Strategy and AudienceOld Learning ModelNew Learning ModelForum OneAudience-Centric User ExperienceNovember 5, 2009National Press Club, Washington, DCMichael EdsonDirector, Web and New Media StrategySmithsonian Institution, Office of the CIO

PreambleTwitter: @mpedsonhttp://slideshare.net/edsonmJoin us at http://smithsonian-webstrategy.wikispaces.comBeware…The opinions in this presentation are mine, not the official policy/strategy of the Smithsonian…(My M.O. is to drive change by building a sense of urgency)We’re a little birdNote: In this short talk I’m going to skip a few (many) slides—come back to http://slideshare.net/edsonm to get the scoop

TakeawaysAlternative ways to assess reputation, brand & relevance—what pain looks likeMisunderstandings that are barriers to change—a thermocline or perception gapAn alternative (and better) way to make strategy—public, transparent, and fastHow strategy can/should re-frame the relationship with audiences—why strategy matters

“In this day and age, organizations can no longer rely on their mission or reputation to draw visitors to their site.”Let’s just see how true that is…

TakeawaysAlternative ways to assess reputation, brand & relevance—what pain looks likeMisunderstandings that are barriers to change—a thermocline or perception gapAn alternative (and better) way to make strategy—public, transparent, and fastHow strategy can/should re-frame the relationship with audiences—why strategy matters

Relevance

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

Unexpected Rivals in Google SearchRelevanceGoogle ImagesWikipediaOcean.comDiscoveryeducation.comNASAEnchantedlearning.com

Unexpected Rivals in ReachRelevanceGoogle ImagesWikipediaOcean.com…so much more reach than SIthat we don’t even show up on the graph…Enchantedlearning.comsi.edudiscoveryeducation.comocean.com

Unexpected Rivals in Reach (July – Sept, 2009)RelevanceEnchantedlearning.comsi.edudiscoveryeducation.comocean.com

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

Traffic Trending DownRelevancesi.edu – 4% reach Wikipedia.org + 8% reachMoMA.org + 12% reachnpr.org + 20% reach

Brand IdentityRelevanceBrandtags.netWe are the 560th of 928 brands

We’re competing with… everybody!Relevance

We’re competing with… everybody!Hyperlinks!!!97% of all online research efforts pass through wikipedia.orgRelevance

We’re competing with… everybody!Relevancehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNXahIoXMw8&feature=relatedhttp://flickr.com/search/?q=spaceshipone&w=all

The Demographic TsunamiRelevanceNovember 2007 data: 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.” RelevanceLee RainiePew Internet and American Life Project

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

Overcoming these challenges requires organizations to overcome some misunderstandings about “The Web” (by which I mean all digital initiatives)

TakeawaysAlternative ways to assess reputation, brand & relevance—what pain looks likeMisunderstandings that are barriers to change—a thermocline or perception gapAn alternative (and better) way to make strategy—public, transparent, and fastHow strategy can/should re-frame the relationship with audiences—why strategy matters

MisunderstandingsThe Web is a fundamentally newway of gettingthings doneThe Web is a bigger megaphone

Misunderstandings“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

MisunderstandingsFocus 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

MisunderstandingsFixation on Web 2.0and Social Media

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

MisunderstandingsThe most interestingecosystems arein “border habitats”between the twoYou can managetechnology and contentseparately

MisunderstandingsBuild an ascendant brandby“doing work that matters”Make money, now“Once [the Smithsonian] has increased user base 100x or more, many other possibilities open”Carl MalamudPublic.resource.orgTim O’Reillyhttp://radar.oreilly.com/2009/01/work-on-stuff-that-matters-fir.html

MisunderstandingsThe Desktop Internet2.5 Billionmobile subscribers

TakeawaysAlternative ways to assess reputation, brand & relevance—what pain looks likeMisunderstandings that are barriers to change—a thermocline or perception gapAn alternative (and better) way to make strategy—public, transparent, and fastHow strategy can/should re-frame the relationship with audiences—why strategy matters

Why Make Strategy?Reestablish relevancePrioritize tactical opportunities

Very important slide!StrategyProcessThe advantages of public, transparent, and fastFaster 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, transparent, and fastFaster 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”

Internal Blog/Wiki/Listserv152 posts to internal blog

Internal Blog/Wiki/ListservClassic blog/wiki playbook

Internal Blog/Wiki/ListservClassic blog/wiki playbook

Internal Blog/Wiki/ListservClassic blog/wiki playbook

Steering CommitteeBreakthrough! A FAQ on a Wiki instead of a charter!!!

Steering CommitteeBreakthrough! A FAQ on a Wiki instead of a charter!!!Q: How is the committee going to make good decisions about leading-edge technologies and the inherent positive and negative of internet trends when they are not themselves internet experts?A: It’s not going to be easy. We recognize that we aren’t experts and we may take missteps along the way. That’s why we will be seeking advice from many sources including internal practitioners and external leaders. We will also work to expand knowledge of our audiences and what actual users think of the Institution’s web and new media initiatives. The committee also recognizes the need to establish pan-Institutional working groups to address specific issues and opportunities, in much the same way as OCIO has established collaborative Technical Working Groups (TWGs) to make hardware and software decisions in recent years.

Smithsonian 2.0

Smithsonian 2.0

Process: Workshops to WikiHttp://smithsonian-webstrategy.wikispaces.com

Process: Workshops to Wiki

Process: Workshops to WikiProcess at-a-glance“The main intent of the workshops is to move relevant information to the wiki where it can be openly evaluated, sifted, weighed, and considered by all.”

Process: Workshops to Wiki

Process: Workshops to WikiAs participants are speaking, what they’re saying is being typed and saved on a public wiki

Process: Workshops to Wiki

Process: Workshops to Wiki

Process: Workshops to Wiki

Public-Facing WikiImprovement/synthesis over timeOriginal workshop notes

Public-Facing WikiImprovement/synthesis over timeAdded highlight, Action Required

Public-Facing WikiImprovement/synthesis over timeAttendee says “wait a minute!”

Public-Facing WikiImprovement/synthesis over timeApology and re-cast original assertion

Public-Facing WikiImprovement/synthesis over timeAnother user synthesizes core question: How do units break out these costs?

YouTube: Voice Your Vision

YouTube: Voice Your Vision

Twitter: #si20

TakeawaysAlternative ways to assess reputation, brand & relevance—what pain looks likeMisunderstandings that are barriers to change—a thermocline or perception gapAn alternative (and better) way to make strategy—public, transparent, and fastHow strategy can/should re-frame the relationship with audiences—why strategy matters

Pan-Institutional Strategic PlanFour Grand Challenges(Brand new!)

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

Pan-Institutional Strategic PlanWoaaahhh! These are big, hairy goals and the outcomes are to things that really matter for real people!Four Grand ChallengesUnlocking the Mysteries of the UniverseUnderstanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse PlanetValuing World CulturesUnderstanding the American ExperienceThe Web & New Media describes the platform for making this happen

This is what Web strategy looks likeThe public wikiis the strategy

Web & New Media 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 likeWhich elements are user-focused?I’ll list 10 (But just talk about a couple)

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 2.0 kinds 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

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, 2009We’re prototyping the Smithsonian Commons now

Strategy helps you prioritize tactical opportunities and focus on users and mission

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

TakeawaysWhat pain looks likeAlternative ways to assess reputation, brand, relevanceHow strategy can/should re-frame the relationship with audiencesWhy strategy mattersAn alternative way to make strategyMichael Edson | @mpedson | slideshare.net/edsonm