfigured browser ensures greater faithfulness to the original look and feel of web pages • Browsers use HTTP proxy mode = even better fidelity
- 26. Recording and replaying Flash content
- 27. What about social media? • Webrecorder can capture content from social media sites, and works especially well with Instagram and Twitter • Some websites deliver content individualized for each user • Webrecorder can record the content you see when you are logged in to a social media profile
- 28. Account login is optional • One does not need to login to use Webrecorder to capture web content (though we do recommend it!) • Users can download the captures right away (as a WARC file) & save them locally • For continued access to archived content online & to be able to add to a collection, one must create and log in to a free account
- 29. Access & sharing options • User created collections can be kept private or made public through Webrecorder.io • Public collections can be viewed by anyone • Finer access controls are being considered
- 31. Webrecorder Player • Desktop application for OSX, Windows and Linux • User friendly application to browse any web archive (saved in standard WARC format) • Can browse web archives offline, no internet connection required!
- 32. Using Webrecorder Hosted Service Sign-up at https://webrecorder.io/ for a free account Run your own Webrecorder instance Install from https://github.com/webrecorder/webrecorder-deploy Use Webrecorder Player on your Desktop Download from https://github.com/webrecorder/webrecorderplayer-electron
- 34. The (Obama) White House Social Media Archive http://archive.rhizome.org/narrative- archives/thxobama.html
- 35. Net Art Anthology: Marisa Olson https://anthology.rhizome.org/marisa-s-american-idol-audition-training-blog
- 36. Rhizome net art Microgrants http://rhizome.org/editorial/2017/jul/18/open-call-rhizome-microgrants-2017/
- 37. Ethics & Archiving the Web
- 38. Hope to see you tomorrow!
- 39. A project by with generous support from Thank you
Editor's Notes
- #20: Demo this in the browser. Use as an example: http://howtoappearofflineforever.online/
- #22: Show patching in action.
- #24: Show extracting in action.
- #27: Flash-based interactive documentary – At Home – from NFB (National Filmboard of Canada). Demo example.
- #28: Demo recording of Twitter.
- #32: Demo with the player – later on in the Workshop.