In the last couple of years, virtual museums have become very popular, allowing everyone to learn about art, history, and culture without stepping out of the house.
For art lovers, history lovers, or just those who have a dream to have a different hobby, virtual museums are an excellent opportunity to get acquainted with the best collections of the world without leaving home.
The following seven guidelines will help you maximize your virtual museum experience.
1. Choose the Right Platform
To begin assessing virtual museums, it is necessary to determine the correct program. Every popular museum has a special page on its website, dedicated to virtual tours; some museums collaborate with Google Arts & Culture. Here are several popular options to consider.
- Google Arts & Culture: Offers live tours of more than thousands of museums across the world, including the Louvre Museum, the British Museum, and the Van Gogh Museum.
- Museum Websites: Most of the well-known museums and galleries, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Museum, have their own virtual tours.
- Virtual Reality Apps: For the purpose of realism, there are VR applications such as Oculus Venues, which also include virtual tours to museums.
If you choose the platform that offers the target interest and corresponds to the technological level, you will have a more enjoyable time in the virtual museum.
2. Ensure a Stable Internet Connection
This is very annoying when you are in a tour that is either slow or has been intermitted. To really appreciate the virtual museums, a stable and fast internet connection is very important. Here are a few tips to optimize your connection.
- Use a Wired Connection: To ensure that your device connects to the router with the highest priority, connect it directly to the router using an Ethernet cable.
- Limit Other Internet Usage: Make sure that other devices in your home are not using a lot of bandwidth during your tour.
- Upgrade Your Plan: If you always experience slow connection, then you should change your internet connection plan to one that is faster.
In essence, constant connection to the internet allows one to have better images and other aspects that are present on the websites.
3. Utilize a VPN for Unrestricted Access
Geographical restrictions can also be a problem that can limit a person from accessing virtual museum tours. However, there are some things that can be done to avoid such restrictions and one of them is to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network). Here’s how to do it.
- Choose a Reliable VPN Service: Select a reputable service provider with a track record of employing effective security features and fast connection speed.
- Select an Appropriate Server Location: It is necessary to connect to a server in the country where the content is being unblocked.
- Consider an Expat VPN if you live abroad: For those who are living in another country, an expat VPN can turn out to be very useful. It helps people watch cultural programs from their home country, without missing virtual museum tours they like.
With the help of a VPN, you can expand the list of virtual museums you can visit and get more cultural content.
4. Plan Your Visit
Just like when visiting museums in real life, some preparation is needed to fully enjoy the virtual museum. Here are some tips for effective planning.
- Research Exhibitions: Look for the current exhibitions, as well as other special attributes that can be provided on the website of the museum.
- Schedule Your Time: The time for your virtual visit should be arranged in a way so that you are not distracted when you are supposed to be learning or working.
- Prepare Materials: It is recommended that you have a pen and paper or any other device that you can use to write down your thoughts and ideas when going through various facts.
This way, one is able to prevent getting lost in a virtual museum and, at the same time, ensure that they don’t miss certain peculiarities of the museum.
5. Engage with Interactive Features
Additional options that most virtual museums have include:
- 360-Degree Tours: Navigate through galleries similar to being in the museum in person.
- Zoom Functions: Use this feature to view museum objects in detail for the best experience.
- Audio Guides and Videos: One can watch videos and listen to the comments of the experts to understand the exhibits in a better way.
Engagement with these features will improve your virtual visit, making it possible for you to acquire more information concerning the exhibits.
6. Take Advantage of Educational Resources
Virtual museums are distinguished by providing many teaching materials that can add to your knowledge. These resources may include:
- Curatorial Essays and Articles: Obtain additional details from the articles on various sections and subjects, written by professionals.
- Workshops and Webinars: Go to the seminars or webinars for more information about a certain subject or specified technique.
- Interactive Quizzes and Games: Make learning fun by giving a quiz on the content you covered as a way of reviving the knowledge.
These resources are useful in increasing the awareness of the museum’s contents and offer a better learning experience.
7. Share Your Experience
Sharing the experiences that you have at the virtual museums can also improve art appreciation. Here are some ways to do this.
- Social Media: Share your favorite exhibits or your opinion on your virtual visit on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
- Virtual Tours with Friends: Mention to friends or relatives that it is possible to watch the museum’s videos together during a video call, or use a chat tool to discuss your experience.
- Online Communities: Participate in online groups or discussion boards that are related to art and museums to share the experience.
Communicating with other people can reduce the feeling of loneliness in a particular situation and provide a fresh perspective on the exhibits that are being viewed.