we're gettin' there

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
• Rachel Greiner, National Air and Space Museum,
@gator_rach
• Brian Alpert, Smithsonian Office of the CIO, @balpert
• Erin Blasco, Smithsonian Postal Museum, @erinblasco

3. Our intended outcomes for this forum:
• Educate ourselves about social media
practice
• Be a supportive and nurturing
community
• Help professionals speak to
colleagues, leadership about social
strategies, issues
• Increase understanding of Now these seem
followers, audiences weak
• Document and discuss next steps

4. Audiences (broadcast mode) vs.
Communities (dialog mode)
Audiences are no
longer relevant. Long
live communities!
Discuss passionately.

5. Elissa to
resize

6. Learning
People don’t learn
through social media.
And even if they do, you can’t tell.
Discuss epically.
From "museum consumers"
I want SM delighted by my @SometimesRhymes & @veomega: SM
interactions with museums on social great when it gets visitors to try new
media #musesocial - @richmintz things, not just stare @ screen. #musesocial -
@museums365

7. A new way to measure learning on social
media:
L LURNING
Top secret algorithm:
This day in history tweet
+ link to collections on FB
+ learning outcome approved by education dept
+ curatorial review
+ PR dept signs off
- cute cat photo that lack relevant connection to museum mission
+ cat photo deeply related to museum mission
No kitty curator tweets today. Sleeping in a basket of clean laundry.
/ number of followers
= Lurning per capita score (LPC score) is 82
Pandasonian @Pandasonian
Gave you L+ in social media learning

8. Roles
Everyone should
speak on behalf of
museums.
Discuss interdisciplinarily.

9. 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

10. Metrics
We don’t measure
engagement with exhibits.
Why should we measure it
with social media?
Discuss with vigor.

12. Having lots of followers doesn’t
indicate success!
#justsayin!

13. Let’s keep
talking!

14. 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
• Rachel Greiner, National Air and Space
Museum, @gator_rach
• Brian Alpert, Smithsonian Office of the CIO, @balpert
• Erin Blasco, Smithsonian Postal Museum, @erinblasco

15. Learning
• For now, learning = change in
knowledge, behavior, attitude, engagement/interes
t, 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? From "museum consumers"
• Howwith museums on social @SometimesRhymes & @veomega: SM
I want SM delighted by my
interactions
do we know if we achieved learning
great when it gets visitors to try new
outcomes @richmintz
media #musesocial -
on SM? things, not just stare @ screen. #musesocial -
@museums365

16. 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?

17. • 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?