From Slideshare: How to create great presentations #Blogg100

Giving excellent presentations is a tricky thing, and requires (as everything else) time and care. Here are some tips from Slideshare:

Introduction to Slide Design: 7 Rules for Creating Effective Slides from Alex Rister

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Mind the gap #Blogg100

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MInd the gap. Photo: Riccardo Bandiera. CC-BY-NC.

This blog post will add some reflections on the digital literacy gap. As I wrote two years ago, I believe digital inclusion is an important task for cultural heritage organisations. However, in my experience the gap between early adopters and so called laggards or digitally excluded, looks somewhat different today than only two years ago.

I must admit that I was much more concerned then about the gap between those who fear or avoid digital, and early adopters, than I am now.

So what has happened? I believe the evolution of digital in cultural heritage institutions, at least in Sweden, is moving ahead though not as fast as I had perhaps anticipated. It’s an slow and efficient evolution, not only driven by organisations but by the entire society.

With a whole new generation of young digitally savvy kids, and an emerging digitally connected school, we are all affected. Facebook has been around long enough for most people to see the benefits of it, from one perspective or the other. It’s an infrastructure here to stay, as Brit Stakston recently stated in a blog post. Media and public service are keeping up with changes in society. Public service TV and radio are all digital and streaming online. Newspapers are gaining more subscriptions online.

Digital is everywhere. It is very hard to avoid. This brings the large masses onto the digital arena, in one way or the other, whether they do so willingly or not. This makes me less worried about the gap. There will always be people excluded from the digital arenas. But this is not primarily a digital problem, it’s a matter of exclusion in many other ways (poverty, language barriers, age etc). For these categories we need to be much more aware of what other issues are causing digital exclusion.

So in some ways the gap is not as wide anymore, and it looks different than only two years ago. What will it look like two years ahead?

Digital literacy – or just literacy #Blogg100

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Photo by Janne Moren, CC-BY-NC-SA.

In October I wrote a short blog post about how we should stop making the distinction between digital and non digital. I am not alone having these thoughts. The Twitter discussion that I mentioned in yesterday’s blog post emerged from a Norwegian blog post on this very subject.

Let us realize that this is now part of our everyday life and if you don’t master it you are illiterate.

June Breivik writes on her blog about the need to stop using the word digital as a prefix. I agree. As long as we distinguish digital as something special, we will never really achieve a museum (or library, archive, school etc.) where digital tools are fully integrated.

At the same time we are still in a position where both tools and the changes brought about by them (need for transparency, participation, dialogue, co-creation) are considered disruptive. Most museums are still struggling to fully understand and embrace digital.

For indivduals, the early adopters, and younger generations, digital is as natural as breathing. While for older generations and ”laggards” (see one of my earlier blog posts on this subject) digital is something extra that has to be figured out and is perhaps even seen as intrusive and difficult. Even more dangerous, digital tools might not be seen as useful more to more than a small extent.

One can discuss, like June Breivik does in her blog post, if school kids will benefit from digital tools if they aren’t literate to begin with. The great point made by June Breivik is that we need to remind ourselves that digital, or online, is no different from the physical world. We need our skills regardless if we are on- or offline. An from that perspective I agree, drop ”digital”.

Do I think we should then completely drop the prefix e- or the word digital? Not yet. I say somewhere in the (hopefully not so distant) future. When the borders between digital and physical have been blurred enough, yes then maybe.

While waiting for that moment digitally savvy people, strategists, early adopters, social media experts etc. will keep ahead, monitor and continue to share knowledge and guide colleagues, students, clients, family and friends. ”Laggards” will gradually pick up digital tools as part of their everyday life.

For most parts this will evolve at its own pace. A pace that cannot be forced. But I completely agree with June Breivik that we also have to try to speed up this process and demand more from employees by expecting digital skills not just for people in New media departments but for people all over the organization.

In the end I don’t think museums can fully integrate digital tools yet for some time, a) because it does take time for digital to settle and become standard/natural choice and b) because most organizations aren’t prepared to speed up the process, or they simply don’t have an efficient strategy.

The Museum Without Walls – from my perspective #Blogg100

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ArtScience Museum, Singapore, Photo: Choo Yut Shing, CC-BY-NC-SA

This morning I started off by, as I always do, checking the notifications on my smartphone. Surprised by a flow of tweets involving me in a very interesting conversation about digital literacy.

This time the conversation started in Norway, by Thomas Røst Stenerud. 6 AM on a Monday morning.  Several other people were already engaged in the conversation.

Almost everyday I talk to museum employees, social media and communications experts etc. all over the world through Twitter. These valuable and rewarding conversations are about digital communcation, developing museums, cutting edge innovative ideas or everyday, unglamorous, problems to solve. Or just sharing fun and interesting stuff about museums from a professional perspective.

My museum is without walls. My colleagues are all over the world. And we interact 24/7.

Digital skills in museums – the next generation is here #Blogg100

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Young tech savvy at Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif. (LOC). No known copyright restrictions.

Digital skills are central to a contemporary museum strategy. It is also a topic I am particularly interested in. Bringing the museum into the digital/social era, we need to know what to expect from the staff in terms of digital skills.

This week I received a new intern at work (a new media department at a large museum). The intern is fairly young and very literate in the digital area. She studies web communication and is here to monitor our social media channels during her six weeks of internship.

After just three days I am amazed at her awareness of how to use digital and social media to communicate our museum.

I consider myself very literate in this area, compared to the major part of my museum colleagues and even compared to museum staff in general. And I realize that had I not been that literate in digital communication I would:

1) Not be able to make the most of her short internship (six weeks)

2) Not be able to try, evaluate and appreciate all her excellent ideas and suggestion

3) Not be open for problem solving using digital tools in new and innovative ways

But is it enough? I don’t think there is any museum completely ready for this change, where the entire organization is able to embrace and adapt to new communicative and digital skills or to new ideas and ways of problem solving. In my experience museums, as well as most cultural heritage organizations, are sometimes slow, lacking the flexibility needed in the digital era.

The day when digitally savvy young students graduate and enter the museum sector is here. If they are not received by a management, staff and an infrastructure ready to make the most of their skills,  they will quickly move on to other more exciting and rewarding jobs. Where this leaves the museum, I don’t even dare to think.

On the other hand, if we are able to quickly make room for this new generation of museums staff, I can’t wait to see the changes and innovation that will take place in cultural heritage organizations.

What kinds of innovation and changes? Well I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

I should make myself obsolete

Are museums able to adapt – again? Digital Darwinism, by Brian Solis. CC-BY

Groundbreaking news – though not so surprising – from Swedish Ad Agency Honesty:

”Today we’re upgrading Honesty 1.0 to version 2.0, and in doing so we remove all digital roles from the agency. It just doesn’t make sense anymore to have separate staff to handle a separate area which is inherently impossible to separate from anything else. Instead, all roles at the agency will approach their work from a digital and mobile perspective.” says CEO Walter Naeslund. ”After the announcement this morning the entire agency was suddenly on their feet devouring blogs, podcasts and whitepapers when they realized it was going to be their own responsibility and nobody else’s to deliver on digital and mobile. It was a beautiful sight.” (Read full story here).

I don’t have to say that this is also a necessary step for museums do I?

Digital Darwinism is an expression used by Brian Solis, and I thought it was suitable here – it’s about the disability of an organisation to adapt quick enough to the evolving consumer behaviour. Survival of the adaptable, not the strongest or most intelligent ones.

My professional role is all about digital and I sincerely hope that I will be obsolete within a year or two.

Digital skills required

When writing a CV in search for a job in the heritage sector in Sweden, for quite some time declaring your computer skills has been and still is important. Though it is never stated in ads these days, basic skills like Word, Excel, Power Point (!) and Outlook is expected, handling a cell phone as well.

But what about all the digital tools available to museums today? Are they considered vital? Or are they in fact making their way into the museums by hazard, through staff with enough curiosity to try them out? (My definition of digital tools here is perhaps not very elaborate and contains both computer softwares and web services).

The other day I had a chat with some colleagues from other museums and quickly realised that it’s time to make a list of all the digital tools I use at work. Ok, it’s my job to work in the digital area, but still many of them are being picked up by colleagues, curators, archivists, librarians etc.

Digital tools I use at work

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google +
• Wikipedia/Wikimedia Commons
• Flickr
• Instagram
• Youtube
• Pinterest
• QR Codes
• Google Analytics
• WordPress
• Skype
• Dropbox
• Yammer
• Doodle
• Google Docs/Drive, Calendar, Maps etc.
• Ning
• Base Camp
• SlideShare
• Bambuser
• A mobile guide CMS
• Website CMS
• Newsletter service
• Adobe Creative Suite

(And I probably forgot a few… still the point is made)

Out of these tools I have several colleagues using social media channels, WordPress, Ning, Google Docs, Doodle etc. And for each and every day we are adopting more tools, integrating them into our work.

Many museums are integrating digital tools into every day activities. Leaders are picking up on the importance of digital skills among the staff. And as communications consultant Brit Stakston states it in her blog post (my translation):

”It is a leadership issue. Nothing else. It is within the leadership that the signal is given that it is a priority to add digital communication to what is done today, regardless of the business area. This is where the mandate given to test, train and provide the comfort that is needed to integrate social media into every stage of operations. It is management that ensure professional development for all employees.”

She then points out that it is the leader who should treasure the new ideas that will be born out of the newly acquired digital skills, and make sure that  these skills are utilized and implemented.

Her verdict over leaders who fail to recognise the need for developing and supporting digital skills is hard:

”In autumn of 2012, we are approaching a situation where a leadership that neglects digitization (i.e. digital skills and tools, my note) is a leadership that grossly neglects the business. And how many companies and businesses can afford that?”

To all of you who are writing your CV:s today, are you stating your digital skills? All of them? And will your future employer consider them as good (or even vital) qualities?

Digital skills in the heritage sector

Digital skills 2012, more than managing technology.Typewriter. Photo by Steve Berry, Flickr, CC-BY-NC-SA.

Without reshaping the workplace to account for that ongoing professional development need, hiring the rising generation is just kicking the can down the road a few years.

Ed Rodley on Digital Skills and Staff Development

Which digital skills are required in the heritage sector today? And are we prepared to receive the new students? As of this autumn I have been asked to discuss and lecture about digital skills in the cultural heritage sector at two universities in Sweden. I am excited that the universities are bringing digital into the heritage studies, and at the same time concerned that the archives, libraries and museums (still) are far from ready to make use of these new skills.

Starting earlier  this week with a trip to the University of Borås, where I was invited, with 10 others, to talk about the curiculum for the Masters programme: Digital Services – Culture, Information and Communication. The programme  has been running for three years, is aimed at archive, library and museum students, and is described like this:

Digital services – culture, information & communication is a programme intended for those who are facing new tasks at work, who want to deepen their education after an undergraduate degree who want to learn more about the tools that are available to interact with users or who want to target advanced tasks with new media and communication. The program deepens the knowledge of digital environments and social media and how they can be used to communicate with users of different cultural and information activities. You will be ready to participate in and lead the development of digital environments in libraries and similar organizations.

The first thing that strikes me is the extensive ambition of the programme. It is about ”developing, implementing, managing and evaluating various forms of services and tools that help the user to communicate with the organisation and with each other, to share collections in digital form and to facilitate information retrieval and information access.”

And further: ”Two important elements that permeates the course is focus on the user, user studies and preparing to work in and manage projects and development efforts.”

I am impressed by the courses at the 2 year long programme. They reach from Digital media in culture and information sectors to Users and information practices in digital environments, and from Digital Reference and Directory Services to New media: dissemination and social interaction.

After spending an afternoon with the lecturers at the Master programme in Borås I am thrilled. This is in fact what we need and where we are heading within the cultural heritage sector. Most of all we have come a long way from introducing digital as technology – human-computer interaction, to presenting it as a platform for human interaction where communication is a vital part.

A couple of issues emerged in our discussions: What about digital literacy, what should be expected of the students at basic level and what should be introduced at the Master level? How much ‘hands on’ experience should the students get? Not connecting theory with practice will it ever lead to change in the sector, i.e. is it too difficult to implement the theoretical knowledge? Where in the production process will the students work, as project managers or as programmers?

Also the programme has difficulties in keeping students, since it’s run at half-time and as a distance education. The purpose was to attract professionals with several years of work experience as well as younger students. However, students that try to work full time and studying part time rarely make it through the first year. This has made the university change the programme to full time studies.

To conclude, the basic digital skills were only briefly discussed this time. That certain things like social media skills should be introduced when students enter university for the first time, not at the Master level. We also talked about the more exclusive skills needed in the heritage sector today concluding that project management with good practical insight and hands on experiences is to prefer rather than making software engineers out of library students.

One concern is that since the programme is no longer running part time the university is definitely excluding working librarians, archivists and curators, those with older education and probably lacking deeper digital skills. Not many can afford full time studies or get to go on leave from work for two years.

However digital skills are required today, at a basic level as well as at an expert level. As Ed Rodley states in his excellent blog post: ”Digital media literacy continues its rise in importance as a key skill in every discipline and profession.”

With the universities sending off students that excel in digital skills the heritage sector will have to step up and make place for them. And every archive, museum and library have to decide at what level their staff should be at in terms of basic digital literacy and make sure they get there. Many organisations are already involving their staff in digital productions and in social media initiatives, but from there to strategically adapting the organisation to fit demands and new staff skills is quite a long way to go.

Everyone can curate – not ?

The curated bookshelf. Photo by Val Ravaglia. CC-BY-NC-SA.

If we strip out the myriad social and administrative tasks of the real-life curator – the connections, the negotiations, the shipping and hanging and lighting and writing – we can arrive at a pretty simple job description: good curation is the discovery and display of unexpected or heretofore unknown patterns and flows in visual culture. So why can’t a computer do that?
Art Fag City

Since the verb ‘curate’ and noun ‘curator’ have been appropriated by the digital world I have been intrigued by the strong opinions especially by museum folks that it’s wrong to use the word ‘curate’ about people who are pinning photos to Pinterest.

So what if we take a look out there to  see some uses of the word ‘curation’:

‘The content curator is the next emerging disruptive role in the content creation and distribution chain.‘ /Robin Good

‘Anyone can “curate” online material, pulling together their own collections.’ /Rethinking Learning

‘Facebook and Twitter are, at their roots, curations of our present selves.’ /Columbia Spectator, 040212

The site Edudemic offers ’20 free and fun ways to curate web content’.

Some even ask ‘An Algorithmic Future: Can Computers Curate?’/Art Fag City

A very interesting project is  Open CuRate ‘a project with FACT looking at how curation is changing in online culture and trying to make FACT a more open space – more talking with real people. It is looking into its education programme, its spaces and how everyone now curates online, not just the people near the top of the chain at galleries.’

The word curation is used to describe the act of gathering and displaying web content in a way that it’s given a new context and therefore telling new stories. Not only are we talking about scrap booking women (and men) using Pinterest but about consulting brand specialists and content managers.

Some aren’t that thrilled about this development, and some even believe this is undermining the role of the real museum curator, that scrap booking online isn’t equivalent to curating.

‘Stop it. Just stop. Do you have a business card? Read it. Does it say “Curator” under your name? No? You are not a curator.’ /Hermitage Collection Connection

‘At the same time we’ve seen the spread of the verb ‘curate’, and the noun ‘curator’. Some people even want appropriate credit for their online ‘curatorial’ skills.’ /Fresh & New(er)

‘It’s called curation if you like it, aggregation if you don’t’/Gigaom.com

And others aren’t that worried:

‘curating is definitely a word that has entered zeitgeist kind of fashion, but I suppose the wider use of the word — even when it’s not in the correct context — gives the profession a certain visibility, and hopefully some understanding of what that it actually is. ‘ /Phoenix New Times Blog

This discussion is very interesting and certainly putting the museum curator in the spotlight. What are we actually doing at work? Something in fact anyone can do? I like how Seb Chan is straight forwardly questioning if curating exhibitions is not much more elaborate than creating a mixtape:

‘Researching and then assembling a narrative told by music selections to communicate messages of love, hate, ambivalence, or just to assert your superior (sub)cultural capital – that’s what making a mixtape was all about. Exhibitions, in their most primal form, are not that different.’ /Fresh & New(er)

I myself embrace the word curate, when people scrap book online using f.ex. Pinterest. I will happily explain why in a blog post further on.

Why i was intrigued by this discussion in the first place is because I have been asked to lecture for future curators on the role of digital in museums today, and I have been asked to discuss the role of digital skills in the cultural heritage sector with lecturers. I have also been asked to do a workshop for museum staff about the need for digital awareness today (and the impact of digital anno 2012 on their department).

The discussion around the words ‘curate’ and ‘curators’ is a perfect occasion to put the spotlight on, and to (re-)establish the role of, the museum curator in the age of the social web.

The museum curator today has as a diverse a role as ten different professions. Should the museum curator focus on being the area expert? Should they leave the digital to web folks? Should they develop their communication skills for the online audience (if so to which extent?). Etc. Etc.

In some upcoming blog posts I will go further into the definition of the curator, from a Swedish perspective, and try to determine the need for digital skills today.