The purpose of this presentation is to stimulate discussion around important issues in institutional digital strategy—just remember, these are generalizations and provocations: “the truth is in the middle." For the Public Humanities Lunch, John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage, Brown University, November 18, 2009

1. The Digital StrategyThermocline Public Humanities Lunch John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage Brown University, November 18, 2009 Michael Edson Director, Web and New Media Strategy Smithsonian Institution, Office of the CIO

2. Preamble The purpose of this presentation is to stimulate discussion around important issues in institutional digital strategy—just remember, these are generalizations and provocations: “the truth is in the middle”

3. Preamble The purpose of this presentation is to stimulate discussion around important issues in institutional digital strategy—just remember, these are generalizations and provocations: “the truth is in the middle” Twitter: @mpedson, Slides and other good stuff at slideshare.net/edsonm Join us at http://smithsonian-webstrategy.wikispaces.com Beware…The opinions in this presentation are mine, not the official policy/strategy of the Smithsonian…

4. The Smithsonian Commons A new Pan-Institutional Strategy http://www.si.edu/about A new Web and New Media Strategyhttp://smithsonian-webstrategy.wikispaces.com

5. The Smithsonian Commons …a new part of our digital presence dedicated to stimulating learning, creation, and innovation through open access to Smithsonian research, collections and communities.

6. The Smithsonian Commons …a new part of our digital presence dedicated to stimulating learning, creation, and innovation through open access to Smithsonian research, collections and communities. Attributes of the Smithsonian Commons: Vast Findable Sharable (or “social”) Free

7. The Smithsonian Commons …a new part of our digital presence dedicated to stimulating learning, creation, and innovation through open access to Smithsonian research, collections and communities. Duh Huh? Some people understand the Smithsonian Commons concept immediately—The concepts seem familiar & refreshing and the rationale self-evident. These people are generally aware of developments in Internet culture over the last 5 years…

8. The Smithsonian Commons …a new part of our digital presence dedicated to stimulating learning, creation, and innovation through open access to Smithsonian research, collections and communities. Duh Huh? …While others struggle with aspects of the Smithsonian Commons concept. Assertions about reputation, trust, authority/control, intellectual property policy, and business models seem unnecessarily disruptive or counterintuitive.

9. The Smithsonian Commons …a new part of our digital presence dedicated to stimulating learning, creation, and innovation through open access to Smithsonian research, collections and communities. Duh Huh? …and I agree—these issues are hard, and I struggle with them myself! And are these people techno-utopians? Unrealistic?

10. The Smithsonian Commons …a new part of our digital presence dedicated to stimulating learning, creation, and innovation through open access to Smithsonian research, collections and communities. Duh Huh? …and I agree—these issues are hard, and I struggle with them myself! And are these people techno-utopians? Unrealistic?

11. Duh Huh? These two groups have different assumptions, experience, and perspectives on “technology” (writ large) and the need, urgency, and model for change. They’re speaking different languages, which forms a kind of thermocline…

12. Thermocline(a metaphor) Stratified water temperature acts as a barrier

13. Thermocline(a metaphor) Knowledge, communication, action models are different Management Practitioners

14. Thermocline(a metaphor) Messages get distorted, lost

15. Thermocline(a metaphor) Messages get distorted, lost

16. Thermocline(a metaphor) (Remember—most people are not at either extreme, but in the middle…)

17. Thermocline The Web is a fundamentally new way of getting things done The Web is a bigger megaphone

18. Thermocline “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

19. Thermocline Focus on innovation/ discovery inside the Institution Catalyze innovation/ discovery outside the institution Joy’s Law: no matter who you are, most of The smartest people work for someone else

20. Thermocline Fixation on Web 2.0 and Social Media

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

22. Thermocline The most interestingecosystems arein “border habitats”between the two You can managetechnology and content separately

23. Thermocline Build 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 Malamud Public.resource.org Tim O’Reillyhttp://radar.oreilly.com/2009/01/work-on-stuff-that-matters-fir.html

24. Thermocline The Desktop Internet 2.5 Billionmobile subscribers

25. Gardeningchange model*Build a platform &cultivate Web 2.0 As a way of thinkingabout work Thermocline Manufacturingchange model “Lets Build Product Xand be done with it” * Via Josh Greenberg, NYPL

26. Institutions (?) built onthe model of social entrepreneurship: Think Big,Start SmallMove Fast Thermocline Institutions built onthe model ofenduring wisdom* We can move slowlybecause wisdom endures *Via Peter Schwartz, GBN

27. In exchange for public funds and public trust,museums should do workfor society Thermocline Museums are for…

28. In exchange for public funds and public trust,museums should do workfor society Thermocline Museums are for… What could you accomplish with $1b /year for 50 years?

29. Thermocline …all of this is relevant for stimulating discussion, but the truth is in the middle, and the issues are complex…

30. Thermocline(a metaphor) Overcoming the thermocline Requires stirring the water. Urgency.Full engagement. Making progress on “work that matters.”

32. Web and New Media Strategyhttp://smithsonian-webstrategy.wikispaces.com

33. Imagining a Smithsonian Commons:http://www.slideshare.net/edsonm/cil-2009-michael-edson-text-version

34. Other stuff on slidesharehttp://slideshare.net/edsonmPublic Humanities Lunch John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage Brown University, November 18, 2009 Michael Edson Director, Web and New Media Strategy Smithsonian Institution, Office of the CIO Thanks!