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


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





Experience

Four Grand ChallengesStrategy

Schmatergy! We’ve seen strategy

before!

A GenericHumbug





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”

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?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5x4Sga0d1s

Relevance

Unexpected Rivals in Google Search

Google Images

Wikipedia

Ocean.com

Discoveryeducation.com

NASA

Enchantedlearning.com

Relevance

Unexpected Rivals in Reach


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)


si.edu


ocean.com

Relevance

Unexpected Rivals in Reach (July – Sept, 2009)


si.edu


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!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNXahIoXMw8&feature=related

http://flickr.com/search/?q=spaceshipone&w=all

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

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


Thoughts…Great opportunities/hazards

Urgency


Feelings…Gut level determination that we’ll do

something now

Urgency


Behavior…Hyper-alertness… commitment to making something happen with the

important issues

Urgency


Behavior…We gotta get going with this because

it’s so important.

Urgency


Determination and movement that’s smart and that wins

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

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

Process: Workshops to Wiki

• Http://smithsonian-webstrategy.wikispaces.com

http://smithsonian-webstrategy.wikispaces.com/


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.”

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

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!


Uhhhgggg! I can’t bear to see eight slides with the title “Strategic Goals...”


• 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

http://www.slideshare.net/edsonm/cil-2009-michael-edson-text-version



http://www.slideshare.net/edsonm/cil-2009-michael-edson-powerpoint

http://www.slideshare.net/edsonm/cil-2009-michael-edson-powerpoint

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/1327813

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

Michael Edson, Relevance, Existence, and Smithsonian Strategy, for OCLC "Web Scale or Bust"

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Transcript of Michael Edson, Relevance, Existence, and Smithsonian Strategy, for OCLC "Web Scale or Bust"