What%20Can%20The%20Social%20Web%20Offer%20The%20Heritage%20Sector?

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What Can The Social Web Offer The Heritage
Sector?
http//www.ukoln.ac.uk/cultural-heritage/events/as
va-2008/

• Brian Kelly
• UKOLN
• University of Bath
• Bath, UK
• B.Kelly_at_ukoln.ac.uk

Acceptable Use Policy Recording/broadcasting of
this talk, taking photographs, discussing the
content using email, instant messaging, blogs,
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Contents
Introduction

• Introduction
• About Me About You
• About the Talk Web 2.0 Context
• Whats It All About?
• Overview Example of Museum Blogs
• We Should Be Doing This!
• Reasons For Having a Blog Policies QA
• Technical Infrastructure Sharing Best Practices
• Where Do Social Networks Fit In?
• What are Social Networks?
• Using Social Networks
• Conclusions
• What Next?
• Questions

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About Me
Introduction

• Brian Kelly
• UK Web Focus a national advisory post
• Long-standing Web evangelist (since Jan 1993)
• Based at UKOLN, University of Bath, with remit to
  advise HE/FE and cultural heritage sectors
• Interests include Web 2.0, standards,
  accessibility and deployment strategies
• Blogger since November 2006
• Awarded the IWR Information Professional of the
  Year in December 2007
• Facilitated half day blog workshops on Using
  Blogs Effectively Within Your Organisation at
  Museum Web 2008, Using Blogs Effectively Within
  Your Library at ILI 2007 conferences and
  Introduction To Blogs And Social Networks For
  Heritage Organisations yesterday

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About The Talk
Introduction

• By the end of the talk you should
• Be aware of key blogging concepts and tool
• Have learnt about ways in which blogs can be used
  within a museum environment
• Have identified potential barriers to the
  deployment of blogs within an institution
• Have heard about and discussed strategies for
  overcoming barriers
• Have learnt about tools and techniques for
  measuring a blogs impact and success.
• Have heard about and discussed best practices for
  developing a sustainable blogging service
• Have had the opportunity to make plans for
  launching or enhancing your blog service

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About You
Introduction

• In brief
• Do you have a work-related blog?
• Do you have a social blog?
• Do you use social networks (e.g. Facebook,
  MySpace, ) for work-related purposes or for
  social purposes?
• Is your organisation intending to set up a blog?
• What you hope to gain from this talk?

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Web 2.0
Introduction

• What Is Web 2.0?
• Marketing term (derived from observing
  'patterns') rather than technical standards - an
  attitude not a technology

• Characteristics Of Web 2.0
• Network as platform
• Always beta
• Richer user interfaces (e.g. AJAX)
• Software that gets better the more people use it
• Remix and reuse
• Syndication (RSS)
• Mashups

Web2MemeMap, Tim OReilly, 2005
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The Social Web
Introduction

• The social web is a term that can be used to
  describe a subset of interactions that are highly
  social, conversational and participatory
  Wikipedia

• Characteristics
• Trust and openness
• The long tail
• Architecture of participation
• Blogs wikis
• Social networks
• Social sharing tagging
• Examples Of Social Web
• Facebook, MySpace, ..
• Twitter Jaiku

Web2MemeMap, Tim OReilly, 2005
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Key Blog Concepts (1 of 5)

• What Is A Blog?
• A blog (a portmanteau of web log) is a website
  where entries are written in chronological order
  and commonly displayed in reverse chronological
  order.
• Blogs provide commentary or news on a particular
  subject such as food, politics, or local news
  some function as more personal online diaries. A
  typical blog combines text, images, and links to
  other blogs, web pages, and other media related
  to its topic. The ability for readers to leave
  comments in an interactive format is an important
  part of many blogs.

Blog Concepts
Wikipedia definition
See also handout
Note that blog software can be used for other
purposes (including building conventional Web
sites). We will focus on conventional
understanding of a blog.
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Key Blog Concepts (2 of 5)
Blogging

• Providing a Blog
• Blogs can be provided by
• Installing software locally (open source or
  licensed)
• Using an externally hosted service (Blogger.com
  and Wordpress.com are popular)
• Using existing systems (e.g. a VLE, a CMS, etc.)
  which has blog functionality provided
• Using social networking services (e.g. Facebook,
  MySpace) which providing blogging or similar
  functionality

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Key Blog Concepts (3 of 5)

• Reading Blogs
• Blog readers can
• Visit a blog site (conventional approach)
• Use an RSS reader, which can be web-based (e.g.
  Bloglines, Google Reader, etc.) or a desktop RSS
  reader (e.g. Blogbridge)
• Via a blog aggregator view posts from lots of
  blogs
• Use a mobile device (e.g. PDA, mobile phone,
  etc.)
• Have blog posts delivered using email

Blog Concepts
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Key Blog Concepts (4 of 5)

• Finding Blogs
• I find blog posts (including links to my posts)
  using
• Technorati
• Google blogger web comments
• Blog directories
• Referrer links to my blog

Blog Concepts
Technorati is to the blogosphere what Google is
to Web space
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Key Blog Concepts (5 of 5)

• Since last year we now have micro-blogs
• Form of blogging that allows users to write brief
  text updates (usually lt 200 characters) and
  publish them, either to be viewed by anyone or by
  a restricted group which can be chosen by the
  user.
• These messages can be submitted by a variety of
  means, including IM, SMS, email or the Web
• Micro-blogging helps to focus on the question is
  a blog a publishing or a communications tool?

Twhirl Twitter app used at MW 2008
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Museum Blogs

• Typically the museum Web site is
• official
• formal
• marketing-driven and branded
• impersonal
• Whereas typically, the blog is
• un-official
• informal
• away from brand pressures
• personal

Museum Blogs
Note see MuseumBlogs.org for a directory of over
270 museum blogs, an aggregation of 90,000
posts and a search across the blogs
Acknowledgment to Mike Ellis, Eduserv
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Why Have A Blog?

• Reasons individuals organisations have blogs
• We want to communicate
• We have something to say
• Reasons museums might use blogs
• Blogs are great at the niche or long tail
• Museums are great at the niche or long tail...
• There is a compelling mystique about museums
• why do they collect that and not this?
• what made them choose that exhibition?
• why is this particular object special?
• how do they make their money?
• Museums want to connect with audiences
• and blogs allow you to communicate with your
  most loyal and enthusiastic visitors

Museum Blogs
Acknowledgment to Mike Ellis, Eduserv
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What Makes A Good Blog?

• Want to be a successful blogger?
• Blog with passion and because you want to!
• Have a personality, a defined tone of voice
• Find a niche (or at least well-defined) area of
  interest
• Build your community two-way engagement
• Create well written, intelligent posts
• Dont just regurgitate, but find a new angle (be
  a thinker not a linker)
• Link a lot, and read the links you link to ?

Museum Blogs
Like all simple rules, these can be broken but
may be a useful guide for your planning
Acknowledgment to Mike Ellis, Eduserv
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Brooklyn Museum

• Brooklyn Museum blog
• Engages with its audiences
• Reflects museums mission
• Part of wider use of Web 2.0 services (Flickr, )

Examples of Museum Blogs
Papers about approaches published at MW 2007 and
MW 2008 conferences
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fresh and new(er) Seb Chan / Powerhouse

• fresh new(er)
• Technology focussed
• A way of showcasing and launching
• A sounding board for discussion
• Strikes a good balance between institutional and
  personal

Examples of Museum Blogs
http//www.powerhousemuseum.com/dmsblog/
Thanks to Mike Ellis
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English Cut

• English Cut blog
• Not a museum blog!
• Its about a tailor!
• Its behind the scenes all the things you
  wanted to know but never asked
• Personal, engaging, different
• Has caused considerable stir, not to mention
  traffic (and hence business...!)

Examples of Museum Blogs
http//www.englishcut.com/
Thanks to Mike Ellis
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Bowers Museum Blog

• Bowers museum blog
• Showcases the object of the week
• Gives focus to posts
• ...and a defined check back in X days
• But not enough commenting or linking!

Examples of Museum Blogs
http//bowersmuseum.blogspot.com/
Thanks to Mike Ellis
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Reflections

• Thoughts on these examples
• Varieties of different approaches
• Personal aspect is what makes these tick
• .. finding out about the people behind the
  formality
• Perhaps that is what people want from museums?!

Examples of Museum Blogs
Do you now what to set up your own blogging
service?
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The Purpose Of Your Blog (1)

• Why have a blog for your museum?
• See suggestions made at blog workshop at Museums
  and the Web 2008 conference

Establishing A Blog
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The Purpose Of Your Blog (2)
Establishing A Blog
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Reflecting Current Views

• CEO at HLF argued the need to
• Demonstrate that users are really engaged
  with digitised services
• CEO at MLA, on a NOF-digi project
• How they would engage with it?

Establishing A Blog
Blogs would appear to provide a means (a) for
users to engage with digital content and (b) to
demonstrate such engagement ?
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Overcoming Barriers

• You may need to identify then overcome
  institutional barriers
• Its a fad
• Its not our job
• Im too busy
• It will bring the museum into disrepute
• I feel threatened

Establishing A Blog
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Quality Assurance

• Establish
• A blog policy covering scope, target audience,
• Editorial processes
• Processes for handling problems
• Identify address training requirements

Establishing A Blog
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Technical Infrastructure

• Youll need to establish the technologies to be
  used
• In-house blog software or externally-hosted?
• Dedicated blog software or functionality provided
  by CMS,
• Selection of the software

Establishing A Blog
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Measuring Impact

• How do you
• Measure the impact of your blog service?
• Use metrics to identify what works what
  doesnt?
• Justify ROI?
• Report to funders?
• See Seb Chans paper at MW 2008

Establishing A Blog
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Social Networks

• What can social networks such as Facebook offer?

Social Networks

• But note need to be aware of
• Privacy issues
• Ownership of data
• Dangers of data lock-in

User groups which may support you, or not
See Introduction to Facebook Opportunities and
Challenges For The Institution slidecast on
Slideshare for further information
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Micro Blogs
Micro Blogs

• Micro blogging
• Started off as what you are doing
• Restricted to 140 characters
• Popularity of use in Facebook status led to other
  applications
• Find out what your friends colleagues are
  doing, without the intrusiveness of email

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Twitter
Micro Blogs

• Twitter
• Best known of the micro-blogging applications
• Web application, with desktop mobile clients
• Uses
• Community-building
• Support from your peers
• Marketing

See lthttp//ukwebfocus.wordpress.com/category/twit
ter/gt
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Video Blogs
Video Blogs

• Seesmic
• Described as a video micro blogging service
• Web-based or desktop clients
• Advantages
• Talking is easier (easier than writing)
• Popularity of Web cams
• Possible growth for mobile phone access

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Building a Community

• Social networks provide a great opportunity to
  support the development of a community of
  practice.
• Variety of options
• Ning group(s)
• Facebook
• Blogs (comment on your peers)

The social networks can be used to facilitate
formal and informal contacts with your peers as
well as engaging with your user community
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Support For The Community

• UKOLN is engaging with the cultural heritage
  sector
• Dedicated cultural heritage area of Web site
• Briefing documents for culture heritage sector
• Possibilities of joint project work
• Exploring possibilities of workshops, etc.
• Send email to b.kelly_at_ukoln.ac.uk

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Conclusions

• To conclude
• Blogs are starting to be used within museums and
  cultural heritage organisations
• Theres a need to clarify the purpose and
  establish best practises
• There may be institutional barriers to overcome
• But its worth it isnt it?

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Questions

• Any questions or comments?
• What will you do differently?