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

Your conversation influencers

Dana Allen-GreilNew Media Project Manager, National Museum of American History@danamuses

Angelina Russo, Ph.D.Associate Professor, Swinburne University@artech05

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.

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.

This is going to get social…

Tweet using hashtag

#aamSocial (Note: conference hashtag: #aam10)

Text to 202.550.9095

What is your biggest social media challenge?

Send a tweet to @poll with the message

“26514 + your answer”

Send a text to 22333 with the message

“26514 + your answer”

http://www.polleverywhere.com/free_text_polls/LTM2MjQwMjExNg

Presentation to American Association of Museums23 May 2010

Sticky

Museum Matter

Associate Professor, Angelina Russo, PhD

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?

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

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

Relevance

Connecting with relevant issues

Working with audiences

Measurements of success

Listening

through aggregation sites like Google Alerts, RSS feeds

etc. for topics which are sticky

Identification

Identify sticky issues

From what standpoint can the museum

discuss?How can this discussion add value to the

community?

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

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).

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.

Innovation

model where different individuals can

contribute where they feel most

comfortable

Making museums relevant to the entire community…

Desiree Rogers

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)

Engagement

what type of engagement you are hoping

to achieve based on the issue

Environment

what resources do you have available to

you?Staff

AudiencesIndependent content creators

EducatorsOther organisations

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

Experience

not everything has to end in

an exhibition and/or website.

Creating a discourse

agility in responding to issues is sometimes more (or at

least just) as valuable than scheduling an exhibition.

Evaluation

decide upfront what your

measures of success will be for each experience.

Coordination

Delegate ownership

across the museum; the coordination needs to be

led by someone.

How good are you at this whole social media thing?1. We’re good!2. We’re great!3. We’re learning!4. We stink.

Find tweet from @danamuses and click link to poll

or use this URL:

http://twtpoll.com/ykz916

How good are you at this whole social media thing?

“If you chose anything except #3, you’re wrong.”

-Jim Sterne, Social Media Metrics

http://twtpoll.com/ykz916

1. We’re good!2. We’re great!3. We’re learning!4. We stink.

Evaluating Social Media: A 6 Step Process

See “Measuring, Analyzing, Reporting” in Twitter for Museums for details.

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

Basic: Searching on Twitter

Fancy: HootSuite columns

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

The virtual tour you always wish you had? YouTube

A keyword goldmine: del.icio.us

The image you want to portray? Flickr

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

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

Create a listening posthttp://www.netvibes.com/thedailyinfluence

Create a “Makeshift Twitter Archive”

Categorizing by a human (time intensive but valuable)• Bookmark tweets in delicious using Firefox Bookmark

Add-on and tag them (can also then be sucked out as RSS for other uses; can also track blog posts, photos, videos, etc. this way)

Passive collection• Use a 3rd party notification tool (e.g., TweetBeep) and

have it send alerts to Gmail (highly searchable).• Create a TweetScan Twitter Backup (CSV or HTML

export).

See “Using Twitter for Research” by Beck Tench in Twitter for Museums

What Twitter lists say about youhttp://www.mustexist.com/list_tags/amhistorymuseum

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

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

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

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.

Putting it into practice

• Environment

• Engagement

• Experience

• Evaluation

Short term

• Communication– Directing visitors to your collection

• Responding to topical issues in simple ways, ie: twitter

• Campaign• Raising awareness of events which relate to this issue

• Linking existing programs/events to topical issues ie: facebook

Medium Term

• Critique– In-depth analysis of topical issues of the day

• blog postings which give historical context to important issues

• Conversation• Engaging in conversations on reputable sites

• Demonstrating relevance by referring existing conversations to your collection (ie: blogs, wikis)

Long Term

• Connection

• Between your organisation and public

• Your onsite and online activities

• Your collection and public interests

Experience

• This one is relatively easy.• Most organisations have determined what they want• Find out what your organisation aims for and work with

that!

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!

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

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

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?

What do you need to make this happen?

• The most common response is…–Time–Training –Staff–Senior management buy-in

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

3. Setting goals

• Where do you want to go?• What is your definition of

success?

Goals?Connect with

visitors (potential and actual)

Connect with the

media/press

Stay relevant by knowing what’s

going on

Friendraise, fundraise

Crowdsource, ask for

help/insight

Drive traffic to Web site

Drive traffic to the museum

Recruit donors and volunteers,

advocates

Market research

Make followers feel like privileged

insiders

Provide a moment of inspiration

Actively engage your community (virtual,

local, neighbors, etc.)

Learn more about your followers by seeing who they

follow

Take advantage of real-time nature

(e.g., Twitter)

Engage in conversations where the museum had no

voice

Front-end evaluation

Consider not “What can I do with social media?”

but

“How can social media help me achieve the museum’s mission?”

Ask: “What is unique about

social media?” and, more importantly,

“What can I bring to social media that is unique?”

What is your #1 social media goal?

Tweet using hashtag #aamSocial

Text to 202.550.9095

4 & 5. Measuring and Analyzing

• What data should you collect?• How should you collect it?

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

Influence• A

wareness

• Message amplification

• Reach

• Visibility

Engagement• E

xchange

• Conversation

• Interaction

• Participation

Relationships• B

eing human

• Loyalty

• Satisfaction

Effort• T

ime spent

• Resources applied

• Resources saved

Social media analysis framework

You want to do the least amount of work needed to

gain actionable insights.

You want to spend your time acting, not analyzing.

Who will find this chart useful?

Input

Resources How much time/staff did you spend?

Content How often/whenTypesPlatform

Triggers External events? News?Changes to design/profile?Special campaigns?

Response

People Followers/FansUnfollows

Actions (quantitative) ClicksConversions“Likes”RTs

Actions (qualitative) MentionsRecommends

Where to measure

Where Data points How to collect data

Social networks What are people doing?What is their tone and sentiment?

Behavior analysisContent analysis

Your websites What are people referred from social media doing on your site?

Web analytics

In your museum How has social media impacted their actions?

Audience research

“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?

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

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

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

6. Actionable reporting

REVISIT: What is your biggest social media challenge?

Send a tweet to @poll with the message

“26514 + your answer”

Send a text to 22333 with the message

“26514 + your answer”

http://www.polleverywhere.com/free_text_polls/LTM2MjQwMjExNg

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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/

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

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

Contact

Associate Professor

Angelina Russo, PhD

angelinarusso01@optusnet.com.au

http://www.linkedin.com/in/angelinarussoTwitter: artech05

http://www.museum30.ning.comhttp://nlablog.wordpress.com

Join the conversation

• www.museum30.ning.com