10 Dec 2009

The Participation GapFraming the debate

Defining Terms

• The gap between what is offered, and who is participating

Audiences Participants

The Participation Gap

Web 2.0

• It’s all about interactivity

• 3D sites

• Sites that have conversations

• Sites that trigger a dialogue

And you

• Cultural and heritage organisations

• With small budgets

• Limited resources

• Managing a gap between hard-to-reach and easy-to-reach audiences

The debate

What are we here for?

• To stimulate ideas

• Ideas that you can implement tomorrow

• With very little resources

• To reach more audiences

Why does this gap exist?

• Are we still expecting audiences to come to us?

• Even in a digital space is the emphasis on them to close the gap?

• Do we think we’re being flexible when we’re really not?

• Are we empowering our users?

• Or are we just giving them more things to play with?

Views of the panel

What do we think?

• You will hear a number of different viewpoints and theories

• If you think about a new and different way of doing things it’s GOOD

• Tell us about what you’re doing, why you think it works – or doesn’t!

I am not objective

Arts organisations I have worked with that have been particularly successful at closing the participation gap have done the following:

• They have not relied on digital alone

• They have empowered users

• They ask people offline to take things online

• They ask audiences to take responsibility for spreading the word

• Personalisation is encouraged

• They have made it EASY

Traditional audiences vs. New Audiences

• Older audiences are less web savvy

– The ones that are, are participating

• The gap is with the new audiences that are not coming to you

– You must go to them

• You must enter their world, work with them and bring them into yours

• These are younger people who ‘like’ in packs (get one = get all)

– They are not early adopters

– They will not take kindly to being told HOW to participate

Close the gap

We need to do it…

Through…

• Empowerment

• Personalisation

• Entering their world

• Giving them responsibility

• Giving them a good reason to come to your site

Back to you

Questions

• What have you done to ‘close the gap’?

• Do you even think the gap exists?

• Does it matter if the gap exists?

• If you are getting 80% of attendances from 20% of your audiences are you better off focusing on those already participating?

• Do the skills gaps in your organisation reflect the participation gap?

• Does the age gap between those you are trying to attract and your staff make a difference in engaging with audiences digitally?