Tweeting Moles?
Social Media from the Grant Museum
UKRG Professional Development 12th February 2014
All images © Grant Museum of Zoology, UCL unless otherwise stated
Mark Carnall Curator Grant Museum of Zoology UCL
Museums and the adoption of technologies
Early adopters
Technophiles
Media savvy
Young people
Marketing industry suck the soul out of it,
Guardian
Middle classes
Academics
Libraries
MA start charging 150 quid for training courses
Politicians
Museums
Changing landscape- Think about the field you are in- managers aren’t consumers.
Social Media- Formats
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Twitter- Transitory, irreverant(?), topical
Facebook- Badges and postcards
Blogs- Long form, ‘publication’, CV(?)
Flickr, Youtube & others- Hosting tool
Advantages
Trailing, Legacy and B-roll content
© Will and Mike Tuck
Advantages
‘New Audiences’
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People who can’t visit the museum.
People who won’t visit the museum.
People who should visit the museum.
A way of discovering a museum through
social networks
• People who don’t see every activity you
do.
• Technophiles.
Advantages
adoption
ReactivityAfrica
+ Rangearchaeology Asia Australi
eldwork behind the scenes conservation day
he life
detective
work
event
topics
exhibiti
adoption Africa archaeology Asia Australian fieldwork behind the
exhibitions
Extinction
Petrie
fro
scenes conservation
day in Fish
the life Flinders
detective work event
topics
he stores
I foundExtinction
this...
thePetrie
field
in the
the ne
exhibition exhibitions
Fish in
Flinders
from
stores I found this...
in the field in the
news Invertebrate
nvertebrate
Mammal
Marine
Marsupi
Mammal Marine Marsupials Micrarium museums Natural History Museum
Micrarium
Natural
History
Museu
object based museums
teaching Outreach Petrie
Petrie Museum
pop culture
publicbased
engagement QRator
ReviewsOutreach
science shark Slade
School of Pet
object
teaching
Petrie
Fine Art South America Specimen of the week Tasmania Thylacine UCL Art
Museum
culture public
engagement
Museum pop
Underwhelming
fossil fish
of the monthQRa
upcoming exhibitions Western Australia
Reviews
science shark Slade School of Fine
South America Specimen of the week Tasman
Collections
Museums
Issues?
Advantages
Promotion and Advocacy
Source: www.ucl.ac.uk
Disadvantages
Institutional Hazards
• What does your centre/department/university think
of social media?
• Is there a format you should adopt?
• Make sure you get crediting right.
• What kind of voice will you use?
• Are there other restrictions- personal information,
images.
• Minefield topics
• Moderation
Disadvantages
Frequency is King
Disadvantages
Disadvantages
Statistical bulletin: Internet Access Quarterly Update, Q4 2012
Office for National Statistics
Disadvantages
Who is the audience?
The Museum Niche?
Museum Twitter
• British Library 536k
• NHM- 482k
• V&A- 346k
• Science museum- 324k
• BM- 264k
• MoL- 46.2k
Other
• OMG Facts 6M
• NASA 5.8M
• Weird Al Yankovic 3.2M
• Dolly Parton 2.9M
• Philip Schofield 2.7M
• Fat Amy 2.2M
Broadcasting
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Which channels should be direct marketing?
Engagement & broadcasting?
Authoritative voice
Social media for social media’s sake
Your opinion?
Humour- It’s only museums..
Disadvantages
Accessibility
• Putting stuff online = accessible to everybody
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Content in English
Requires a plugin
43 clicks to get to content
Do you want to ‘reach’ everyone?
Treat your online audience as if you would any other
ones of your audiences! OBVS.
Feedback
• Tweeting moles
Benefits
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Column in New Scientist.
National press coverage for smaller exhibitions.
Museums and Heritage Awards!
Wikipedians will link content to wikipedia.
Use of ‘unusable’ collections.
Events like today.
Mark Carnall
• UCL Museums blog:
http://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/museums/
• Grant Museum Twitter: @GrantMuseum
• Me: @mark_carnall
• Email: mark.carnall@ucl.ac.uk