I was chatting with a curator and an director of education from a museum recently, and we got into a lively discussion about social media.
I had a moment of clarity – these are the people that should be writing on Facebook and Twitter. The curator has the passion about the subject your audience cares about. Why not give them access? Curators can seed the conversation by seeking out rare artifacts or interesting stories from the collection. This content will drive audience interest and brings the collection of a museum online.
Plus, curators and educators are able to offer the behind the scenes experience that is a powerful perspective to offer via social media. People like to find that they get an insider view of the museum. Besides, museums figured this out a long time ago when it came to membership levels – the more you paid, the more access to the art, artists, and curator you received. This desire to be on the inside can be achieved through social media with ease and impact.
For example, this week the MoMA shared its original rejection letter that it sent to Andy Warhol on its twitter feed. Sharing history and stories builds connection and intimacy with your audience.
Start building this intimate relationship with your audience – tap your curator and education department for great stories about art, artists, and your museum history.
The previous site sidelined the art and put a heavy emphasis of the web site elements such as navigation. In its reincarnation, OHO flipped this around creating a navigation scheme that is minimalist and pushes the content to the front with large, oversized images and the capacity for full-screen slideshows.