1. Welcome to
“What Do We Really
Know about Social
Media in Museums?”
It’s not about social
media. It’s about
being more social.
2. Hashtag to follow:
#musesocial
In the room now
• Elissa Frankle, US Holocaust Memorial Museum,
@museums365
• Georgina Goodlander, Smithsonian American Art
Museum, @bathlander
• Victoria Portway, National Air and Space Museum,
@sluggernova
• Jeff Gates, Smithsonian American Art Museum,
@outtacontext
• Darren Milligan, Smithsonian Center for Education
and Museum Studies, @darrenmilligan
3. Hashtag to follow:
#musesocial
• Rachel Greiner, National Air and Space
Museum, @gator_rach
• Brian Alpert, Smithsonian Office of the CIO,
@balpert
• Erin Blasco, Smithsonian Postal Museum,
@erinblasco
Twitterly here:
• Sarah Banks, National Museum of Natural
History, @sbanks20
• Amelia Wong, US Holocaust Memorial
Museum, @amelialikespie
4. Intended Outcomes
• Educate ourselves about SM
practice
• Be a supportive community
• Help professionals speak to
colleagues, leadership about
social strategies, issues
• Grow understanding of SM
followers
5. Audiences (broadcast
mode) vs.
Communities (dialog mode)
Audiences are no
longer relevant. Long
live communities!
.
Discuss passionately.
6. What do our visitors want from online
outreach?
3% said “valid science and authentic history.”
97% said “cats.”
8. Measuring learning on social media:
L LURNING
Secret algorithm:
This day in history tweet
+ link to collections
+ learning outcome approved by education dept
+ curatorial and PR review
- cute cat photos lacking connection to mission
+ cat photo deeply relatedcurator tweets today. Sleeping in a basket of clean laundry.
No kitty to mission
/ number of followers
= Lurning score = 82
Pandasonian @Pandasonian
Gave you L+ in social media learning
10. We can’t let *everyone* speak on behalf of
the museum via social media.
Pandasonian @Pandasonian
You wouldn’t believe what they made me eat today.
Think I might hurl on a tourist. Cheap food.
Pandasonian @Pandasonian
Woot, my girlfriend is knocked up! Wait, was I not
supposed to share that yet?
Pandasonian @Pandasonian
So many people taking my photo. Does this new
landscaping make me look fat?
Pandasonian @Pandasonian
My poop on Instagram: instagr.am/p/pandapoop
15. Hashtag to follow:
#musesocial
In the room now
• Elissa Frankle, US Holocaust Memorial Museum,
@museums365
• Georgina Goodlander, Smithsonian American Art
Museum, @bathlander
• Victoria Portway, National Air and Space Museum,
@sluggernova
• Jeff Gates, Smithsonian American Art Museum,
@outtacontext
• Darren Milligan, Smithsonian Center for Education
and Museum Studies, @darrenmilligan
16. Hashtag to follow:
#musesocial
• Rachel Greiner, National Air and Space
Museum, @gator_rach
• Brian Alpert, Smithsonian Office of the CIO,
@balpert
• Erin Blasco, Smithsonian Postal Museum,
@erinblasco
Twitterly here:
• Sarah Banks, National Museum of Natural
History, @sbanks20
• Amelia Wong, US Holocaust Memorial
Museum, @amelialikespie
18. Learning
• For now, learning = change in knowledge,
behavior, attitude, engagement/interest, or skills.
• Does learning on SM look or sound different than
it does in other museum environments?
• Do SM followers want to learn? Followers
sometimes say they want to be surprised,
delighted, amused. How does this relate to
learning?
• Does learning happen within SM itself or does it
only occur once a link has been clicked?
• Can SM spark a change in skills or behavior—or
are we limited at an “increase of knowledge”
level?
• How do we know if we From "museum consumers"
achieved learning
I want SM delighted by my @SometimesRhymes & @veomega: SM
outcomes on SM?
interactions with museums on social
great when it gets visitors to try new things,
media #musesocial - @richmintz not just stare @ screen. #musesocial -
@museums365
19. Who should speak on behalf of
museums?
• Do our audiences want to hear from more people?
(Friend a building?)
• Is there a desire by more staff to participate in the
museum's social media outreach? If not everyone,
who has the "right stuff" to participate in social
media? What should the criteria be?
• Are the biggest challenges in recruiting more
voices for social media culture, policy, resource,
perceived value, education, training?
• Could resource constraints be reduced through
greater participation from more staff?
• What organizational culture shifts that need to
occur for more to participate in social media?
20. • Are we using SM to create dialog? Or are we
using it to broadcast?
• Should we be using sm to create channels
outside the main museum?
• Is there a difference between fan boys, rabid
fans, and community? Do fan boys build
excitement or are they a distraction?
