2. “When it comes to dealing with
the big problems we face, are we
just going to be a crowd of voices,
or are we going to be a crowd of
hands?”
Jennifer Pahlka
Code for America

3. {About this talk}
• A full text version, with footnotes and links, is online at
http://www.slideshare.net/edsonm/michael-edson-lego-
beowulf-and-the-web-of-hands-and-hearts-for-the-
danish-national-museum-awards-13444266
• The video will be online soon…

4. {About this talk}
• This was the keynote at the Bikuben Foundation Danish
National Museum Awards (Bikubenfondens
Museumpriser) in Copenhagen, Denmark, June 11, 2012
(http://www.museumsprisen.dk/)
• The audience was directors and executives from Danish
museums, The Danish Heritage Agency, the Association
of Danish Museums, and other invited guests
• Special thanks to Tobias Golodnoff, Nina Hviid, Charlotte
S H Jensen, Miriam Lerkenfeld, Merete Sanderhoff, and
Jacob Wang for their help and guidance with this talk
—Michael Edson, @mpedson

5. Prelude

6. [Play video] http://youtu.be/1SGJS0VN0hE

7. Washington D.C.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rcsj/5087028899/sizes/s/in/photostream/

8. Washington D.C.
These museums set an
important example for me
about citizenship and
participatory democracy
as I was growing up
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rcsj/5087028899/sizes/s/in/photostream/

9. Washington D.C.
These museums set an But that was
important example for me before the
about citizenship and Internet
participatory democracy
as I was growing up
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rcsj/5087028899/sizes/s/in/photostream/

10. Washington D.C.
How shall we get
this work done in
society, now?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rcsj/5087028899/sizes/s/in/photostream/

11. I’m very impressed with the
professionalism, quality, and
sense of purpose in the
Danish museum community

12. But here’s how we’ve
traditionally thought about
getting achieving meaningful
outcomes…

13. Trust, money, real estate
collections, staff,
attention… Something really
good for
society

14. Trust, money, real estate
collections, staff,
attention… Something really
good for
society
Museums

15. Broadcast

16. The broadcast idiom is the
traditional 20th century way
museums accomplish our
jobs in society
Broadcast
we do they consume

17. The broadcast model gave
us great things in the 20th
century…
Broadcast
Automobiles The Hoover Dam Baywatch

18. Broadcast
But something is missing here.
The Internet is the dark matter in this equation of how to get work done.

19.