Welcome to “What Do We Really Know about Social

Media in Museums?”

It’s not about social media. It’s about being more

social.

Hashtag to follow: #musesocial

In the room now• Elissa Frankle, US Holocaust Memorial

Museum, @museums365• Georgina Goodlander, Smithsonian American

Art Museum, @bathlander• Victoria Portway, National Air and Space

Museum, @sluggernova• Jeff Gates, Smithsonian American Art Museum,

@outtacontext• Darren Milligan, Smithsonian Center for

Education and Museum Studies, @darrenmilligan

Hashtag to follow: #musesocial

• Rachel Greiner, National Air and Space Museum, @gator_rach

• Brian Alpert, Smithsonian Office of the CIO, @balpert

• Erin Blasco, Smithsonian Postal Museum, @erinblasco

Twitterly here:• Sarah Banks, National Museum of Natural

History, @sbanks20• Amelia Wong, US Holocaust Memorial Museum,

@amelialikespieShared account: @mw12social

Intended Outcomes

• Educate ourselves about SM practice • Be a supportive community • Help professionals speak to

colleagues, leadership about social strategies, issues• Grow understanding of SM

followers• Document and discuss next steps

Audiences (broadcast mode) vs.

Communities (dialog mode)

Audiences are no longer relevant. Long live communities!

.

Discuss passionately.

What do our visitors want from online outreach?

3% said “valid science and authentic history.” 97% said

“cats.”

LearningPeople don’t learn through social media.And even if they do, you can’t tell.

Discuss epically.

Measuring learning on social media:

No kitty curator tweets today. Sleeping in a basket of clean laundry.

LURNINGL

Secret algorithm: This day in history tweet

+ link to collections+ learning outcome approved by education dept + curatorial and PR review - cute cat photos lacking connection to mission+ cat photo deeply related to mission / number of followers = Lurning score = 82Pandasonian @Pandasonian

Gave you L+ in social media learning

RolesEveryone should speak on behalf of museums.

Discuss interdisciplinarily.

We can’t let *everyone* speak on behalf of

the museum via social media.

Pandasonian @Pandasonian

You wouldn’t believe what they made me eat today.Think I might hurl on a tourist. Cheap food.

Pandasonian @Pandasonian

So many people taking my photo. Does this new landscaping make me look fat?

Pandasonian @Pandasonian

My poop on Instagram: instagr.am/p/pandapoop

Pandasonian @Pandasonian

Woot, my girlfriend is knocked up! Wait, was I not supposed to share that yet?

MetricsWe don’t measure engagement with exhibits. Why should we measure it with social media?

Discuss with vigor.

Having lots of followers doesn’t indicate success!

#justsayin!

Let’s keep talking!

Hashtag to follow: #musesocial

In the room now• Elissa Frankle, US Holocaust Memorial

Museum, @museums365• Georgina Goodlander, Smithsonian American

Art Museum, @bathlander• Victoria Portway, National Air and Space

Museum, @sluggernova• Jeff Gates, Smithsonian American Art Museum,

@outtacontext• Darren Milligan, Smithsonian Center for

Education and Museum Studies, @darrenmilligan

Hashtag to follow: #musesocial

• Rachel Greiner, National Air and Space Museum, @gator_rach

• Brian Alpert, Smithsonian Office of the CIO, @balpert

• Erin Blasco, Smithsonian Postal Museum, @erinblasco

Twitterly here:• Sarah Banks, National Museum of Natural

History, @sbanks20• Amelia Wong, US Holocaust Memorial Museum,

@amelialikespieShared account: @mw12social

The end!

Learning• For now, learning = change in knowledge, behavior,

attitude, engagement/interest, or skills. • Does learning on SM look or sound different than it

does in other museum environments? • Do SM followers want to learn? Followers sometimes

say they want to be surprised, delighted, amused. How does this relate to learning?

• Does learning happen within SM itself or does it only occur once a link has been clicked?

• Can SM spark a change in skills or behavior—or are we limited at an “increase of knowledge” level?

• How do we know if we achieved learning outcomes on SM?

I want SM delighted by my interactions with museums on social media #musesocial - @richmintz

From "museum consumers" @SometimesRhymes & @veomega: SM great when it gets visitors to try new things, not just stare @ screen. #musesocial - @museums365

Who should speak on behalf of museums?

• Do our audiences want to hear from more people? (Friend a building?)

• Is there a desire by more staff to participate in the museum's social media outreach? If not everyone, who has the "right stuff" to participate in social media? What should the criteria be?

• Are the biggest challenges in recruiting more voices for social media culture, policy, resource, perceived value, education, training?

• Could resource constraints be reduced through greater participation from more staff?

• What organizational culture shifts that need to occur for more to participate in social media?

• Are we using SM to create dialog? Or are we using it to broadcast?

• Should we be using sm to create channels outside the main museum?

• Is there a difference between fan boys, rabid fans, and community? Do fan boys build excitement or are they a distraction?