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Promoting Your Organization on a Budget: Strategies from The Public Humanities Toolbox

Leah K. NahmiasMasters of public humanities

Brown University

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Can you help me get a sense of who you are?

Historical society

Preservation organization

Ethnic/cultural organization

Other history-related organization

Literary arts organization

Theater organization

Arts organization

Independent contractor, vendor, artist, writer

RICH staff, volunteer, board

Who did I leave out?

+What is The Public Humanities Toolbox?

A framework (or toolbox) of free or inexpensive Web 2.0 applications to build a more engaging web presence

Designed for small cultural heritage organizations with limited budgets, staff, and expertise

Explains uses and “how-tos” for blogs, wikis, Google Maps, Flickr (photographs), Scribd (documents), Facebook, Twitter, podcasting, and more

http://publichumanitiestoolbox.wordpress.com Download the complete handbook for free Find examples of tools in use Download this entire presentation starting this afternoon

+Some words of advice…

Social media is like a free kitten: easy to get one, but then you have to take care of it!

Plan carefully about which tools work best for your organization based on your goals and audience

Let your organization’s needs determine which tools you use (rather than the other way around)

Needs Assessment

+All tools communicate, but which ones really do?

Email

Twitter

Blogs

Social Networking Sites

Podcast

+Twitter

Free

Users leave “mini” status updates of 140 characters or less

Anyone who knows your username can read your Twitter feed

Users can follow you; you can follow others

Individuals and organizations can tweet

Can update (and receive updates) from mobile phones as well as regular old website

+How small cultural heritage organizations can use Twitter To connect with community (as an organization)

Share quick reminders of events, opportunities Remind community of updates to your website, blog, etc. A less formal voice for the institution (see Smithsonian

example) Fun and games: contests, “this date in history,” etc.

To keep up with best practices (as an individual) Follow consultants or organizations whose work you admire;

they’ll usually share what they’re reading, what conferences they’re attending…

To crowd-source help (as an individual or organization) Fast and easy way to quickly gather feedback on a thorny

problem, to find a consultant or vendor, etc. (Looking for examples of X…any suggestions?)

Your network can reply back to you (@lnahmias)

+Blogs

Basic web publishing software Many free or inexpensive options

Posts appear in reverse chronological order

Can create separate tabs or pages for different aspects of a project or organizations

Can serve as organization’s site or can incorporate into your existing website

+Blogs: We like Wordpress

Highly customizable

Not-for-profit organization; open-source

Lots of users: advice, help, and new features developed all the time

Two versions Fast and Easy Wordpress Bigger and Better Wordpress

+How small cultural heritage organizations can use blogs

Can serve as a site for the organization, for a project, or as an “add on” to existing project or organization site

Show “behind the scenes” work of your organization “Talk with the director” “Meet the archivist” Installation shots with explanatory captions Way to recognize your most dedicated volunteers

Keep community informed of projects, articles, events related to your mission

Ask for reflections/memories of historical events, places, etc.

+An example: Art+History website http://artplushistory.wordpres

s.com

Created to promote student exhibition and programming series

Also used to “demonstrate” viability of Public Humanities Toolbox model

Fast & Easy Wordpress

Total cost $25 (for Flickr subscription)

Uses Wordpress (blog), Flickr (photos), Scribd (essays, curriculum & teaching materials)

+Social Networking

Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn

Connect to others with similar interests or in similar fields or create a lasting contact with a casual acquaintance

For Facebook or MySpace, create a profile for your organization; users can become your “fan” Post events or other activities that may be of interest to your

community

A way to reach a younger audience (?) Keep this in mind when deciding what events, activities to post

to your profile Not an instant fix for younger audiences Fans do not necessarily translate into more visits, more

donations

+Podcasting

The most complex and the highest start-up costs

Users can subscribe to your podcasts and automatically download each new one

Can create podcasts of… Interviews with historians or other experts your

organization hosts Behind-the-scenes looks at an exhibit, theater production,

etc. Tours of site, trails

Excellent potential as youth programming (let them create the podcasts)

+Web 2.0: Product or Process?

Web 2.0 tools are interactive—you can allow users to comment on, tag, mash-up and even edit your content

Some organizations worry about “losing control” of their content: will “their” content be accurate, respectful, etc?

Some organizations worry about “letting go” of their expertise: will they need us if we let them have our “stuff”?

We suggest looking at Web 2.0 tools as process as much as product—they are a way of engaging a community as much as a way of creating a finished product This is the opportunity presented by today’s economic crisis This is the thinking that will help us survive

By the way, all of the tools we profile can be amended to prevent comments, tags, editing, etc.

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Thank you

Don’t forget to download the full Public Humanities Toolbox manual http://

publichumanitiestoolbox.wordpress.com

Leah K. Nahmias Leah_nahmias@yahoo.com Twitter: lnahmias

Please feel free to contact me To book a full workshop showing

how to build a website using these tools

For help strategizing how these and other tools can help your organization

With amazing and unique job opportunities in programming for the humanities ;-)