Let’s Get Real (in snackable chunks)
Yesterday saw the formal launch of Let’s Get Real, Culture24’s action research project on evaluating online success in the culture sector, which I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in over the last year. It’s an open, insightful and easy-to-digest read, full of practical nuggets and relevant challenges, and I’d urge *anyone* involved in the digital field to put some time aside to download and absorb it.
The conference that accompanied the launch at Bristol’s Watershed was a similarly open and stimulating affair, with Google’s Tom Uglow, Storything’s Matt Locke and Culture24’s Jane Finnis providing much to ponder, as well as a bunch of us culture sector digital folk confessing all about projects that hadn’t quite gone to plan. I summed up some of the highlights at the end of the day, and I thought it’s be useful to capture them here and say why I thought these particular points stood out. Apologies in advance if I’ve paraphrased incorrectly.Write copy that you’d want to read yourself (Tom)
This is simple, common-sense advice, but often gets lost in amongst jargon and excruciatingly painful paragraphs. Writing meaningful, interesting stuff should always be the focus. Create posters for ideas that haven’t happened yet (Tom)
Tom explained that Google make models as part of their creative process and I loved the concept of breaking the traditional brainstorming mould by presenting ideas in more visual, visceral ways. What’s your brand? Your content or your institution (Jane)
I can’t stop thinking about this, and my head’s been buzzing since Jane put it up on screen. In an age where social channels dominate people’s lives, online engagement increasingly happens at arm's length and cultural websites occupy a dimishing slice of overall web traffic, what are the implications and consequences for, ummm, pretty much everything we do. Hurty brain. Have two plans: a structured one and an organic one (Matt)
Great advice on thinking through the potential consequences of your online activity – rather than leave it to chance and circumstance, take time to consider what could happen if things don’t go to plan. Invest in clicks AND bricks (Dick Penny, Director of the Watershed)
Dick raised what can be an elephant-in-the-room issue for lots of organisations: how does the infrastructure and technology within the buildings we occupy meet the needs of our audiences? Cull your sacred content (Matt)
My favourite point of the day – on the back of our 'failing forward' session Matt shared a story about axing an ancient Friends’ quiz from the T4 website because, despite generating lots of traffic, it was no longer relevant and added little value. If Channel 4 can do it, can culture orgs follow suit?
This is simple, common-sense advice, but often gets lost in amongst jargon and excruciatingly painful paragraphs. Writing meaningful, interesting stuff should always be the focus. Create posters for ideas that haven’t happened yet (Tom)
Tom explained that Google make models as part of their creative process and I loved the concept of breaking the traditional brainstorming mould by presenting ideas in more visual, visceral ways. What’s your brand? Your content or your institution (Jane)
I can’t stop thinking about this, and my head’s been buzzing since Jane put it up on screen. In an age where social channels dominate people’s lives, online engagement increasingly happens at arm's length and cultural websites occupy a dimishing slice of overall web traffic, what are the implications and consequences for, ummm, pretty much everything we do. Hurty brain. Have two plans: a structured one and an organic one (Matt)
Great advice on thinking through the potential consequences of your online activity – rather than leave it to chance and circumstance, take time to consider what could happen if things don’t go to plan. Invest in clicks AND bricks (Dick Penny, Director of the Watershed)
Dick raised what can be an elephant-in-the-room issue for lots of organisations: how does the infrastructure and technology within the buildings we occupy meet the needs of our audiences? Cull your sacred content (Matt)
My favourite point of the day – on the back of our 'failing forward' session Matt shared a story about axing an ancient Friends’ quiz from the T4 website because, despite generating lots of traffic, it was no longer relevant and added little value. If Channel 4 can do it, can culture orgs follow suit?
Further reading:
- Seb Chan: Let's Get Real report from Culture24 now available
- Chris Unitt: Culture24 report: How to evaluate online success
- Storify post by Katie Smith
- Storify post by B Hunter
