Engaging Your Audience Through Online TechnologiesSession No. 2

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Survey Your Audience

Sarah WassbergEducation Director & Volunteer CoordinatorHudson River Maritime Museum

Survey Your Audience: The Survey

• “Accessing Information From Museums in the Digital Age"

• Used: Surveymonkey.com – basic paid plan.

• Survey: 8 questions plus comment box at end

• Time Frame: January 16th through March 26th, 2013

• Collected: 213 responses• Results: Surprising

Survey Your Audience: Demographics

34.7% of respondents were under 45

44.9% of respondents were over 45

Survey Your Audience: Demographics

Survey Your Audience: Surprises

Survey Your Audience: Comments

I find that people using electronic media in a museum spend a lot of time shuffling around

without looking too carefully at the exhibits because they are fiddling with the devices or reading the devices (and getting in the way of those who are

actually looking at the work).

Seems to me that when organizations assume people all have smart phones they are being a little elitist. I don't have one and have missed out on so many things----deals at stores, info at museums, etc---which have you 'just scan the square.' Not

everyone can. But that is just me who doesn't have one!

Survey Your Audience: Comments

Sometimes it is just impossible to visit a museum in person. Anything that makes the collection

available is helpful.

Museums must embrace all technologies to remain relevant to visitors. The challenge is in the

application and funding.

I definitely think it is a fabulous way for museums to connect with their public & especially with the

younger audiences who rely heavily upon social media for any kind of information. I don't think that it should be the sole outlet for museums, however; I

assume there are other people like me who don't check a social media site regularly.

Survey Your Audience: Conclusion

•Survey your audience!• Keep it short, simple, and focused• Be prepared for surprise answers• Share the data you collect• USE the data you collect!

Connect With Your AudienceKerry Durkin SclafaniRegional Coordinator/Archivist, DHPGreater Hudson Heritage Network

Case Study: Constant Contact

2010: mailing budget is huge • Costs for postage for:• membership mailings• Flyers• Newsletter – quarterly: 1 large, 3

small• Program Announcements &

Registrations• Costs for photocopying and ink

for mailings• Addresses not always up to date

+ typos = a lot of wasted money

Constant Contact

Costs• Financial • Time• Add-on Modules

• Archive – $5/month• My Library Plus (unlimited image uploads) -

$5/month• Event Registration Module – scalable for

amount of events• Survey – for 1 month is $15.

Benefits• Easy to use!• Postal/Photocopy Budget significantly decreased• People can register (and pay!) online for events and

workshops• Templates are professional looking and consistent• eBlasts/eNewsletters come out on a regular schedule

• eBlast once a month• eNewsletter is quarterly and longer• In between – only if necessary- don’t want to overwhelm!

• Tracking• Who opens emails• Who clicks• Who forwards – big indicator of success• Google Analytics- who visits our site from the email

EMAILS

EVENTS

SURVEY/POLL

CONTACTS

Contact Info

Calendar Widget-Auto if you are using event module, otherwise, just type upcoming events into a block!

Always thank your sponsors! (or donors & members!)

When you have long articles, only post the first paragraph. Save article as a pdf, and upload it to Constant Contact and then link to it—no one will keep reading if they have to constantly scroll down

Overall statistics

Individual Statistics

Event Homepage (hosted by CC)

Registration Page (you set fields)

Event Dashboard—Can see attendees, payment status, etc.

Organization’s Website

First impressions are important!

Needs to be easy to navigate

SEARCH BAR!

Updated frequently

• Address• Phone Number/Contact information• FAQs (parking, hours, etc.)

Relevant information

Case Study: Weebly v. Web Designer

Issu

es:

Cost: $1600/yrWebsite was not eye-catchingWebsite was not updated quicklyWebsite was terrible to navigate• Left sidebar seemed clean, but

each had 4 or 5 dropdowns • Whenever you opened a page, a

right sidebar also appeared which was very confusing

• Information was hidden in the layers

• No site map or search bar

Weebly v. Web Designer• Weebly is a free, drag & drop website builder• Internet based-no software to download

• Can be updated from any computer with internet access• Volunteers/Staff can update site from home, library, or

smartphone!

• Professional themes• Access to Creative Commons photographs- either free or $5 for

professional photographs• Don’t need to know HTML, but can use HTML to further

customize/add things (Flickr banner, Twitter feed, colored bars, etc.)

• Photo galleries, slideshows, video and audio player• Custom Form Builder (we use for membership and for

consultant registry)• Site is optimized for mobile viewing- looks just as good

on your phone!• FREE HOSTING• Pro - $35/year

Getting Smart and Plugging InSean ConklinAssistant CuratorRegina A. Quick Center for the Arts

Technology Adopters & Your Desired Audience

Getting

SMART

and

PLUGGING-IN

Sean Conklin, Assistant Curator - Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at St. Bonaventure University

If I Use It They Will Come

Mentality

concerning cultural institutions and your audiences

There is NO:

Technology Adopters

INNOVATORS The first 2.5% of all those willing to adopt a new technology before hearing or reading reviews.

They are generally considered venturesome andare highly sought after as trend setters and public promoters.

Technology Adopters

EARLY ADOPTERSThe next 13.5% of all those willing to adopt a new technology. They adopt early because they feel the technology is useful to their life.

These individuals will recognize attempts made to integrate the technology they find useful into areas where it did not previously exist and are more likelyto return to venues because of it.

Technology Adopters

EARLY MAJORITYThe next 34% of all those willing to adopt a new technology. These individuals will weigh the prosand cons of owning the technology before purchase.

These individuals view technology as another life investment of money and time but once that investment is made they expect to see their technology preferences integrated into all areas of their life.

Technology Adopters

LATE MAJORITYThe next 34% of all those willing to adopt a new technology. These individuals often choose a new technology because “everyone else they knowhas one.”

These individuals will often switch between early,late and laggard positions based upon their currentlife situations. They rely heavily on the opinions of innovators and early adopters and will only appreciate technology that has been in a location for an extended amount of time.

Technology Adopters

LAGGARDSThe final 16% of all those willing to adopt a new technology. These individuals often distrust new technology and may feel alienated by a rapidlychanging society.

These individuals also see new technology as a life investment but unlike the early majority see very littlein the return on its use within their lives. Skeptical ofthe need for updates or alterations to technology they already are comfortable with these individuals will often attempt to extend technology beyond its useable life, reaching “Techdeath.”

Many people see technology as the problem behind the so-called digital divide.

Others see it as the solution.

Technology is neither.

It must operate in conjunction with business, economic, political and social systems.

-Carly Fiorina

So…What Is The Point?

TECHNOLOGY IS A WAY OF LIFE!

So…What Is The Point?

INNOVATORS - QR Codes

QR CODESQuick Response Matrix barcode

Based on two or three dimensional character coding systemscomposed of a series of two tone dots or squares

Readable by:

• QR enabled scanners

• Mobile phones with a camera

• Smart phones

No license is required to create or employ QR Code• Denso Wave owns the patent right but has chooses not to exercise

Defined and published as an ISO standard

INNOVATORS - QR Codes

Encodable Data Numeric Only - Max Characters 7,089

Alphanumeric - Max Characters 4,296

Binary (8 bits only) - Max Characters 2.953

Kanji/Kana - Max Characters 1,817

QR Codes link metadata to singles within native applications so as to trigger a specific action

Coded with

• Display Text

• Contact Information/Digital Card

• Wireless Network Connection

• Web Page/Link

• SMS Message

INNOVATORS - QR Codes

CURRENT USES Bridging the gap between print and on-line platforms

Gives users better access to mobile website

• No wasted time searching

• Eliminates user errors (ie.) spelling mistakes, dummy sites

Web considered limitless - Print is charge by the page/word

• Maximum information presented in limited space

Competitive pricing in “service added value”

• Users access external multiple media information not readablyavailable in physical form

INNOVATORS - QR Codes

EXAMPLES Text Based - Exhibition Expansion

INNOVATORS - QR Codes

EXAMPLES Multi-Media Based - Museum Marketing & Outreach

INNOVATORS - QR Codes

Implementation Meet Your Audience

Are they bringing/using their own technology

Do you need to provide it?

Will they really use it?

Make Recommendation NOT Endorsements

Blend Your Media

EARLY ADOPTERS & MAJORITY

WHY PANDORA? Pandora is an Internet music-streaming site that allows users to freely create stations based on their favorite songs, artists or genres of music.

It’s stations are based purely on user interest and Pandroa’s connection to the MUSIC GENOME PROJECT

Makes Music “Digitally Sociable”

FREE!

EARLY ADOPTERS & MAJORITY

PANDORA, WHY NOT? It’s FREE!

User created stations

“People” Factor

Connect music to your exhibitions

Share with visitors

Leave Active

Burn After Playing

Share Your Collection: DigitizeJennifer PalmentieroDigital LibrarianSoutheastern New York Library Resources Council

Why Digitize?

• Increase awareness • Increase audience• Increase use• Increase staff skills/expertise

Collaborate!

• Shared infrastructure• Shared standards/documentation• Shared expertise• Greater exposure for your

collection/organization• Better for users

Collaboration in NY

• Hudson River Valley Heritage• Digital METRO• Long Island Memories• NY Heritage

• Start your own

Commercial Software Options

• CONTENTdm• PastPerfect-Online• LUNA Imaging• Content Pro

Open Source Software Options

• Islandora• Hydra/Blacklight• D-Space• Omeka• Omeka.org (free to download)• Omeka.net (if you need hosting services - $$)

Omeka Collection

Omeka Exhibit

Other Options

Viewshare.org

Tips for Success

• Plan• Be realistic• Document• Communicate

Dust Off the Digital ArchiveKara JeftsVisual Resources CoordinatorThe College of Saint Rose

• Identify• Analyze• Research•Organize• Share

Five Steps to Success

Identify

• Narrowcast: Identify an audience• Make a personal connection

Case exampleCulture and Language Through ArtNassau County Museum of Art

Case example Face to Face: Comparing PortraitsMetropolitan Museum of Art

Analyze

• Analyze your collection• Reinvent your resources

Case example50/50: Audience and ExpertsCurate the Paper CollectionThe Walker Art Center

Research

• Share the learning process• Reveal successes and failures• Document! Document! Document!

Case exampleThe Brooklyn Museum of Art

Case example African American Close-UpNasher Museum of Art, Duke University

Organize

• Find a voice• Be consistent• Bank your content

Case examplePlant TalkThe New York Botanical Garden

Share

• Create a dialogue• Try something new• “Bring it home”

Case exampleTeen Guide to ArtThe Brooklyn Museum

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