This document discusses evaluating social media use in museums. It provides tips for developing a social media strategy, including listening to conversations, benchmarking against peers, setting goals, measuring engagement, and creating actionable reports. Challenges discussed include transparency, convincing skeptics of the value, and integrating social media practices. The presentation provides many resources and tools for social media evaluation.

1. Evaluating Social Media We’re here to talk about: navigating sea of social media technologies planning for implementation developing metrics defining success challenges applying lessons learned to other online and offline efforts

2. Your conversation influencers Dana Allen-GreilNew Media Project Manager, National Museum of American History@danamuses Angelina Russo, Ph.D.Associate Professor, Swinburne University@artech05

3. Angelina Russo, PhDAssociate Professor, Swinburne University Angelina Russo leads the ARC research project Engaging with Social Media in Museums at Swinburne University, which brings together three Australian museums and the Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum to explore the impact of social media on museum learning and communication. Between 2005 & 2008 she led the research project New Literacy, New Audiences which examined the development of user-generated content in collaboration with six major Australian cultural institutions. In 2006 Angelina received the prestigious Queensland Premiere’s Smithsonian Fellowship and in 2007 an Australian Postdoctoral Fellowship. Angelina holds a Bachelor of Design in Human Environment Design from University of South Australia and a PhD in Architecture and Design from University of South Australia.

4. Dana Allen-GreilNew Media Project Manager National Museum of American History Dana manages a range of new media projects including online exhibitions, e-mail newsletters, interactive kiosks, mobile interpretation, online fundraising campaigns, blogs, social media strategies – you name it. Projects she’s most proud of include: the “O Say Can You See?” blog (for which she’s managing editor); the Smithsonian’s first YouTube contest (a national anthem singing competition); and the major redesign of the museum’s Web site in 2005. She’s fascinated by the possibilities of Twitter, and has recently contributed two chapters for the book, Twitter for Museums. She teaches the graduate course, “Museums and Technology,” at The George Washington University.

5. This is going to get social… Tweet using hashtag #aamSocial(Note: conference hashtag: #aam10) Text to 202.550.9095

6. What is your biggest social media challenge? Send a tweet to @pollwith the message “26514 + your answer” Send a text to 22333with the message “26514 + your answer” http://www.polleverywhere.com/free_text_polls/LTM2MjQwMjExNg

7. Sticky Museum Matter Presentation to American Association of Museums 23 May 2010 Associate Professor, Angelina Russo, PhD

8. Reflections on social media Can we connect across typologies? Collaborations across the sector are vital Enable audience to develop a sense of national stories how do audiences translate and use materials at a local level?

9. Reflections on relevance big issues of today – whose problems are they? Build visibility of holders of research data, researchers, technologists – a network of different skill-sets There need to be many paths for describing data

10. Reflections on audience Need to know who you are trying to reach A clear value proposition (what's in it for them?) Social media provides transparency - builds on goodwill

11. Relevance Connecting with relevant issues Working with audiences Measurements of success

12. Listening through aggregation sites like Google Alerts, RSS feeds etc. for topics which are sticky

13. Identification Identify sticky issues From what standpoint can the museum discuss? How can this discussion add value to the community?

14. Taking a stand Statement either through an internal or external blog/ radio/ tv Interview/ youtube video - some form of media that connects this issue with the museum for audiences

15. Communication Dissemination re-distribute through multiple social media sites (Facebook, Ning, Twitter, broadcast tools etc) and you capture the interest through Listening (Google Alerts etc).

16. Demonstrating Relevance Now you have a form of front end evaluation for topics which are of interest to the public and which you as a museum can contribute to and add value to.

17. Innovation model where different individuals can contribute where they feel most comfortable

18. Making museums relevant to the entire community… Desiree Rogers

19. Next steps… Identify potential projects Experience: multi-platform design & scientific communication (end-to end program which captures imagination, curiosity and illustrates relevant issues) Engagement: co-created content, multiple channels (blog, game, physical exhibit) Environment: flexible practices, organisational management (exhibition scheduled due to public interest)

20. Engagement what type of engagement you are hoping to achieve based on the issue

21. Environment what resources do you have available to you? Staff Audiences Independent content creators Educators Other organisations

22. Audience engagement Content creators as beacons of cultural production Situate creators as leaders in their field Give voice to end-users New networks Potential engagement in pilots and/or cultural prototypes

23. Experience not everything has to end in an exhibition and/or website.

24. Creating a discourse agility in responding to issues is sometimes more (or at least just) as valuable than scheduling an exhibition.

25. Evaluation decide upfront what your measures of success will be for each experience.

26. Coordination Delegate ownership across the museum; the coordination needs to be led by someone.

27. How good are you at this whole social media thing? We’re good! We’re great! We’re learning! We stink. Find tweet from @danamuses and click link to poll or use this URL: http://twtpoll.com/ykz916

28. How good are you at this whole social media thing? http://twtpoll.com/ykz916 We’re good! We’re great! We’re learning! We stink. “If you chose anything except #3, you’re wrong.” -Jim Sterne, Social Media Metrics

29. Evaluating Social Media: A 6 Step Process See “Measuring, Analyzing, Reporting” in Twitter for Museums for details.

30. 1. Listening They say brilliant conversationalists are actually really just great listeners… What are people saying about you? What aren’t they saying but you wish they were? Flickr photo by vagawi

31. Basic: Searching on Twitter

32. Fancy: HootSuite columns

33. Search for: Your museum’s name (including abbreviations and variations) Exhibition titles Key objects (e.g., “ruby slippers”) Your topic focus (e.g., Holocaust history) Hashtags Places to search: Technorati Social Mention Google

34. The virtual tour you always wish you had? YouTube

35. A keyword goldmine: del.icio.us

36. The image you want to portray? Flickr

37. Search as conversation When people arrive at your site from a search engine, they are looking for something in particular and are communicating their intent. When people search for something on your site they are communicating their inability to find it through your navigation. -Jim Sterne, Social Media Metrics: How to Measure and Optimize Your Marketing Investment

38. RSS feeds are your friend!Google Reader Play http://www.google.com/reader/play/

39. Create a listening post http://www.netvibes.com/thedailyinfluence

41. Create a TweetScan Twitter Backup (CSV or HTML export).See “Using Twitter for Research” by Beck Tench in Twitter for Museums

42. What Twitter lists say about you http://www.mustexist.com/list_tags/amhistorymuseum

43. Defining success “Success in social media is not found in how many people got your message; it’s found in how many people thought your message was remarkable.” -Jim Sterne, Social Media Metrics: How to Measure and Optimize Your Marketing Investment

44. 2. Benchmarking or Where are you now? Your “baseline” is your line in the sand. Followers/fans @ replies and retweets Clicks to your Website coming from social media Search engine rankings for key terms Flickr photo by Egan Snow

45. Where are your peers? Benchmarks help you understand where you are in relation to something else. They are points of reference, standards by which your efforts can be measured or judged. Flickr photo by JACoulter

46. Finding your peers: GraphEdge Who else is your audience listening to? GraphEdge presents a list of other users ranked by what percentage of your followers also follow that account. For each peer on your shortlist take a look at their follower numbers, how actively they're tweeting, etc. Capture only the details you want to focus on in your own efforts.

47. Putting it into practice Environment Engagement Experience Evaluation

51. Your onsite and online activities

53. Environment This one is trickier… it’s about looking at what you currently do and how you can connect the dots so that your online and onsite experiences match up!

54. Engagement This one is the most contentious. It regularly produces a cold sweat in management resounding indifference in many staff discussions re: the authority of the organisation a desperate call for more resources A look of hopelessness and despair

55. Evaluation Increasingly, evaluation needs to occur in two parts. One is relatively easy, the other more laboured… Tracking of metrics – whether using free or commercial services

56. Evaluation Active strategy of research to find out What are others saying about democracy? Where they are saying it? What you can contribute to that discussion?

57. What do you need to make this happen? The most common response is… Time Training Staff Senior management buy-in

58. But there’s more! Commitment from top down and bottom up Collaboration between departments and individuals Connection with what matters to the public Cooperation To achieve the policy aims

59. 3. Setting goals Where do you want to go? What is your definition of success?

60. Goals?

61. Consider not “What can I do with social media?” but “How can social media help me achieve the museum’s mission?”

62. Ask: “What is unique about social media?” and, more importantly, “What can I bring to social media that is unique?”

63. What is your #1 social media goal? Tweet using hashtag #aamSocial Text to 202.550.9095

64. 4 & 5. Measuring and Analyzing What data should you collect? How should you collect it?

65. 100 Ways to Measure Social Media http://www.marketersstudio.com/2009/11/100-ways-to-measure-social-media-.html

67. You want to do the least amount of work needed to gain actionable insights. You want to spend your time acting, not analyzing.

68. Who will find this chart useful?

69. Input

70. Response

71. Where to measure

72. “Lamest measure of success”: followers Measuring followers or fans is simply a measure of input Doesn’t focus on customer behavior or outcomes Instead use: Klout: Inbound Messages per Outbound Message (conversation rate) Are you shouting or having a conversation?

73. Success vs. Awareness “Follower numbers, like website traffic statistics, don’t necessarily represent success, but can be used as a rough measurement of public awareness of your account and potential influence.” See Zambonini

74. Content analysis Perform a content analysis—use a random sample or a full set from a small time period and categorize them. Message type Tone Topics

75. Focus on the “critical few” Separate the need to know from the nice to know or you’ll be buried in data Avoid analysis paralysis See Avinash Kaushik http://www.newcommcollaborative.com/knowledge/877-exploring-social-media-analytics-with-avinash-kaushik

76. 6. Actionable reporting

77. REVISIT: What is your biggest social media challenge? Send a tweet to @pollwith the message “26514 + your answer” Send a text to 22333with the message “26514 + your answer” http://www.polleverywhere.com/free_text_polls/LTM2MjQwMjExNg

78. Challenge: Transparency Be human Post a link to your comment or social media policy Identify who is behind your accounts Be sincere Be willing to listen Be willing to respond and make changes Be agile

79. You’re only human (born to make mistakes…)

80. A “very crowded cocktail party” Catch up with old friends Meet new people Introduce people to one another Make connections Share information Strengthen ties Your network of fans are visible to one another See Elizabeth Stewart, Twitter for Museums

81. Do you sound like a human? What department or person in your museum is currently responsible for social media? Are these the right people for the job? Tweet using hashtag #aamSocial Text to 202.550.9095

82. Convincing the skeptics How will these new tasks impact their already busy jobs? (I’m afraid it will take too much time!) What will the quality be like since resources are at a premium? Will it distract from the museum’s core tasks? See “Confessions of a Long-Tail Visionary” and “Clearing the Path for Sisyphus” by Jeff Gates in Twitter for Museums

83. Convincing the skeptics What is the most common push-back you get from colleagues in trying to adopt social media practices? Tweet using hashtag #aamSocial Text to 202.550.9095

84. The future (is now?) . . . Integrating social media Is the museum Web site dead? Incorporating your social media into your existing site—a good idea? Applying social principles to your site (online and in the building)

85. A few resources Mashable, “world’s largest blog focused exclusively on Web 2.0 and Social Media news,” www.mashable.com Social Media Today, “moderated business community for the web's best thinkers on Social Media and Web 2.0,” www.socialmediatoday.com SmartBrief on Social Media, “the best news and insights on the business of social media,” www.smartbrief.com/socialmedia Beth Kanter's blog, How Nonprofit Organizations Can Use Social Media to Power Social Networks for Change, http://beth.typepad.com/

86. A few tools FREE Google Alerts Tweetbeep Retweetrank Twitalyzer Technorati Authority Social Mention Twitter Sentiment Trackbacks Blogscope Wefollow (find topic-based people) Postrank Google Analytics HootSuite Facebook Insights YouTube Insights Flickr Statistics NOT SO FREE Attensity ScoutLabs Nielsen BuzzMetrics Hitwise comScore Omniture SiteCatalyst Radian6 WebTrends

87. Contact New Media Project ManagerNational Museum of American History Dana Allen-Greil allen-greil@si.edu http://www.linkedin.com/in/danaallengreil Twitter: danamuses http://americanhistory.si.edu http://blog.americanhistory.si.edu

88. Contact Associate Professor Angelina Russo, PhD angelinarusso01@optusnet.com.au http://www.linkedin.com/in/angelinarusso Twitter: artech05 http://www.museum30.ning.com http://nlablog.wordpress.com

89. Join the conversation www.museum30.ning.com