Program Report: Livestreaming Engagement Model for Cultural Heritage

Interactive Webcast Report • Page 1

I n 2 0 1 3 , t h e C h e m i c a l H e r i t a g e F o u n d a t i o n i n P h i l a d e l p h i a , P e n n -s y l v a n i a , l a u n c h e d a l i v e s t r e a m e d p i l o t p r o g r a m t i t l e d # H i s t C h e m t o e s t a b l i s h a d e e p e r d i a l o g w i t h i t s a u d i e n c e s a r o u n d t o p i c s r e l a t e d t o h i s t o r y, s c i e n c e a n d c u l t u r e . T h i s r e p o r t d e t a i l s o u r a p -p r o a c h , p r o c e s s e s a n d o u t c o m e s .

PRogRam RePoRT

INteractive livestreaming@ C h e m H e r i ta g e

INSIDE1. Strategic Purpose

2. Show Structure3. Reception

• AudienceSupport platforms

• Engagement tactics 4. Outcomes

• Goals & Objectives• Key Metrics• Evaluation

5. Tips and Helps

P R O g R a m O b j e c T i v e S• M a k e t h e i n s t i t u t i o n a c c e s s i b l e b y f e a t u r i n g i t s p e o p l e• U n i f y t r a d i t i o n a l & s o c i a l m e d i a p l a t f o r m s• S p a r k c o m p e l l i n g c o n v e r s a t i o n s a b o u t H i s t o r y & S c i Te c h• Tr a c k e f f e c t i v e n e s s t h r o u g h m e t r i c s & s o c i a l c u r a t i o n t o o l s

http://vimeo.com/channels/histchem

Page 2 • Interactive Webcast Report

#HistChem is a livestreamed discussion program produced by CHF media managers that uses his-tory to illuminate how science and technology affect society and how, in turn, society influences the directions of science and technology. The aim of #HistChem is to show the particular ways in which this has occurred. This approach can be considered a form of applied history, where history is put to work to better understand current problems and concerns.

The one-hour #HistChem webcast is produced monthly. The show is geared towards an adult audience and offers that audience the ability to interact with CHF through social media. The pilot launched in August 2013 and six shows were produced through May, 2014.

#HistChem content is used to create YouTube highlights videos, a long-form Vimeo version of the show, and the now monthly podcast. The old podcast budget has been turned into the #Histchem budget.

Promotion of #HistChem is done via social media (Twitter) and the blog. To generate interest in selected topics, we use the blog to begin discussions, highlight existing content on the topic of the month (from CHF’s website), and promote the upcoming webcast.

Over the course of six shows, #HistChem proved it can engage an audience outside of Philadelphia. Over 50 percent of the November 2013 U.S. webcast viewership came from outside the state of Pennsylvania. Approximately 11 percent of viewers watched from areas outside the United States. Those most engaged in online conversation are among the 75 percent of participants outside of the Philadelphia region.

The #HistChem concept accomplishes the values established in CHF’s emerging media strategy: Develop an engaged audience, one that interacts with CHF through social media and sup-

ports our cultural heritage mission. Reach an audience beyond Philadelphia, including an international one. Use each episode to create additional content (podcast, videos) and use each episode’s

topic as an anchor to reuse recent and not-so-recent magazine and podcast content. A thematic blog post connects the episode to related content.

Provide a multimedia experience that can integrate video, audio, and text. Providing this experience involves creating a suitably interactive place, such as Tumblr, to integrate blog posts, video, podcast, and related magazine content.

Create regular content. From an audience perspective, CHF has very little in the way of regularity when it comes to content (excluding JPS). The magazine publishes only three times a year. We have very little to regularly remind people that CHF exists.

Make use of CHF’s in-house resources.

Introduction & Strategic Purpose

InTeRaCTIve LIvesTReamIng with Tactical Helps

for Cultural InstitutionssPRIng 2014

For More inForMation

Jeffery K. GuinManager of emerging Media

[email protected]@heritagevoices on twitter

ReSouRCe PaGe: http://chemheritage.org/histchem


show Topicsepisode 1, august 2013 “How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Zombie Apocalypse” http://vimeo.com/75058475The first episode capitalized on the prevalence of zombies in popular culture. It featured Robert Hicks of the College of Physicians in Philadelphia and Deanna Day, a former CHF fellow who taught a class on “zombie cul-ture” at the University of Pennsylvania.

Episode 2, September 2013 “Power and Promise: What’s Become of Our Nuclear Golden Age” http://vimeo.com/75058475This show grew out of discussions with ex fellow Linda Richards, who is writing her history dissertation on the effects of uranium mining on the Navajo, and Alex Wellerstein, a historian of nuclear secrecy at the American Institute of Physics.

Episode 3, October 2013 “Digging Up the Bodies: Debunking CSI and Other Forensic Myths” http://vimeo.com/76779893This show started as a topic: forensics. The two guests, Anna Dhody, a physical and forensic anthropologist and Lisa Rosner, a historian of medicine, helped shape it into an exploration of justice and its history.

Episode 4, November 2013 “Why the Chicken Became a Nugget and Other Tales of Processed Food” http://vimeo.com/80814817Conversations with two guest candidates, David Schleifer and Bryant Simon created the motivating question of the show: how did food get this processed?

Episode 5, January 2014 http://vimeo.com/84991297“Drawing History: Telling the Stories of Science through Comics and Graphic Novels” Graphic novelist Jonathan Fetter-Vorm and historian Bert Hansen guested for this conversation about con-necting audiences to history of science through narrative graphic arts.

Episode 6, April 2014 “Alchemy’s Rainbow: Pigment Science and the Art of Conservation” http://vimeo.com/92286798This show featured art conservator Mark F. Bockrath and art historian and CHF fellow Elisabeth Berry Drago discussing the colorful (and sometimes risk-filled) history of pigments and painters, and the conservationists who save paintings from the ravages of time and accidental chemistry.

Episode 7, May 2014 “Intoxication and Civilization: Beer’s Ancient Past” http://vimeo.com/96633918This show features beer and wine archaeologist Patrick E. McGovern and chemist Roger Barth discussing the science behind beer, how modern craft breweries can help us understand ancient beers, and how technology has allowed us to drink like an ancient king.

ExECUTIvE PRODUCERJeffery K. Guin, manager of emerging media

HOSTS Michal Meyer, editor of Chemi-cal Heritage Magazine, and Bob Kenworthy, manager of affiliate relations

PRODUCER Mariel Waloff, multimedia journalist

ReSeaRcHeR Mary Mark Ockerbloom, CHF Wikipedian in Residence

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Jacob Roberts, magazine editor

ADvISORy GROUPLee Berry, Ben Gross, and Clay Cansler,

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

From Phoenix Media Group:Mike Miller, camerasSean Henzie, TriCaster directionBennett Warner, cameras

MARkETING ASSISTANCE

From Chatterblast Media:Erica Palan, social media content development

Production personnel


CHF CoNTeNT PlaTFoRmS SuSTaINed by #HISTCHem PRoGRammING

Long-Form vimeo FormatAbove: The webcast is edited into a long-form, high definition video show for CHF’s Vimeo Channel at http://vimeo.com/channels/histchem (at right). Livetweets are repurposed as timestamps in the video descriptions that allow visitors to immediately click through to the ideas they are most interested in. This approach has the added value of enhancing the search engine value of these videos, meaning people are more likely to find the content through a general search.

SOCIAL MEDIA CONVERSATIONTwitter is the de facto standard media outlets use for highlighting viewer comments and questions. CHF focuses on using Twitter as its front-line engage-ment platform during the live show, with staff live tweeting highlights, and selecting tweeted questions for the guests to answer during the broadcast.

Hashtags are becoming a standard tool for com-municating concepts throughout social media. The #HistChem hashtag encapsulates CHF’s focus in a way CHF’s name does not. CHF’s online audiences are already highly engaged around topics with the #HistSci hashtag. Every CHF Twitter post that uses the hashtag is shared by at least one other account. #HistChem is less-used on social media, but using it as this show’s title allows CHF to become the leading voice for conversations around that tag.

An excerpt from the #HistChem webcast is used as the thematic unifier for related content—video, podcast, magazine, blog posts—between the monthly broadcasts (this content appears on our Media Page and is now appearing on Tumblr).

STUDIO AUDIENCES In January we allowed a limited audience of UArts students to attend the broadcast in person at CHF.

YOUTUBE HIGHLIGHT REELHighlights from the Vimeo version are edited to 5 or fewer minutes featuring “best of” moments. The playlist provides the show exposure to the audiences already following CHF’s YouTube Channel. The YouTube highlights playlist is located at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cehsVV_X08&feature=share&list=PL38BrsESnIoJ74wv-8KUbu5UhGA0jLUuh.

AUDIO PODCASTWebcast audio is edited and then integrated with a retrospective conversation between Bob and Michal on the show. The result is an approximately 20-min-ute podcast that is informed by the webcast and includes new content. The podcast is exported for

iTunes distribution under CHF’s existing podcast feed.

TUMBLR ENGAGEMENTCHF is experimenting with the Tumblr platform at chemheritage.tumblr.com for hosting conversation around the multimedia content we produce. It is like Twitter in that content can be posted and responded to quickly, but provides for long-form and multime-dia posts as well. The monthly themes are curated on the Tumblr home page and each post incorporates related keywords. Each keyword is hyperlinked so that a reader can click it and instantly have a full page of content related to that keyword, creating, in effect, a topic page. Past themes are linked by keywords from the blog homepage, allowing visitors to see all related content.

MOBILE APPThe mobile app is downloadable for iOS and Android devices. It provides instant access to the #HistChem audio podcast and related short form video content. The app is installed on more than 2,600 devices. When new episodes are published, a notification is automatically sent.


Project HistoryIn spring 2013, CHF’s digital initiatives manager, Jeff Guin, wrote a 12-page concept document that ana-lyzed the organization’s obstacles to audience engagement, and outlined how a regular livestreamed video product could transcend these blocks. The document was based on the lessons learned over the previous year from livestreaming in-house events. One of the main lessons learned was that consumers of digital content respond best to consistent conversation-style programs presented by people they trust. CHF’s neutral jour-nalistic voice has attracted people to its content, but there has been no engagement and only a few clues as to how to identify and unify a community interested in CHF and its work. Another lesson learned was consum-ers would continue watching a live event if it interested them. Average duration for views of the 2012 online events was more than 30 minutes for hour-long programs. Audience size varied greatly, from 35 to more than 200 viewers in proportion to the scale of the event and the prominence of its speaker. A third lesson was that audiences the ability to interact with the organization on a regular basis for trust to grow with public en-gagement to result. The hypothesis behind a monthly approach with #HistChem is to explore how could these audiences potentially be built into a community and sustained with regular content.

ReactionAfter the first show, “How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Zombie Apocalypse,” all known online content, audience interactions, and analytics were incorporated into the Storify social media curation plat-form. Among the key analytical data are the following:

• 135 different interactions about the subject matter using the hashtag “#HistChem,” including 50 unique tweets. International interactions originated primarily in the U.K., Austria and Germany.

• 416 views of livestream page• Average stream duration: 32:47 (i.e. how long viewers stayed)

The second show, “Power and Promise: What’s Become of Our Nuclear Golden Age?” lacked a “World War Z” pop culture event to tie into. Views were 312 and the duration of views remained an average of more than 30 minutes. Twitter influencers such as Los Alamos National Laboratory promoted the show to their followers. Following the broadcast, Wellerstein posted the Vimeo version of the show to his popular “Nuclear Secrecy” blog, which resulted in 15,600 loads of the video in six weeks.

Tumblr Social platform for media sharing & curation

leSSoNS leaRNedappreciation for pop culture influences our understanding of science.

The interrelationship between culture, science and technology.

Using the past to understand the pres-ent.

How to think about science. #HistChem’s conversational approach allows for exploration and experimentation and requires only curiosity.

Conversation is a powerful tool because it is inclusive and assumes that listener participants have something to con-tribute.

The products of science and technology are usually separated from the social forces driving them and often presented in terms of good and bad. shows like #HistChem productively contribute to the conversation by always asking how things came to be the way they are.


During the third show, “Digging Up the Bodies: Debunking CSI and Other Forensics Myths,” Jacob Roberts livetweeted the show, drawing questions from the audience. The learning experiences for this show were primarily logistical ones, as it provided the most complexities with both venue and technology. It resulted in 179 views for the live audience. Compared against the previous show, it also demonstrated the differ-ence guests with higher profiles can have on views. Guests Anna Dohty and Linda Richards each have a web presence, though no blog presence like Wellerstein. The edited Vimeo version was our weakest performer on that platform early on, but has since steadily maintained a presence, with its best performance to date coming on Dec. 6 with 34 loads and a total of 136.

The fourth show was titled “Why the Chicken Became a Nugget and Other Tales of Processed Food.” Guests were David Schleifer and Bryant Simon. Schleifer is a senior research associate at Public Agenda in New York. Simon is the author of “Everything but the Coffee: Learning about America from Starbucks” who researches the high costs of cheap food. Both guests were our first active promoters of the show through their own Twitter communities, before during and after the broadcast. This production marked the first webcast to use only “YouTube Live” as the streaming host. YouTube’s recent upgrade of the service allows HD quality streaming and prior posting of the event with a countdown clock that can be embedded on any website. This will be an important tool in the future for prepping audiences for the broadcast. The live show had 149 views, but the most active engagement on Twitter to date, with five questions being asked through the service. Though the communities for the guests may not have been as large, they were more engaged with them and had no problem interacting through #HistChem as a medium.

audIeNCe, maRKeTING & PRomoTIoNCHF’s #HistChem audiences are adults between 30-45 years of age who regularly use social media platforms as engagement tools for civic and cultural advocacy. According to reporting gathered by SocialReport.com, CHF has a current daily reach of 8,214 direct online followers with an average age of 36. In the 2013 fiscal year, CHF added 2,383 followers to its Twitter and Facebook accounts. Additionally, it averaged 3,800 views each month on YouTube.

#HistChem is initially focused on strengthening this growing core audience. One U.K.-based audience mem-ber exemplified the qualities of engagement and advocacy that we seek. On her blog, Mar Dixon describes herself as “Passionate about culture. Champion for the next generation of Cultural visitors. Defender of Libraries. Sharing knowledge. Troublemaker and/or advocate, depending on what you need.” Tweeting as @MarDixon, she drove nearly 15 percent of the conversational interaction surrounding the first show over a three-week period. She also wrote a blog post at www.mardixon.com about the organization, which ends with the quote featured in the opposite side bar.

Chatterblast, a social media marketing agency in Philadelphia, is helping us make webcast topics more relevant and digestible for connecting with, and sharing by, audience advocates. Chatterblast’s role includes working with CHF to develop a content and marketing plan that encourages targeted audiences to watch and participate in #HistChem media.

By directly engaging individual Twitter followers with questions about each webcast, CHF has been able to spark its most vibrant conversations in the weeks leading up to the live webcasts.


Though audience growth is certainly valued and anticipated, the seven “vision” goals for CHF’s overall digital media strategy prioritize meaningful experiences for an increasingly engaged audience. Conceptually, #HistChem supports all seven goals but the goals listed below were among those identified for initial measurement, beginning with the August 2013 pilot.

CHF provides timely, relevant engagement opportu-nities for its audiences.

CHF facilitates active and enlightening dialog with its audiences.

Measurable Objective:The show and associated thematic content on CHF’s blog will inspire an average of one online interaction (i.e. audience comment and related staff response) each week.

Supporting Tactics:

1. Regular featured audience “question/com-ment” with CHF response.

2. Tweets targeted to appropriate individuals about webcast topics

3. Track tweets about show and add related pro-files to Twitter list “Online Community”

4. Cross-promotional social media promotions with an interviewee institution.

EARLY EVALUATIONThis objective was based on CHF’s previous active weekly blogging efforts that resulted in an average

of one measurable response each month from read-ers. It proved to be a conservative objective as the first webcast engendered enough response to meet the six-month goal on its own. Since then, response has been consistent due to CHF’s direct engage-ment with individuals online. The most meaningful measures of engagement (e.g. questions for guests) have doubled for each of the last three shows to a more even mix of commentary rather than just retweets. While live views have held steady at more than 100 per show, the interaction signifies that trust is being built. Also encouraging is that CHF’s Tumblr blog, which launched with the forensics show content attracted two likes, two reblogs and ten followers before it was publicized.Related Goal:

CHF publishes its digital products in formats opti-mized for search, sharing and exploration.

Measurable Objective:#HistChem’s cross-platform approach will result in a 25% subscriber increase each year to CHF multime-dia platforms on which webcast content plays a role.

Supporting Tactics:

1. “Subscribe to Our Channel” overlays for #Hist-Chem YouTube content

2. Descriptions for #HistChem will contain consis-tent keyword tags as well as subscription links to related media among all platforms (YouTube, Vimeo, iTunes)

3. Detailed shownotes with timestamps in Vimeo descriptions allow viewers to find content more quickly.

“I can’t recommend Chem-ical Heritage Foundation enough. Even if you’re not planning a trip to Philadel-phia any time soon, follow them online on one of their many channels [each CHF channel is linked]. Not only are they brilliant with social media, but they live stream lecturers (I managed to catch one the other night). And feel free to explore their brilliant website - you can lose hours there learning and having fun.”

@MarDixon

evaluaTIoN oF GoalS & obJeCTIveS


APP-BASED COMMUNITy

One of key tools #HistChem is using to bring together its com-munity, promote sharing of its content and spark engagement is social media is its mobile app for iOS and Android devices (screen-shot below).

In November, 88 people installed the app, a 591% increase from the previous year. Only 40% of these were from the U.S., continuing the fall 2013 trend of an increasingly international audience for CHF media.

metrics Tracking & Production tips

Supporting Tactics:

1. Consistently exploit bonus content capabilities of app by crafting app-only wallpaper, video segments, ebook downloads and push notifica-tions.

2. Incentivize participation through contest and survey promotions via the app

3. Use Twitter advertising to encourage app downloads among influencers and engaged audiences.

EARLY EVALUATION

Referencing the same 90 day YouTube subscriber metrics mentioned previously: in the key loyalty metric of subscribers per 1,000 views, the United States was matched by audiences in Europe, India and Latin America. Installs of the Distillations app have averaged 80 per month in the same period with similar geographic popularity. Active installs have now surpassed 2,600.

EARLY EVALUATIONIn the 90 days following #HistChem’s first show, the CHF YouTube account has added nearly 25 percent to its total number of subscribers.

Measurable Objective:

Viewers and total downloads originating outside the Philadelphia region will double during #HistChem’s first-year pilot phase. Supporting Tactics:

1. National and international issues/guest consid-erations are a regular agenda item for content planning meetings.

2. Provide mobile-compatible formats to make the webcast accessible to the widest number of online media consumers.

Measurable Objective:Identify and centralize audience advocates by achiev-ing 5,000 installs of the #HistChem Distillations mobile app by the end of 2014.


metrics Tracking & Production tips

Podcast Mobile App 83 downloads591% increase60% international Nov.-Dec. 2013

PRODUCTION TOOLS

youTube Live Online viewingCHF uses the Live Events function of its Youtube Chan-nel to stream its shows. This makes the program acces-sible from the majority of mobile smartphone and tablet devices, as well as desktop computers.

NewTek TriCasterCHF owns a NewTek TriCaster livestreaming device, which it has used for 18 lectures, symposia and panel discus-sions to date. The device is essentially a Windows com-puter with connections for several A/V devices like video

cameras. It also includes specialized software for recording and streaming.http://newtek.com/products/tricaster-460.html

MacPro with multimedia softwareThis setup facilitates post-show edits for dis-tribution to Vimeo, iTunes and the Distillations community podcast app. Final Cut Pro is used for video editing and Hindenberg Journalist is used for audio editing.http://www.apple.com/final-cut-pro/http://hindenburg.com


YouTube Edited Teaser Playlist

653 views Aug.-Nov. 2013

ChemHeritageYouTube Overall

114 New Subscibers 95 Likes

19,472 more views compared to 2012

Aug.-Nov. 2013


Vimeo Channelvideo Loads

by Geographic Region

1. What are emerging trends in pop culture?

2. What is our unique contribu-tion to the conversation?

3. Who is influential in this area that would make a good guest?

4. What are emerging trends in pop culture?

5. What is our unique contribu-tion to the conversation?

6. Who is influential in this area that would make a good guest?

QueSTIoNS for guiding show

topics


webCaST PRoduCTIoN woRKFlowConcept development

3 months before show

content creation

1-2 months before show

pre- production<1 month before show

lIve productionday of show

post- productionafter the show

FOUR MONTHS BEFORE• Determine general topic• Look for in-house objects, interviewees• Look for external interviewees

THREE MONTHS BEFORE• Finalize interviewees• Finalize objects• Schedule related short video content• Plan blog content

TWO MONTHS BEFORE• Determine related CHF media content (podcast/

magazine/video)• Finalize questions for guest• Write blog posts

MONTH BEFORE• Finalize blog edits• Conference call with guests to flesh out conversa-

tion and finalize script• Produce opening and mid-show break segments

WEEK OF• Redirect link chemheritage.org/live• Get FINAL presentation from speaker, export to

JPGs and upload all to Basecamp--share with all on project

• Check internet port activity; Remind IT and Confer-ence center of the event

WEEK BEFORE• Research and format graphics (cutaways and titles)

and their copyright• Change out media page theme

DAY BEFORE• Touch-base conference call with technical produc-

tion crew• Test internet connectivity (ports/bandwidth)

DAY OF• Have laptop with Photoshop and Powerpoint stand-

ing by• Review graphic titles to ensure correct spelling and

affiliation• Send notification email to staff regarding reserved

viewing room• Thoroughly sound check audio for balance in both

house sound and web stream

PRODUCTION PLANNING TASKS• Invite all production and CHF players to Base-

camp project• Wireless mic on speaker for movement on stage,

though she will be controlling the Powerpoint through the podium keyboard

• Email in discussion outlines titling, etc. Share with production company

• Set up event description in YouTube Live for SEO & embedding

• Coach speaker: Repeat questions for camera• Send spellings and titles of speakers for graphics• Activity in the Ulyot ahead of the event that

might cause a conflict with setup• Confirm event start time and date• Reserve Table for Equipment with Conference

Center• If the event is during a workday, schedule a

conference room to watch stream

PROMOTION• Get promotional intro/outro slides from ad-

vancement• Build scorecard for audience and numbers goals• Schedule social media announcements (including

early “day of” and “in progress” as it happens) in Hootsuite

• Announcements on Google Plus; Contact Kyle Bruley [email protected] for promotion through Google Channels)

• Facebook tab or social media campaign• Determine if the event will be live tweeted, and

who will do it

1-2 WEEKS AFTER• Edit five-minute highlight version for YouTube• Edit high-quality full-length version for Vimeo

channel• Export audio & produce conversational wrap up

about the show for iTunes

Documents

Program Report: Livestreaming Engagement Model for Cultural Heritage