What I learned from Tate Members – preview of Kom Je Ook?

Photo by Sara Richards on Flickr.

Few presentations have made as much an impact on me as Martin Barden’s presentation about Tate Members at MuseumNext 2011. I retell his story at least once a week, and in my head (and stories) both Martin and Tate Members have taken immense proportions. As if nearly one fifth of a million paying members isn’t impressive enough already… You can imagine I’m happy the people behind Kom Je Ook? have decided listen to my endless begging and bring Martin over to Amsterdam for their conference on March 29th (for which I can’t help but make some promotion…).

What I like about Tate Members is how they have carefully designed the process from occasional passer-by to patron. This process is as much about getting new people to join the membership programme, as it is about retaining existing members and encouraging them to “grow” into more exclusive relationships with the institution.

I guess there’s a lot we can learn from a programme like Tate Members when we’re talking about (online) community building, growing a Facebook page, and all other activities where we want people to get together in an organised way around a cause. Here’s what I take away from repeating the Tate Members story at least 50 times*:

• Have clear benefits. Free entrance to special exhibitions, a cool welcome gift, no queues… Joining should always have explicit benefits, even if it’s just liking a Facebook page. I fear “stay up to date” isn’t always enough. Exclusive contents, early registration and last-minute deals are examples of online benefits. Read the rest of this entry »

30 do’s for designing successful participatory and crowdsourcing projects

Photo by Chris Blakely on Flickr.

This week at the Dish conference in Rotterdam I gave a presentation about all the do’s and don’ts, tips and tricks, lessons and hands-on advice about crowdsourcing from my experience at the Museum of National History. Well… that’s quite a lot to talk about. All in all I came up with some 25-30 little notes, which the audience of my presentation – in a little participatory trick – had to label as do’s or don’ts.

Here’s the full list, now all as do’s, with some additional ideas that didn’t fit in the presentation. Use it to your benefit and please add your thoughts when you feel I’ve missed some.

1. Ask your potential participants a clear question or a clear task. A clear question is never ambiguous, unless you’re looking for (and only looking for) different ways to look at its ambiguity.
2. Run a couple of real-life test sessions with your question. Even if it’s an online project, ask people in the street your question and see how they respond. Change the question all the time. Once people only respond with the answers you’re looking for, you’ve found your question.
3. Ask a question that is meaningful to people. Questions that might be labelled emotional or highly personal are good. Not everybody will answer them, but the answers you’ll get will be so much more valuable.
4. Pinpoint very specific groups of people you’d like to reach with your project. Design to meet their demands and answer to their needs. Preferably, involve this target group in the design of your project.
5. That said: don’t exclude anyone from participating if they really want to.
6. Be extremely clear about your limits to what people can contribute, and keep these as limited as possible. Racism, hate, advertising and unlawful things are usually enough to exclude.
7. Accept all other contributions, regardless of they way in which you perceive their quality. Every time a person took the trouble to contribute to your project, this contribution is valuable (you can use peer reviewing to maintain overall high quality). Read the rest of this entry »

Will your next hire work towards a great future for your organisation?

Photo by Desi on Flickr.

There are two ways to look at a potential new hire: you can look at what she has done already, or at what she is still going to do in her life. Simply put, you can hire for their past, or hire for your future.

Certainly, there are positions where a long and prosperous career is an advantage. President of the board, for instance. For others, a decent degree might be useful, such as brain surgeon or passenger plane pilot.

Most of the time, however, a curriculum with ten straight years of working experience in a relevant field preceded by five straight years of relevant higher education only means your potential new hire is extremely good at avoiding change and being predictable.

That is hardly the kind of skill and attitude the 21^st century asks for, even in a conservative sector such as culture. Then why, I wonder (because this is a rant), do I see so many unconventionally talented and young people around me struggling to find a position in the cultural sector in the Netherlands? It is not as if we are not in a desperate need for change…

When I came back to the Netherlands after spending some years abroad in the spring of 2009, my curriculum was a hotchpotch of freelance jobs, voluntary work, extracurricular courses and one-year appointments. I’ve heard it being called a mess. My CEO at the Museum of National History thought differently, and did so with many of my colleagues. Young and ambitious people who compensated a lack of experience with a double amount of enthusiasm and ideas. It’s the best team I’ve ever worked with, and we regularly pulled tricks considered impossible by all the highly trained, highly experienced people in other institutions. 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 »

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 »