tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post1827195695087443557..comments2024-03-07T06:04:27.839-08:00Comments on Museum 2.0: An Open Letter to Museums on TwitterNina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11723930679606298550noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-54772829044929671362013-04-20T08:31:40.624-07:002013-04-20T08:31:40.624-07:00Really nice post. I must admit that I didn't k...Really nice post. I must admit that I didn't know much about twitter before reading this, so combining my job at a museum with this, I got quite a lot out of reading this.Thomashttp://adjustableairbeds.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-21276645759353252452010-04-27T17:50:07.473-07:002010-04-27T17:50:07.473-07:00Hi Kavabuggy -
This is certainly not the reason ...Hi Kavabuggy - <br /><br />This is certainly not the reason I don't follow you. Truth is, I'm not fabulous at tracking who's on Twitter and finding museums to follow. At some point, my email address got delinked from my account, so I don't get updates anymore when people follow me, and I haven't figured out a fix.<br /><br />I'm not judging anyone by these rules - they're just ideas based on what I've seen. And I guess I would say these rules apply to people as well - that I like following people who are interesting, responsive, and give me a connection to new things. But honestly, as Twitter has gotten bigger, I haven't put as much effort as I could into finding more effective ways to use it. Sometimes I just get overwhelmed - in which case I tend to focus on people and institutions I know really well.<br /><br />Still learning!Nina Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11723930679606298550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-4146614283807605982010-04-27T14:36:19.670-07:002010-04-27T14:36:19.670-07:00hmm...now i'm wondering...is THIS why you don&...hmm...now i'm wondering...is THIS why you don't follow the museum i work at, because we've essentially broken all of these rules by not using Twitter effectively? granted, i've been attending workshops and reading books to get us to tweet better, but i would hate for anyone to judge our VERY small museum based on these rules alone. do you ever give organizations a second chance, AND, do these rules apply to people too?kavabuggyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00889907884345460812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-79974282340426829432010-04-07T15:57:18.960-07:002010-04-07T15:57:18.960-07:00Great post. I like museums and it would be lovely ...Great post. I like museums and it would be lovely if we can get news about its on twitterdata recoveryhttp://www.easyrecovery.ienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-83977524602998458752009-12-22T09:38:35.329-08:002009-12-22T09:38:35.329-08:00Great read, they should keep places of interest li...Great read, they should keep places of interest like museums local and to a specific audience.Facebook Managementhttp://www.facebookandtwittermanagement.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-56356415525766704362009-11-04T10:24:14.165-08:002009-11-04T10:24:14.165-08:00Well said
One thing I would like to encourage, es...Well said<br /><br />One thing I would like to encourage, especially with regard to item #1, is "Make Evidence-based decisions"<br /><br />Every audience is different, and followers have the two most powerful tools known to Twitter: the Follow button and the Unfollow button.<br /><br />If you don't know if your tweets would be regarded as Spam, use a tool like Qwitter (to track who unfollows) or Hootsuite (to track who clicks on links) to see how your followers respond.<br /><br />You may be able to craft a weather reminder with useful content that creates more followers and clickthroughs. Then keep doing that!<br /><br />but the general advice is to watch what your audience does... they will vote with their feet... er... mouse.Phil Charronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16545262232317281467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-4064487819175107192009-09-11T22:48:18.258-07:002009-09-11T22:48:18.258-07:00Great ideas, and summary of successful tweets by m...Great ideas, and summary of successful tweets by museums. there are also some great people tweeting *about* museums. Have you seen those? Check out @thelittleartist and @MetEverydayAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-37964822346181652972009-03-06T12:56:00.000-08:002009-03-06T12:56:00.000-08:00Thanks so much for posting this; it's been a great...Thanks so much for posting this; it's been a great resource for me as I try to promote Twitter at the museum I work for.Karen Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03597701284348386435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-45602584443929006422009-03-02T03:47:00.000-08:002009-03-02T03:47:00.000-08:00The above link to my site as a link!The above link to <A HREF="http://pblog.ebaker.me.uk/2009/03/creative-spaces-museum-social-not.html" REL="nofollow">my site</A> as a link!Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14569326774736717270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-27458713538005615332009-03-02T03:30:00.000-08:002009-03-02T03:30:00.000-08:00More on museums and social networking: http://pblo...More on museums and social networking: http://pblog.ebaker.me.uk/2009/03/creative-spaces-museum-social-not.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-58541934946565931892009-01-02T15:54:00.000-08:002009-01-02T15:54:00.000-08:00i just toook a look at brooklyn museum's tweets - ...i just toook a look at brooklyn museum's tweets - looks like they're taking some of your advice...Jaki Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06265633714166116042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-74928500982999933152009-01-02T12:36:00.000-08:002009-01-02T12:36:00.000-08:00For those interested. Here's a "How To&qu...For those interested. <A HREF="http://artyoucangetinto.blogspot.com/2009/01/customizing-your-twitter-background.html" REL="nofollow">Here's a "How To" & template for creating a customized Twitter background</A>.<BR/><BR/>-- JeffreyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-20580368255841349382009-01-02T07:16:00.000-08:002009-01-02T07:16:00.000-08:00Great post Nina. Obviously your points seem to be ...Great post Nina. Obviously your points seem to be on all of our minds, as they have been on mine. I am sort of coming to the comments late, so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to add that hasn't already been said as everyone has left really good and thoughtful comments. <BR/><BR/>About identifying ourselves on our institution's Twitter account, my first thought was similar to Maria's in that I didn't think the public would not be interested in who I was, but mainly in the personality and content found in my tweets and @replies. I partly wondered if people wouldn't think that @MuseumModernArt run by some guy named Victor was really the official MoMA account (I have received questions in tweets asking if the account was the official "account" for MoMA). <BR/><BR/>However, I agree that transparency and putting a human face on the institution is the key here, and if letting people know who is behind the account achieves that, then great. I've only been aware of one time in which someone asked who was behind @MuseumModernArt, but I really appreciate hearing Shelly say she's has received a lot of feedback about this. I totally understand why. The last thing I would want is someone to think that our twitter account was just another marketing vehicle which, to echo Shelly's points, Twitter is not about. People can sniff out blatant marketing in a second, and will lose interest instantly. I try (and admittedly could do a better job) to follow an idea I heard attributed to Chris Brogan that a twitter account should keep a 12:1 ratio of info about others <I>to</I> info about yourself/your institution. I don't know how he got the ratio 12:1, but I think the idea is worth keeping in mind. <BR/><BR/>I also agree with Jeffrey and Matt's points that there aren't yet any right or wrong ways to run a twitter account, and we should all be trying different things to experiment. <BR/><BR/>To follow up on Amy Southerland's points and Nina's "radio station" suggestions, the institutions we represent are so rich with content, history, stories and interesting tidbits that it would be a shame not to share with our audience. I hope to be doing more of this soon. <BR/><BR/>Allison, I look forward to the LACMA account and seeing what you are working on!<BR/><BR/>Happy new year all, <BR/>Victor <BR/><BR/>@vsamra3<BR/>@museummodernartvictorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03390313419961691608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-31035092295258014472009-01-02T06:51:00.000-08:002009-01-02T06:51:00.000-08:00/I don't think it's so simple to say that you can .../I don't think it's so simple to say that you can rank different platforms in order of reach/<BR/><BR/>I was speaking specifically of the Met's traffic in that ranking. Thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-80485728085977828332009-01-01T19:08:00.000-08:002009-01-01T19:08:00.000-08:00Matt,I agree that trying different things is most ...Matt,<BR/>I agree that trying different things is most important. I'm in no way trying to suggest a list of best practices--just a set of more interesting avenues and differentiated options to pursue.<BR/><BR/>I don't think it's so simple to say that you can rank different platforms in order of reach--for example, I get more traffic from Twitter to my blog than any other site (besides google). My interactions on Twitter are more meaningful than those on Facebook, so that drives more traffic. I would suspect that a place like the Brooklyn Museum, which has a heavy Flickr presence, gets more traffic driven from Flickr than YouTube. My guess is that the place where you invest in relationships is the place that is going to drive engagement and reach.Nina Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11723930679606298550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-65326546305163732542009-01-01T18:40:00.000-08:002009-01-01T18:40:00.000-08:00As always, I very much appreciate your take Nina a...As always, I very much appreciate your take Nina as an involved (but not TOO closely affiliated) observer.<BR/><BR/>In a lot of ways, I think any museum's presence on a site like Twitter is going to reflect that museum's own individual priorities as much as their web site will. I'm not sure that there will ever be a precise set of "best practices" for museum tweets, just as each museum approaches every other aspect of its exhibits, programs, and communications uniquely from all of the others.<BR/><BR/>The biggest surprise for us on Twitter (as COSI @COSICols, as well as individuals @KPfefferle and @KNowinsky) has been some of the new and VERY strong community ties that have been formed within the Columbus Tech community. When we (myself or Kelli, our PR Manager) attend a local web or PR gathering, people are genuinely excited to meet "the person behind @COSICols." Although we connect to these individuals in different modes both on behalf of COSI and as individuals, those in our community seem to appreciate and value both modes as separate entities. We even get quite a bit of good-natured ribbing about being the "COSI Bot" although we are pretty open about our personal identities.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for spurring on this kind of discussion as well, as I have found reading the comments to be a very interesting supplement to the post!<BR/><BR/>Kevin Pfefferle<BR/>Web Manager<BR/>COSI Columbus<BR/>@KPfefferle<BR/>@COSIColsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-16214992927250529272009-01-01T16:34:00.000-08:002009-01-01T16:34:00.000-08:00Is anyone else bothered by the insularity of the c...Is anyone else bothered by the insularity of the conversation on twitter?<BR/><BR/>Either we're just talking to each other on Twitter forever, or what we're doing now isn't like what we'll be doing in a year. I think it's too early to even care that we're doing the right thing ... trying different things is the most important thing.<BR/><BR/>Right now, the less social our technology gets (in rough order: twitter, flickr, facebook, youtube, email, website) the more people it reaches. Talk to me about levels of "engagement" and I'll be sitting right there in the social networking choir (singing very badly), but this is still very much an experiment and we should treat it like one. We need to get more info before we come to any conclusions. And it would be best if we all did different things, instead of trying to do the same things, and then thought hard about what really worked.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-89562071024940640922008-12-31T19:57:00.000-08:002008-12-31T19:57:00.000-08:00Thanks for this post, Nina, and I'm enjoying the c...Thanks for this post, Nina, and I'm enjoying the conversation going on in the comments. I've been trying to compose a best practices for Twitter as a conclusion to my thesis but I always end up wondering how much of it would end up reflecting my own personal preference versus what would actually be in a museum's best interest. Most of your points parallel my observations so this is obviously something worth talking about.<BR/><BR/>That said, there are some really boring and pointless museum tweets out there to weed through to get to some other very creative and interesting content and conversations. Luckily there is always room for growth and innovation, right?<BR/><BR/>@eneriyma<BR/>@museumtweetsAmyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03645163533619450071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-9678022629745192502008-12-31T17:26:00.000-08:002008-12-31T17:26:00.000-08:00I think we're wrong in assuming there is a "right"...I think we're wrong in assuming there is a "right" or "wrong" way for an institution to approach the medium of Twitter.<BR/><BR/>Social media is built on a foundation of personality. The appropriate tactic depends on the personality of the organization, or perhaps more importantly, the personality of the organization's audience.<BR/><BR/>Jeffrey (@MattressFactory)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-21149964108612923952008-12-31T15:16:00.000-08:002008-12-31T15:16:00.000-08:00Agreed and even that instance rocks my world, but ...Agreed and even that instance rocks my world, but there is a very very big difference there - that's NASA bringing an inadament object to life. So, sure, I guess if we wanted to be tweeting as a painting would or as the physical building - I would agree that disclosure is probably counter productive and not necessary. However, if you are tweeting general information like we do - I believe (and have gotten feedback to the fact) that disclosure is a key element and I believe that kind of transparency needs to be more evident across the board in both the public and private sectors.Shelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15213122233557782284noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-90725910454606394332008-12-31T14:39:00.000-08:002008-12-31T14:39:00.000-08:00For the record, @MarsPhoenix, one of the most succ...For the record, <A HREF="http://twitter.com/MarsPhoenix" REL="nofollow">@MarsPhoenix</A>, one of the most successful institutional Twitter presences, didn't explicitly disclose who did the updates.Paolo Amorosohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03789843965489611451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-31964551427715953372008-12-31T11:15:00.000-08:002008-12-31T11:15:00.000-08:00Hey Maria,Wow, I really disagree with you - this i...Hey Maria,<BR/><BR/>Wow, I really disagree with you - this is social networking and the fundamental aspect of that is it's about *people* - if you've got a Twitter feed - people need to know who's talking (otherwise, all you are doing is marketing on Twitter and social networking is about community, not marketing). Even if you are a marketer, for transparency's sake, I'd want to know who is talking (kudos to Allison on that). Here's an example of what can happen when you don't - take a look at the comments here: http://tr.im/2sa7<BR/><BR/>That artist is thrilled when MoMA followed her back, but when we don't disclose who we are it can send the wrong message totally. This is especially true if you are doing @replies.<BR/><BR/>My experience with social networking is that it only works when you put a personal face on the institution and you fully disclose who that is and what they do. To us, it has nothing to do with a tech savvy audience (I would argue that may not be the case here or it certainly isn't always) and it's not limited to Twitter - we do that on all social sites.Shelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15213122233557782284noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-65122434540560435202008-12-31T10:56:00.000-08:002008-12-31T10:56:00.000-08:00Really interesting discussion! Regarding identifyi...Really interesting discussion! Regarding identifying the individual behind a museum's Twitter account--personally I believe this depends on what you’re saying. For commercial brands, it makes sense to identify the staff member who is there to help, troubleshoot, respond to questions, etc. If an institution is tweeting someone’s personal opinions (like a blog), then yes, the identity of the person is key.<BR/><BR/>We’re a nonprofit educational institution (The J. Paul Getty Museum) that is using Twitter as a tool to provide interesting, engaging content directly to our audience & listen to them. While our colleagues may be interested in the identify of the staff member tweeting, I’m pretty confident that the general public is not. Plus, it’s not really relevant. In our case, it’s not about me, it’s about the Getty Museum. A curator or conservator tweeting about their work makes a wonderful Twitter account, but in such a case it makes sense for the account to be identified with their name and role. There are lots of individuals doing this, and they’re great! At the same time, those accounts tend to be followed by colleagues in the field rather than the general public. An exception would be a museum that has a significant technically savvy (digital native) audience such as the Brooklyn Museum.<BR/><BR/>I'm still pondering this, but this is my initial reaction.<BR/><BR/>Maria @marialgilbert & the tweeter behind @GettyMuseumMaria L. Gilberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10248818586156922071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-70850396118905339892008-12-31T10:12:00.000-08:002008-12-31T10:12:00.000-08:00Hey Nina - we just changed the @brooklynmuseum bac...Hey Nina - we just changed the @brooklynmuseum background to be clearer about how we tweet and who tweets and that we encourage @replies. I have to thank Jeffrey over at the MF for that - when I saw the background image he had put up...I thought - wow, they got it right (and then, of course) had to copy it as fast as possible. Thanks Jeff - that's all you.Shelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15213122233557782284noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-12883011194686739422008-12-31T10:05:00.000-08:002008-12-31T10:05:00.000-08:00Really thoughtful post and right on the mark in so...Really thoughtful post and right on the mark in so many respects. I Tweet on behalf of LACMA from my own account (@AAgsten) as I also thought that readers might be interested in a behind-the-scenes take on the museum. Maybe not surprisingly, as an individual vs. a big name (i.e. LACMA), I don’t have a huge number of followers. None the less, we still see a lot of potential for Twitter. Next week we’re going to initialize our LACMA account to try something a little different. It’ll be interesting to compare the two experiences.Allison Agstenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15580003850462035699noreply@blogger.com