Museums and the Web 2011

Key learning

(and cool stuff)

@kajsahartig

Museums and the Web

• Museums and the Web is an annual conference exploring the social, cultural, design, technological, economic, and organizational issues of culture, science and heritage on-line. (And mobile, and etc..) • 3 days of workshops, plenary sessions, demonstrations, awards and Starbucks coffee. • Wide range of institutions, companies and roles represented

Don’t invent, iterate

• Model of shared learning between institutions as at MW2011 is a really great thing.• We should use the information gained from this process to build upon each other’s work.• Establish best practice from methods which have worked for others.• “To reach higher we need to stand on others’ shoulders instead of building our own stepladders” (@homebrewer)

Analytics: what does the data tell us?

• Findings from the Pew report (US)

•http://www.pewinternet.org/

•UK equivalent: Office National Statistics

•http://bit.ly/onsinternet

• 1/3 US adults not online (1/4ish UK). Who aren’t you reaching? Also class/privilege/age gap.

• Teens text average 50 times a day - social networks invaded by adults

Analytics: what does the data tell us?

•Standardising analytics – ongoing Culture 24 project

•17 organisations – e.g. Kew, Science Museum etc

•Used free tools to measure influence and engagement (Klout and Tweetlevel), varied between organisations.

•social media clickthroughs about a tenth of that from organic search

•people on facebook stay on facebook, does it matter?

Games

•Games must be fun, duh. •Games panel examples – MyMuseum - collection mechanic on its own – boring – need competition and or social aspects to appeal to younger players•Spore – example of intended learning in conflict with gameplay. Went for gameplay in the end.•Our workshop – start with gameplay and learning together from the outset, use existing mechanics that work.

Games

•Can provide a space for creation/participation

•“Participation engine”•Third space theory and attitudinal change•Players will create their own narratives•Evaluation at all stages is really important

•Wolfquest example – changed focus from rehabilitating image of wolves because people already felt positively.

Cool stuff

•Exploratorium. Esp Augmented Reality (AR) – Andre Le GeANT and Golden Gate altimeter. •Different but both using AR well as a medium

Cool stuff

•Smithsonian Wiki to develop a Web and New Media strategy •series of workshops with staff, open to all•Recorded on the wiki to enable amendment and sorting•Resulted in the Smithsonian Commons http://www.si.edu/commons/prototype/)

Cool stuff

•Video creation tool

And finally

•Storytelling•We have a wealth of data, imagery, objects etc •One of our potentially most valuable ways to make this accessible to is to tell stories with it.