Building Better Government Web Sites:Relevance is in the Eyes of the BeholderPotomac ForumBuilding Better Government Web SitesOctober 30, 2009Washington, DCMichael EdsonDirector, Web and New Media StrategySmithsonian Institution, Office of the CIO

PreambleTwitter: @mpedsonSlideshare.net/edsonmJoin us at http://smithsonian-webstrategy.wikispaces.comBeware…The opinions in this presentation are mine, not the official policy/strategy of the Smithsonian…We’re a little bird

Pan-Institutional Strategic PlanFour Grand Challenges

Pan-Institutional Strategic PlanFour Grand ChallengesUnlocking the Mysteries of the UniverseUnderstanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse PlanetValuing World CulturesUnderstanding the American Experience

Pan-Institutional Strategic PlanThese are big, hairy goals and the outcomes really matter!Four Grand ChallengesUnlocking the Mysteries of the UniverseUnderstanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse PlanetValuing World CulturesUnderstanding the American Experience

RelevanceBut why make strategy?“because you’re afraid, or in pain”Prioritize tactical opportunities?Reestablish relevance?

Fear, Pain, and Relevance

Fear, Pain, and RelevanceQ: Have you ever visited a Smithsonian Web site?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5x4Sga0d1s

Fear, Pain, and RelevanceUnexpected Rivals in Google SearchGoogle ImagesWikipediaOcean.comDiscoveryeducation.comNASAEnchantedlearning.com

Fear, Pain, and RelevanceUnexpected Rivals in ReachGoogle ImagesWikipediaOcean.com…so much more reach than SIthat we don’t even show up on the graph…Enchantedlearning.comsi.edudiscoveryeducation.comocean.com

Fear, Pain, and RelevanceUnexpected Rivals in Reach (July – Sept, 2009)Enchantedlearning.comsi.edudiscoveryeducation.comocean.com

Fear, Pain, and RelevanceUnexpected Rivals in Reach (July – Sept, 2009)Enchantedlearning.com is a two person team, with more online reach than the world’s largest museum and research complex!Enchantedlearning.comsi.edudiscoveryeducation.comocean.com

Fear, Pain, and RelevanceTraffic Trending Downsi.edu – 4% reach Wikipedia.org + 8% reachMoMA.org + 12% reachnpr.org + 20% reach

Fear, Pain, and RelevanceBrand IdentityBrandtags.netWe are the 560th of 928 brands

Fear, Pain, and RelevanceWe’re competing with… everybody!

Fear, Pain, and RelevanceWe’re competing with… everybody!

Fear, Pain, and RelevanceWe’re competing with… everybody!

Fear, Pain, and RelevanceThe Demographic TsunamiNovember 2007 data: Pew Internet and American Life Project

Fear, Pain, and RelevanceThe Demographic Tsunami“Everything we hear from people we interview is that today’s consumers draw no distinctions between an organization’s Web site and their traditional bricks-and-mortar presence: both must be excellent for either to be excellent.” Lee RainiePew Internet and American Life Project

Fear, Pain, and Relevance“The Smithsonian is not an Institution that understands me”From focus group withBay Area millennials, 2009“Surprise me!”

Fear, Pain, and Relevance97% of all online researchefforts pass throughwikipedia.org

Stratified water temperature acts as a barrierFear, Pain, and RelevanceThe ThermoclineA metaphor

Fear, Pain, and RelevanceKnowledge, communication,action models are differentManagementThe ThermoclinePractitionersA metaphor

Fear, Pain, and RelevanceKnowledge, communication,action models are differentDigital ImmigrantThe ThermoclineDigital NativeA metaphor

Fear, Pain, and RelevanceKnowledge, communication,action models are differentNon-millennial POVThe ThermoclineMillennial POVA metaphor

Fear, Pain, and RelevanceMessages get distorted, lostThe ThermoclineA metaphor

Fear, Pain, and RelevanceMessages get distorted, lostThe ThermoclineA metaphor

Fear, Pain, and RelevanceThe Web is a fundamentally newway of gettingthings doneThe Web is a bigger megaphone

Fear, Pain, and Relevance“we are living in the middle of a remarkable increase in our ability to share, to cooperate with one another, and to take collective action, all outside the framework of traditional institutions and organization …Getting the free and ready participation of a large, distributed group with a variety of skills has gone from impossible to simple.” Clay Shirky

Fear, Pain, and RelevanceFocus on innovation/discovery inside the InstitutionCatalyze innovation/discoveryoutside the institutionJoy’s Law: no matter who you are, most of The smartest peoplework for someone else

Old Learning ModelNew Learning ModelFear, Pain, and Relevance

Fear, Pain, and RelevanceFixation on Web 2.0and Social Media

Fear, Pain, and RelevanceWe can get ahead by“doing more of thesame thing”No, you can’t…John P. Kotter, A Sense of Urgency

Fear, Pain, and RelevanceThe Desktop Internet2.5 Billionmobile subscribers

StrategyProcessThe advantages of public, fast, and transparentFaster than traditional committee-driven process Increase size of brain trust Improve the odds for change Improve odds for execution (public promises not easily forgotten) Outside champions more likely to support “commons” goals than status-quo insidersWalking the Talk vis-à-vis crowdsourcing and innovation model“You get what you practice”StrategyExecution

Faster than traditional committee-driven process

Increase size of brain trust

Improve the odds for change

Improve odds for execution (public promises not easily forgotten)

Outside champions more likely to support “commons” goals than status-quo insiders

Walking the Talk vis-à-vis crowdsourcing and innovation model

“You get what you practice”

StrategyProcessThe advantages of public, fast, and transparentFaster than traditional committee-driven process Increase size of brain trust Improve the odds for change Improve odds for execution (public promises not easily forgotten) Outside champions more likely to support “commons” goals than status-quo insidersWalking the Talk vis-à-vis crowdsourcing and innovation model“You get what you practice”More on this process at http://slideshare.net/edsonm and http://smithsonian-webstrategy.wikispaces.comStrategyExecution

Faster than traditional committee-driven process

Increase size of brain trust

Improve the odds for change

Improve odds for execution (public promises not easily forgotten)

Outside champions more likely to support “commons” goals than status-quo insiders

Walking the Talk vis-à-vis crowdsourcing and innovation model

“You get what you practice”

Strategy StructureThree ThemesUpdate the Smithsonian Digital ExperienceUpdate the Smithsonian Learning ModelBalance Autonomy and Control within SIEight GoalsExternal MissionBrandLearningAudienceInternal InterpretationTechnologyBusiness ModelGovernanceEach Goal has specific program, policy, and tactical recommendations

This is what strategy looks like

This is what strategy looks likeThe public strategy wiki athttp://smithsonian-webstrategy.wikispaces.com

This is what strategy looks likeWhich elements are user-focused?I’ll show 10

1“There are few, if any, mechanisms that support findability, Web 2.0 features, and sustained/repeated user engagement across multiple platforms—and in many cases even within individual Web properties.”

2“We are like a retail chain that has desirable and unique merchandise but requires its customers to adapt to dramatically different or outdated idioms of signage, product availability, pricing, and check-out in every aisle of each store. This needs to be addressed to realize the full potential of the Smithsonian’s digital initiatives.”

2“We are like a retail chain that has desirable and unique merchandise but requires its customers to adapt to dramatically different or outdated idioms of signage, product availability, pricing, and check-out in every aisle of each store. This needs to be addressed to realize the full potential of the Smithsonian’s digital initiatives.”

American IndianNational ZooNatural HistoryTropical Research InstituteAmerican HistoryAstrophysical ObservatoryHirshhornSmithsonian AssociatesAir and SpaceEnviron-mental Research CntrPhoto InitiativeFreer / SacklerMuseum Conservation InstituteLatino CenterAsian Pacific American ProgramFolklife / Cultural HeritageTraveling ExhibitionsAnacostia MuseumAfrican ArtSI LibrariesCooper-HewittPostal MuseumSI Across AmericaPortrait GalleryNational Science Resources CenterAffiliationsEducation / Museum StudiesWhich Web site has the informationI need? Where do I start? Can I get this on my mobile phone? Can I get it in an exhibit?The CastleArchives of American ArtWhat can I do with this content once I find it? How can I interact with my fellow-visitors?From inside any of these sites, where’s the rest of the Smithsonian’s content, visitors, community?

3“The impact of online collections can be greatly magnified by highlighting the knowledge and insight of Smithsonian experts…and a matrix of tools, policies, and resources that allows our audiences to be our partners in the increase and diffusion of knowledge.”

Old Learning ModelNew Learning Model

4“Build expertise in metrics and evaluation and implement standard lightweight (not burdensome) reporting processes.”

5“Invite public audiences to participate in defining the look and feel of the updated brand”

6“Encourage and provide necessary support for staff to share their work and ideas directly with visitors though blogging, video, mobile platforms, geospatial data, and other Web and New Media formats”

7“This is not to suggest that the old models of learning are irrelevant or inoperative, far from it. But the emergence of a new class of learning techniques—built on a foundation of broad and unrestricted access to information, social sharing, creativity, play, and participatory learning—supplement those standard protocols and enable vast new audiences to use the Smithsonian as one part of their lifelong learning journeys. ”

7“This is not to suggest that the old models of learning are irrelevant or inoperative, far from it. But the emergence of a new class of learning techniques—built on a foundation of broad and unrestricted access to information, social sharing, creativity, play, and participatory learning—supplement those standard protocols and enable vast new audiences to use the Smithsonian as one part of their lifelong learning journeys. ”

7“This is not to suggest that the old models of learning are irrelevant or inoperative, far from it. But the emergence of a new class of learning techniques—built on a foundation of broad and unrestricted access to information, social sharing, creativity, play, and participatory learning—supplement those standard protocols and enable vast new audiences to use the Smithsonian as one part of their lifelong learning journeys. ”

8“Acknowledge the crucial role that interactive dialogue plays in the learning process and provide opportunities for it to grow on Smithsonian and external sites”

9“Embrace user-generated content as an important catalyst to engagement and inquiry, particularly for younger and more Web 2.0kinds of audiences”

10“Become a leader in the creation of digital learning environments through virtual worlds, virtual education conferences, gaming, moblie platforms, and a sense of exploration and play.”

The Smithsonian CommonsA place to begin“a new part of our digital presence dedicated to stimulating learning, creation, and innovation through open access to Smithsonian research, collections and communities.”

The Smithsonian CommonsA place to beginMore detail about what a commons is and why it matters via Imagining the Smithsonian Commons:Annotated text of "Imagining a Smithsonian Commons" on slidesharePowerPoint slides of "Imagining a Smithsonian Commons" on slidesharevideo of the talk at Computers in Libraries, 2009

I want to be a commons…

Don’t forget about us!!!

How can we make the SmithsonianMore relevant in a digital age?Filmed April 26th, 2009 at theSmithsonian in Washington, D.C.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTJ8u2HGtrs