Workshop - register now

Wednesday, April 03, 2019: 1:30pm - 4:30pm - Gardener (3F): To Blog or Not to Blog? It Shouldn’t Be a Question: A Look at Why So Many Museums Do Not Use a Blogging Platform, and The Benefits They May Be Missing

Nick Faber, Cuberis, USA, Sara Gross, Michigan History Center, USA, Rachel Clark, Michigan History Center, USA

When analyzing the websites of over 1,300 museums of various sizes and genres, we observed that more than half (53.6%) of them did not have a blog. Of those museums who did use blogs, 35% of them were inactive in the last six months.

We dug deeper to try to understand why, for some museums, the blog is an afterthought, while for others it’s an essential element in their content strategy. To support our research, we also interviewed museum bloggers to learn what tools and systems they use to create consistent blog content, and how their work benefits their institutions.

In this workshop, we will present some of our findings, demonstrate benefits and best practices, and learn from blog managers who are successfully extending their museum’s reach. Our co-presenters manage blog strategies at the Michigan History Center and the North Carolina Museum of Art. While these museums’ sizes, resources, and content opportunities differ from each other, they have both found their own methods for consistently producing mission-extending blog posts.

They will also discuss how having an active blog provides many benefits to their institutions. These include supporting social media channels, creating related content for collections and programs, honing positioning, and connecting museum mission with visitor values.

Attendees of this workshop will take the first step to develop a sustainable blog plan for their own museums by learning from peers and professionals who have managed successful blog strategies, regardless of size or genre.

Bibliography:
https://cuberis.com/museum-technology-survey/
https://cuberis.com/episode-1-karen-kelly-of-the-north-carolina-museum-of-art/
https://cuberis.com/episode-6-tess-colwell-of-brooklyn-historical-society/
https://ncartmuseum.org/blog/