Download - Michael Edson, Relevance, Existence, and Smithsonian Strategy, for OCLC "Web Scale or Bust"
Relevance, Existence, and the Smithsonian Commons
OCLC Web Scale or Bust conferenceOctober 7, 2009Washington, DC
Michael EdsonDirector, Web and New Media StrategySmithsonian Institution, Office of the CIO
Preamble• Twitter: @mpedson• Slideshare.net/edsonm• Join us at http://smithsonian-webstrategy.wikispaces.com
• Beware…The opinions in this presentation are mine, not the official policy/strategy of the Smithsonian…
• We’re a little bird
The Smithsonian has anew Strategic Plan
Pan-Institutional Strategic Plan
Four Grand Challenges
Pan-Institutional Strategic Plan
1. Unlocking the Mysteries of the Universe
2. Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet
3. Valuing World Cultures4. Understanding the American
Experience
Four Grand Challenges
Pan-Institutional Strategic Plan
1. Unlocking the Mysteries of the Universe
2. Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet
3. Valuing World Cultures4. Understanding the American
Experience
Four Grand ChallengesStrategy
Schmatergy! We’ve seen strategy
before!
A GenericHumbug
Pan-Institutional Strategic Plan
1. Unlocking the Mysteries of the Universe
2. Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet
3. Valuing World Cultures4. Understanding the American
Experience
Four Grand ChallengesStrategy
Schmatergy! We’ve seen strategy
before!
A GenericHumbug
No! This is about solving big hairy problems— ”work that matters” (via @timoreilly)
Empower citizen-scholars!
Blend assets w. new technology!
Solve big complex problems!
Interdisciplinary collaborations and
partnerships!
InterdisciplinaryCollaborative
Entrepreneurial
“Innovative informal education” !!!
“Use our vast resources for the public good in
the midst of unceasing change”
c
This is big, audacious, important stuff.
This is work!
This is relevance earned through a job well done.
Relevance
Relevance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5x4Sga0d1s
Q: Have you ever visited a Smithsonian Web site?
Relevance
Unexpected Rivals in Google Search
Google Images
Wikipedia
Ocean.com
Discoveryeducation.com
NASA
Enchantedlearning.com
Relevance
Unexpected Rivals in Reach
Enchantedlearning.com
si.edu
discoveryeducation.com
ocean.com
Google ImagesWikipedia
Ocean.com…so much more reach than SI
that we don’t even show up on the graph…
Relevance
Unexpected Rivals in Reach (July – Sept, 2009)
Enchantedlearning.com
si.edu
discoveryeducation.com
ocean.com
Relevance
Unexpected Rivals in Reach (July – Sept, 2009)
Enchantedlearning.com
si.edu
discoveryeducation.com
ocean.com
Enchantedlearning.com is a two person team,
with more online reach than the world’s largest museum and research
complex!
Relevance
Traffic Trending Down
si.edu – 4% reach Wikipedia.org + 8% reachMoMA.org + 12% reachnpr.org + 20% reach
Relevance
Brand Identity
Brandtags.netWe are the 560th of 928 brands
Relevance
We’re competing with… everybody!
Relevance
We’re competing with… everybody!
Relevance
We’re competing with… everybody!
Relevance
The Demographic Tsunami
Ages 12-17
Ages 18-29
Ages 30-38
Ages 39-48
Ages 49-60
Ages 61-69
Ages 70+0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90Online Content Creation by Age
Internet users
Per
cen
tag
e
November 2007 data: Pew Internet and American Life Project
Relevance
The Demographic Tsunami“Everything we hear from people we interview is
that today’s consumers draw no distinctions between an organization’s Web site and their traditional bricks-and-mortar presence: both must be excellent for either to be excellent.”
Lee RainiePew Internet and American Life Project
Relevance“The Smithsonian is not
an Institution that understands me”
From focus group withBay Area millennials, 2009
“Surprise me!”
Relevance
…From the introduction to Chris Anderson’s Free: The Future of a Radical Price
Relevance
“At the risk of ageist generalization, there were broadly two camps of skeptics: those over thirty and those below. The older critics…were rightly suspicious…
Relevance
“At the risk of ageist generalization, there were broadly two camps of skeptics: those over thirty and those below. The older critics…were rightly suspicious…The younger critics had a different response:
Relevance
“At the risk of ageist generalization, there were broadly two camps of skeptics: those over thirty and those below. The older critics…were rightly suspicious…The younger critics had a different response: “Duh!”‘Duh!’
Relevance
“At the risk of ageist generalization, there were broadly two camps of skeptics: those over thirty and those below. The older critics…were rightly suspicious…The younger critics had a different response: “Duh!”‘Duh!’…The fact that we are now creating a global economy around the price of zero seemed too self-evident to even note.”
Relevance
Relevance
97% of all online researchefforts pass through
wikipedia.org
Stratified water temperature acts as a barrier
Relevance
The Thermocline
Relevance
Knowledge, communication,action models are different
Management
PractitionersThe Thermocline
Relevance
Messages get distorted, lost
The Thermocline
Relevance
Messages get distorted, lost
The Thermocline
Relevance
The Web is a bigger megaphone
The Web is a fundamentally new
way of gettingthings done
Relevance
“we are living in the middle of a remarkable increase in our ability to share, to cooperate with one another, and
to take collective action, all outside the framework of traditional institutions and organization …Getting the
free and ready participation of a large, distributed group with a variety of skills has gone from impossible
to simple.” Clay Shirky
Relevance
Focus on innovation/discovery
inside the Institution
Catalyze innovation/discovery
outside the institution
Joy’s Law: no matter who you are, most of The smartest people
work for someone else
Old Learning Model
New Learning Model
Relevance
Relevance
Fixation on Web 2.0and Social Media
Relevance
Why do we get to spend
$1.2 Billion / year?
What benefits return to society?
Entities like the Smithsonian exist to
perform a task—to do work for society
Urgency
John P. Kotter, A Sense of UrgencyHBR “Ideacast” clip, 2:30
Audio clip plays for 2:30. Advance
through next 7 slides manually
Urgency
John P. Kotter, A Sense of Urgency
Thoughts, feelings and behaviors
Urgency
John P. Kotter, A Sense of Urgency
Thoughts…Great opportunities/hazards
Urgency
John P. Kotter, A Sense of Urgency
Feelings…Gut level determination that we’ll do
something now
Urgency
John P. Kotter, A Sense of Urgency
Behavior…Hyper-alertness… commitment to making something happen with the
important issues
Urgency
John P. Kotter, A Sense of Urgency
Behavior…We gotta get going with this because
it’s so important.
Urgency
John P. Kotter, A Sense of Urgency
Determination and movement that’s smart and that wins
Urgency
John P. Kotter, A Sense of Urgency
The rate of change is going up.
Relevance
Why make strategy?Fear?Pain?
Prioritize tactical opportunities?Reestablish relevance?
Let’s Make Strategy!
How?
Strategy
Execution
StrategyProcess
September, 2008:“How to make Web and New Media Strategy” posted to internal blog
Workshop-to-wikiPublicFastTransparent
Strategy
Execution
StrategyProcess
• Faster than traditional committee-driven process
• Increase size of brain trust• Improve the odds for change• Improve odds for execution (public
promises not easily forgotten) • Outside champions more likely to
support “commons” goals than status-quo insiders
• Walking the Talk vis-à-vis crowdsourcing and innovation model
• “You get what you practice”
The advantages of public, fast, and transparent
This is THE most important slide (OK, I’m burying my lead, but the context is important)
Strategy
Execution
StrategyProcess
October 2008“What I Heard and What I’ll Tell Senior Management” posted to Internal Blog
Blessing and advice from practitioners:
Fast, transparent, publicGOVERNANCE!SUPPORTACTIONABLE…last chance dude
Strategy
Execution
StrategyProcess
What Actually Happened?
Internal Blog/Wiki/Listserv
152 posts to internal blog
Internal Blog/Wiki/Listserv
Classic blog/wiki playbook
Internal Blog/Wiki/Listserv
Classic blog/wiki playbook
Internal Blog/Wiki/Listserv
Classic blog/wiki playbook
Steering Committee
• Breakthrough! A FAQ on a Wiki instead of a charter!!!
Steering Committee
• Breakthrough! A FAQ on a Wiki instead of a charter!!!
Q: How is the committee going to make good decisions about leading-edge technologies and the inherent positive and negative of internet trends when they are not themselves internet experts?A: It’s not going to be easy. We recognize that we aren’t experts and we may take missteps along the way. That’s why we will be seeking advice from many sources including internal practitioners and external leaders. We will also work to expand knowledge of our audiences and what actual users think of the Institution’s web and new media initiatives. The committee also recognizes the need to establish pan-Institutional working groups to address specific issues and opportunities, in much the same way as OCIO has established collaborative Technical Working Groups (TWGs) to make hardware and software decisions in recent years.
Smithsonian 2.0
Smithsonian 2.0
Process: Workshops to Wiki
• Http://smithsonian-webstrategy.wikispaces.com
Process: Workshops to Wiki
Process: Workshops to Wiki
Process at-a-glance“The main intent of the workshops is to move relevant
information to the wiki where it can be openly evaluated, sifted, weighed, and considered by all.”
Process: Workshops to Wiki
Process: Workshops to Wiki
Process: Workshops to Wiki
Process: Workshops to Wiki
Process: Workshops to Wiki
Public-Facing Wiki
• Improvement/synthesis over timeOriginal
workshop notes
Public-Facing Wiki
• Improvement/synthesis over time
Added highlight, Action Required
Public-Facing Wiki
• Improvement/synthesis over time
Attendee says “wait a minute!”
Public-Facing Wiki
• Improvement/synthesis over timeApology and re-
cast original assertion
Public-Facing Wiki
• Improvement/synthesis over timeAnother user
synthesizes core question: How do
units break out these costs?
YouTube: Voice Your Vision
YouTube: Voice Your Vision
Twitter: #si20
Schedule/Workflow
Web & New Media Strategy
Strategy Structure
• Themes– Update the Smithsonian Digital Experience– Update the Smithsonian Learning Model– Balance Autonomy and Control within SI
• 8 Goals External Mission
BrandLearning
Audience
Internal InterpretationTechnologyBusiness ModelGovernance
Each Goal has specific program, policy, and tactical recommendations
Theme 1: Update the SI Digital ExperienceCommunity engagement, content, and findability across all platforms
From inside any of these sites, where’s the rest of the Smithsonian’s content, visitors, community?
African Art
Air and Space
American History
American Indian
Anacostia Museum
Cooper-Hewitt
Freer / Sackler
Hirshhorn
National Zoo
Natural History
Portrait Gallery
Postal Museum
The Castle
SI Across America
Asian Pacific American Program
Education / Museum Studies
Folklife / Cultural Heritage
Latino Center
National Science
Resources Center Affiliations
Smithsonian Associates
Traveling Exhibitions
Archives of American
Art
Astrophysical Observatory
Museum Conservation
Institute
Environ-mental
Research Cntr
SI Libraries
Photo Initiative
Tropical Research Institute
What can I do with this content once I find it? How can I interact with my fellow-visitors?
Which Web site has the informationI need? Where do I start? Can I get this on my mobile phone? Can I get it in an exhibit?
Theme 2: Update the SI Learning Model
New Platforms for learning andcollaborative knowledge creation
Old Learning Model
New Learning Model
Theme 3: Balance Authority and Control within SI
Innovation at the edges:a commons in the middle
Strategic GoalsStuff we’ve got to DO!
Strategic GoalsStuff we’ve got to DO!
Uhhhgggg! I can’t bear to see eight slides with the title “Strategic Goals...”
Strategic GoalsStuff we’ve got to DO!
Strategic GoalsStuff we’ve got to DO!
• Under the 8 goals there are 54 specific tactical recommendations
Strategy GoalsStuff we’ve got to DO!
• Goal 1: Mission– Prioritize Web and New Media programs in proportion to
their impact on the mission • Goal 2: Brand
– Strengthen the relationship between the Smithsonian brand and its sub-brands
• Goal 3: Learning– Facilitate a dialogue in a global community of learners
• Goal 4: Audience– Attract larger audiences and engage them in long-term
relationships
Strategy GoalsStuff we’ve got to DO!
• Goal 5: Interpretation– Support the work of Smithsonian staff
• Goal 6: Technology– Develop a platform for participation and innovation
• Goal 7: Business Models– Increase revenue from e-commerce fundamentals and
Web 2.0 perspectives • Goal 8: Governance
– Design and implement a pan-Institutional governance model
The Smithsonian CommonsA place to begin
• “a new part of our digital presence dedicated to stimulating learning, creation, and innovation through open access to Smithsonian research, collections and communities.”
• Support the Four Grand Challenges• A new collaboration model• An new relationship with the public• A new model of learning and knowledge
creation
The Smithsonian CommonsA place to begin
More detail about what a commons is and why it matters via Imagining the Smithsonian Commons:
• Annotated text of "Imagining a Smithsonian Commons" on slideshare
• PowerPoint slides of "Imagining a Smithsonian Commons" on slideshare
• video of the talk at Computers in Libraries, 2009
I want to be a commons…
Don’t forget about us!!!
How can we make the SmithsonianMore relevant in a digital age?
Filmed April 26th, 2009 at theSmithsonian in Washington, D.C.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTJ8u2HGtrs
Video available upon request