Blog

Irrational Exuberance

Friday, December 18, 2015

To me, this is what a trip to the museum should be all about.

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A better genealogy search, ecommerce leads to a 20% increase in sales

Monday, July 14, 2014

With an online database of more than 1.4 million records, the Iron Range Research Center, located in Chisholm, Minnesota, has one of the largest collections of genealogical data in the Upper Midwest. Their information is used by Ancestry.com and encompasses naturalization, birth, marriage, obituary records and more.

The ...

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Cooking up mobile tour goodness for Museums and the Web [Ask Me Anything]

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

The email said something about a "Bake-off". That was a little unusual. But it also mentioned building mobile tour apps, which was not (for us).

Nancy Proctor had invited us to build (or "bake", if you will) a mobile tour for this year's Museums and the Web conference in ...

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Social media strategy for museums: your Website is the Hub

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

In working with museums, especially in the age of social media, I've noticed a certain way of thinking among many museum professionals about their websites. That is to say, many don't think much about their sites.

Almost all museums have a Facebook page, and the vast majority have ...

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Advice on how to start a museum blog

Thursday, September 5, 2013

There. See what I did there? Up there in the title of this post? Go over to Google and type in "advice on how to start a museum blog". Or "how to start a museum blog". Or "museum blog". I'll wait.

Assuming a few weeks have gone by since ...

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What makes a museum website great is the user experience ("UX")

Monday, August 12, 2013

Not too long ago I came across a blog post that listed what the author considered the "Top Ten Museum websites". Included among them was a site that had a home page displaying solely a Flash pattern of ripples and swirls and that moaned a baleful sound that looped and ...

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Meaningful Google Analytics for museum websites

Thursday, May 2, 2013

"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them."

- Galileo Galilei

There are two big problems regarding traffic analytics at most museums. First, in my experience, not many people use them regularly and systematically, even at some fairly large institutions. Secondly, even if ...

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Curating the clutter

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

If you're like me, you've probably noticed that it seems to be getting more difficult to find solid sources of information on the Interwebs. Search engine results, especially for popular topics, are often gummed up by search engine marketers gaming the system. Then there's the filter bubble ...

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9 Things to include in your museum's digital engagement strategy

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

The Web sites of museums are different in a number of important ways. In order to manage your site and your online presence effectively, it’s important to understand those differences and play to your strengths. Here are some things worth considering:
- A museum Web site needs to be consistent ...
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What does success look like on your museum website?

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Museum management thinks long and hard about making sure exhibits are well designed, enticing and thought-provoking. Executives and boards will invest heavily in the gallery and facilities, to make sure they are convey the proper impression and have all the amenities.

But while there are many beautifully done museum websites ...

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