The Participatory Science Centre – wrap up of a workshop at NEMO, Amsterdam

Science centres are all about participation and the joy of discovery. Science centre NEMO in Amsterdam is no exception. Even on a school-week Tuesday the building is buzzing with energy and the sounds of excitement bouncing against the roof. I was positively surprised, therefore, that I was asked by Diana of NEMO to host a creative workshop on specifically the topic of participation and innovative ways of engaging with audiences.

NEMO is looking for ways to have visitors participate and engage with their content in a more sustainable and relevant way. In my own words, they want to build enduring relationships with their audience that go beyond the one-off event a visit to their building nowadays is. The main focus of the workshop, therefore, was how to embed participation in a meaningful way in the activities of NEMO, so that it builds connections between the institution and people, and fosters enthusiasm.

With over 500,000 visitors a year, NEMO has about reached its limits in the number of physical visitors it can welcome. So, not surprisingly, when asked about their future vision for NEMO, most participants drew an image of a science centre leaving its building, and using modern technology and media to take control of the public space.

Most of the installations in NEMO are participatory in a playful, but unconnected way. Often it’s not clear why people should participate other than because they can, and little is done with the effort visitors put into their contributions. Also, NEMO is almost entirely focused on children, with the immediate effect that when I visited them on a school holiday, the place was filled with bored-looking parents. Read the rest of this entry »

Quick note: Two more months, nostalgia and the speed of culture

Photo by Stephen Shrubsole on Flickr.

Time is flying and the end of the year – and with it the end of the Museum of National History – is quickly approaching. Only two more months and the adventure is over.

This week we found a new home for the National Vending Machine, one of our signature projects. It’s time for her to move out, and I wish her well with her new owner, the Zuiderzee Museum in Enkhuizen. Two other projects – the innl-network and xwashier – are still looking for a place to call home after December.

Also, this week another co-worker left, further reducing our numbers. In our quiet office I moved to the room with our curatorial staff and researchers, where there’s still some action.

The close-knit team we’ve become reminds me of my first days in May 2009, when a similarly small team worked around the clock to make our museum happen. And when I still knew nothing. Nostalgia.

I often think of these first months as the best time I have known in the museum. Not in the sense of colleagues (who weren’t there), projects (which were still only plans) or audience engagement (the hundreds of thousands we were to reach were still an ambition). No, most of all because of the speed at which we worked, and the opportunities we created. Read the rest of this entry »

Donating is not necessarily about giving money

Tuesday I partook in a workshop/brainstorm session for a new mobile platform to make it easier for young people to donate to ‘good causes’, appropriately named GIVERS. Research shows that 80% of young people are more than willing to give money (Dutch link), but very few actually do. This, because young people base their decision to give on factors other than the ones addressed in most campaigns. Ease, transparency, sense of ownership and a positive message are more important than tear-jerking photos of starving kids.

A surprisingly unique group of people showed up at the workshop. All had great ideas, good hearts and broad experience. Also – refreshingly! – there were people from the social sectors, culture and the corporate world to create a dynamic mix of ideas. And, all people were young, if not in age, than at heart.

Most of the details of the GIVERS platform are still debatable, but the basis is an easily available mobile app/website. Monthly, a curated set of projects in different categories (development, healthcare, etc.) will be presented with short videos. People can make easy donations and after donating to a project, will receive regular updates about how their money is spent, etc. 100% of all donations goes to the projects; companies who adopt a project pay for overhead.

GIVERS looks like popular crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter and the Dutch Voor De Kunst, but with a focus on more profound and sustainable relationships between organisations, companies and (young) donators, through tangible projects. Read the rest of this entry »

Some thoughts on different types of advocates and communities

Photo by Niall Kennedy on Flickr.

The happy end result of most ‘community building’ processes is an army of advocates. These enthusiasts recruit new members, keep the community healthy and lively, take responsibility for its daily operations and – if you’re lucky – attract funding and publicity.

The advocate – or enthusiast – in a well-designed project is the pinnacle of the community building efforts. It might take years for an army of advocates to develop. I call these advocates the “raised advocate”, as they’re raised by the community.

Because of their PR strength and their potential to attract new members to communities, people have been trying to start communities with some advocates already in place. Often, these people are paid in money (think Hollywood actors) or rewards (iPads are popular) for advocate-like behaviour.

There’s no denying the strength of Angelina Jolie or Al Gore promoting your cause, but in online projects and new media minded settings, I’ve seen and experienced some challenges with “bought advocates”. Read the rest of this entry »

Quick note: Myriads, billions and googols

Photo by Éole Wind on Flickr.

Sorry for being quite quiet lately; I’ve been busy writing, preparing and giving workshops and lectures, closing down projects and experimenting with business models and gamestorming. All this, for the future, which I will tell you all about, in that same future. Also, I’ve been reading.

In ancient Greek the highest number with a beautiful name was a myriad, or μύριος, in their script. Myriad represented (and in some forms, still represents) the number ten thousand. Apparently, apart from Archimedes who used the myriad myriad, there was no need for larger numbers. In this advanced society, there wasn’t that much stuff.

When I was young, in the 80s, the highest imaginable number was a billion. After that, everybody but a handful of mathematicians confused the number of zeros. A really big number therefore became a million billion as in, “My father is a million billion times stronger than yours.” Read the rest of this entry »