Imagining a Smithsonian Commons

Imagining a Smithsonian Commons Michael Edson Director, Web and New Media Strategy Smithsonian Institution, Office of the CIO Museum Computer Network 11-13-2008 For the full story, see written (and footnoted!) text in separate pdf

Preamble Beware…The opinions in this presentation are mine, not the official policy/strategy of the Smithsonian… We’re a little bird … Darwin…Write this down so it doesn’t slip away How is this good for you as… A technologist? (How can you help us do this?) An enthusiast? A re-user? A citizen?

Beware…The opinions in this presentation are mine, not the official policy/strategy of the Smithsonian…

We’re a little bird

… Darwin…Write this down so it doesn’t slip away

How is this good for you as…

A technologist? (How can you help us do this?)

An enthusiast?

A re-user?

A citizen?

A Model Institution

A Model Institution

A Model Institution

A Model Institution

A Model Institution Visitors Customers Collaborators Contributors Champions Critics Competitors

Visitors

Customers

Collaborators

Contributors

Champions

Critics

Competitors

A Model Institution What example shall we provide?

What example shall we provide?

What example shall we provide? A Model Institution A return to the commons.

What example shall we provide?

Democratize knowledge and innovation Create a free and open commons Act with urgency and verve A Smithsonian Commons is good civics, good mission, and good business A Model Institution Relevance

Democratize knowledge and innovation

Create a free and open commons

Act with urgency and verve

A Smithsonian Commons is good civics, good mission, and good business

What is a Commons? A set of resources maintained in the public sphere for the use and benefit of everyone

What is a Commons? The Anti-Commons…

What is a Commons? An organized workshop where raw materials can be found and assembled into new things.

What is a Commons?

What is a Commons?

What is a Commons? “ Free resources are crucial to innovation and creativity” Lawrence Lessig

“ Free resources are crucial to innovation and creativity”

Lawrence Lessig

What is a Commons? “ I’ve been giving away my books online ever since my first novel, and boy has it ever made me a bunch of money.” Corey Doctrow

“ I’ve been giving away my books online ever since my first novel, and boy has it ever made me a bunch of money.”

Corey Doctrow

What is a Commons? “ I’ve been giving away my books online ever since my first novel, and boy has it ever made me a bunch of money.” Corey Doctrow

“ I’ve been giving away my books online ever since my first novel, and boy has it ever made me a bunch of money.”

Corey Doctrow

What is a Commons? Commerce and the Commons

Commerce and the Commons

What is a Commons? Commerce and the Commons Crazy…?

Commerce and the Commons

Crazy…?

What is a Commons? Commerce and the Commons IBM $10M into patent commons $500M value from $100M investment

Commerce and the Commons

IBM

$10M into patent commons

$500M value from $100M investment

What is a Commons? Commerce and the Commons “ IBM provides a surprising example of how a large, mature company with an engrained proprietary culture can embrace openness and self-organization as catalysts for reinvention.” Wikinomics

Commerce and the Commons

“ IBM provides a surprising example of how a large, mature company with an engrained proprietary culture can embrace openness and self-organization as catalysts for reinvention.”

Wikinomics

What is a Commons? Collaborative Model

Collaborative Model

What is a Commons? Collaborative Model “ 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

Collaborative Model

“ 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

What is a Commons?

What is a Commons? The ascendance of free commons models The erosion of proprietary models A new way of organizing

The ascendance of free commons models

The erosion of proprietary models

A new way of organizing

Commons Examples

Commons Examples Washington D.C. Data Catalog

Washington D.C. Data Catalog

Commons Examples The National Institutes of Health

The National Institutes of Health

Commons Examples “ We were established by congress as a universal repository of human creativity and knowledge, and that includes vast amounts of items that are in the public domain. It is our mission to make those freely available, whether in the 21 reading rooms of the Library of Congress, or online.” Library of Congress spokesman Matt Raymond

“ We were established by congress as a universal repository of human creativity and knowledge, and that includes vast amounts of items that are in the public domain. It is our mission to make those freely available, whether in the 21 reading rooms of the Library of Congress, or online.”

Commons Examples Flickr Commons

Flickr Commons

Commons Examples Flickr Commons

Flickr Commons

Commons Examples Flickr Commons

Flickr Commons

Commons Examples Flickr Commons

Flickr Commons

Commons Examples Flickr Commons Smithsonian end-user survey (opt-in, non scientific) 84% likely to reuse SI images 35% for school, 16% professional/personal 41% say they’ll reference from blog/web 97% say they’re more likely to visit SI sites 100% have more positive opinion of SI – emphatically so!

Flickr Commons

Smithsonian end-user survey (opt-in, non scientific)

84% likely to reuse SI images

35% for school, 16% professional/personal

41% say they’ll reference from blog/web

97% say they’re more likely to visit SI sites

100% have more positive opinion of SI – emphatically so!

Commons Examples Flickr Commons 8 views/month vs 2,000 views/month

Flickr Commons

8 views/month vs 2,000 views/month

Commons Examples Flickr Commons

Flickr Commons

Commons Examples Flickr Commons

Flickr Commons

Commons Examples Flickr Commons

Flickr Commons

Commons Examples Stanford: $10M in 10 weeks

Stanford: $10M in 10 weeks

Commons Examples MIT Open Courseware (OCW)

MIT Open Courseware (OCW)

Commons Examples MIT Open Courseware (OCW)

MIT Open Courseware (OCW)

Commons Examples MIT Open Courseware (OCW)

MIT Open Courseware (OCW)

Commons Examples MIT Open Courseware (OCW)

MIT Open Courseware (OCW)

Commons Examples MIT Open Courseware (OCW)

MIT Open Courseware (OCW)

Commons Examples MIT Open Courseware (OCW) “ I was amazed that a university such as MIT would freely give access to its educational information.” Triatno Yudo Harjoko University of Indonesia

MIT Open Courseware (OCW)

“ I was amazed that a university such as MIT would freely give access to its educational information.”

Commons Examples MIT Open Courseware (OCW) A more effective model than proprietary contracts

MIT Open Courseware (OCW)

A more effective model than proprietary contracts

Commons Examples MIT Open Courseware (OCW) “ Unlocking Knowledge, Empowering Minds…” No Registration Required. Open Courseware Tag Line

MIT Open Courseware (OCW)

“ Unlocking Knowledge, Empowering Minds…” No Registration Required.

Commons Examples Common Characteristics Free sharing of information Licensing or permissions structure Fluid institutional boundaries Network effects

Common Characteristics

Free sharing of information

Licensing or permissions structure

Fluid institutional boundaries

Network effects

The Rise of the Commons

The Un-Common Institution

The Un-Common Institution

The Un-Common Institution 99% decentralized

99% decentralized

The Un-Common Institution A “thousand wildflowers…”

A “thousand wildflowers…”

The Un-Common Institution Search and findability Usability and branding Web 2.0 patterns Platform development/maintenance Duplication of effort Nobody would design a world-class institution like this!

Search and findability

Usability and branding

Web 2.0 patterns

Platform development/maintenance

Duplication of effort

Vexations Phenomena

Vexations Phenomena Unexpected Rivals in Google Search

Unexpected Rivals in Google Search

Vexations Phenomena Unexpected Rivals in Reach Enchantedlearning.com si.edu discoveryeducation.com ocean.com

Unexpected Rivals in Reach

Vexations Phenomena Traffic Trending Down

Traffic Trending Down

Vexatious Phenomena Brand Identity

Brand Identity

Vexations Phenomena We’re competing with… everybody!

We’re competing with… everybody!

Vexations Phenomena We’re competing with… everybody!

We’re competing with… everybody!

Vexations Phenomena We’re competing with… everybody!

We’re competing with… everybody!

Vexations Phenomena The Demographic Tsunami November 2007 data: Pew Internet and American Life Project

The Demographic Tsunami

Vexations Phenomena The 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 Rainie Pew Internet and American Life Project

The 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.”

Vexatious Phenomena

The Smithsonian Commons So…How shall we advance the increase and diffusion of knowledge now …?

So…How shall we advance the increase and diffusion of knowledge now …?

The Smithsonian Commons We’re a publicly funded institution with a civic mission

We’re a publicly funded institution with a civic mission

The Smithsonian Commons The nature of our mission

The nature of our mission

The Smithsonian Commons Scope of endeavors

Scope of endeavors

The Smithsonian Commons Siloed operations

Siloed operations

The Smithsonian Commons The model of the commons…

The model of the commons…

The Smithsonian Commons The model of the commons… Rise of social media

The model of the commons…

Rise of social media

The Smithsonian Commons The model of the commons… Rise of social media Rise of distributed collaboration

The model of the commons…

Rise of social media

Rise of distributed collaboration

The Smithsonian Commons The model of the commons… Rise of social media Rise of distributed collaboration Rise of crowdsourcing

The model of the commons…

Rise of social media

Rise of distributed collaboration

Rise of crowdsourcing

The Smithsonian Commons The model of the commons… Rise of social media Rise of distributed collaboration Rise of crowdsourcing Rise of “free” business models

The model of the commons…

Rise of social media

Rise of distributed collaboration

Rise of crowdsourcing

Rise of “free” business models

The Smithsonian Commons The model of the commons… Rise of social media Rise of distributed collaboration Rise of crowdsourcing Rise of “free” business models Shifting attitudes about content and brands

The model of the commons…

Rise of social media

Rise of distributed collaboration

Rise of crowdsourcing

Rise of “free” business models

Shifting attitudes about content and brands

The Smithsonian Commons I assert that reshaping our digital identity around the concept of a Smithsonian Commons is the way to move forward—it’s the game changer: a low risk, high reward proposition that addresses the fundamental challenges of the Institution in terms of brand, audience, operations, speed, governance, integrity, education, research, revenue generation, leadership, and legacy.

I assert that reshaping our digital identity around the concept of a Smithsonian Commons is the way to move forward—it’s the game changer: a low risk, high reward proposition that addresses the fundamental challenges of the Institution in terms of brand, audience, operations, speed, governance, integrity, education, research, revenue generation, leadership, and legacy.

I want to be a commons…

Don’t forget about us!!!

[video available on request]

Thanks! Michael Edson Director, Web and New Media Strategy Smithsonian Institution [email_address] For the full story, see written (and footnoted!) text in separate pdf