Michael Edson Potomac Forum Government and Transparent Web Strategy

Building Transparency with Transparency

Making the Smithsonian’s Web and New Media Strategy

Preamble• Twitter: @mpedson, • Slides and other good stuff at slideshare.net/edsonm

• Join us at http://smithsonian-webstrategy.wikispaces.com

• Beware…The opinions in this presentation are mine, not the official policy/strategy of the Smithsonian…

• We’re a little bird• How is this good for you as…

– A technologist? (How can you help us do this?)– An enthusiast? A re-user? A citizen?

http://twitter.com/mpedson

http://twitter.com/mpedson

http://www.slideshare.net/edsonm


• Annotated text of "Imagining a Smithsonian Commons" on slideshare• PowerPoint slides of "Imagining a Smithsonian Commons" on slideshare• Video of the talk at Computers in Libraries, 2009

[video available upon request]

http://www.slideshare.net/edsonm/cil-2009-michael-edson-text-version

http://www.slideshare.net/edsonm/cil-2009-michael-edson-text-version

http://www.slideshare.net/edsonm/cil-2009-michael-edson-powerpoint

http://www.slideshare.net/edsonm/cil-2009-michael-edson-powerpoint

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/1327813

The Case for Change

The next 20 slides (15 minutes) lay out the case for change and

“urgency”Then, we’ll talk

about the strategy/change

process Then we’ll talk about what the strategy

might look like

A Model Institution

A Model Institution

A Model Institution

VisitorsCustomers

CollaboratorsContributors

ChampionsCritics

Competitors

A Model Institution

What example shall we provide?

A Model Institution

What do you do?

The Un-Common Institution



99% decentralized


A “thousand wildflowers…”



• Search and findability• Usability and branding• Web 2.0 patterns• Platform development/maintenance• Duplication of effort

Nobody would design a world-class institution like this!

Vexatious Phenomena

Vexatious Phenomena

Unexpected Rivals in Google Search

Google Images

Wikipedia

Ocean.com

Discoveryeducation.com

NASA

Enchantedlearning.com

Vexatious Phenomena

Unexpected Rivals in Reach


si.edu

discoveryeducation.com

ocean.com

Google ImagesWikipedia

Ocean.com

Vexatious Phenomena

Unexpected Rivals in Reach


si.edu

discoveryeducation.com

ocean.com

Vexatious Phenomena

Traffic Trending Down

Vexatious Phenomena

Brand Identity

http://www.brandtags.net/battle/leaderboard.php

http://www.brandtags.net/battle/index.php

Vexatious Phenomena

We’re competing with… everybody!

Vexatious Phenomena


Vexatious Phenomena


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNXahIoXMw8&feature=related

http://flickr.com/search/?q=spaceshipone&w=all

Vexatious Phenomena

The Demographic Tsunami

Ages 12-17

Ages 18-29

Ages 30-38

Ages 39-48

Ages 49-60

Ages 61-69

Ages 70+0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90Online Content Creation by Age

Internet users

Per

cen

tag

e

November 2007 data: Pew Internet and American Life Project

Vexatious Phenomena

The Demographic Tsunami“Everything we hear from people we interview is

that today’s consumers draw no distinctions between an organization’s Web site and their traditional bricks-and-mortar presence: both must be excellent for either to be excellent.”

Lee RainiePew Internet and American Life Project

A Model Institution

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5x4Sga0d1s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5x4Sga0d1s

A Model Institution

What example shall we provide?

A Model Institution

(What do you do?)

Let’s Make Strategy!

How?

SI PositionPast StrategiesEdge Innovation/ CommonsThermoclineLearning ModelShadow Divers & JGProcess Maturity

Local Conditions

Strategy

Execution

StrategyProcess


Local Conditions


Local Conditions

Pockets of excellence, but…


Local Conditions

How Many Succeed?

How many times have you seen one used as a tool that does work?

Often Ineffective for prioritizing short-term opportunities

Not actionable


Local Conditions

Innovation at the Edges:A Commons in the MiddleSee “Imagining a Smithsonian Commons on slideshare.net/edsonm

Flickr Commons, Creative Commons, MIT OCW

Where do the smartest people work? (for someone else)-- Where will innovation take place? In 100k garages!




Local Conditions

Stratified water temperature acts as a barrier


Local Conditions

Knowledge, communication,action models are different

Management

Practitioners


Local Conditions

Messages get distorted, lost


Local Conditions

Messages get distorted, lost


Local Conditions

The model of“enduring wisdom”

vs“the wisdom of crowds”


Local Conditions

Example of DIY knowledge creation: The Shadow Divers


Local Conditions

The Shadow Divers


Local Conditions

Richie Kohler and John Chatterton

See slide notes for extended quote about knowledge advanced by “amateurs”


Local Conditions

My neighbor JG has a small business giving hands-on science talks to elementary school classrooms.

…The Smithsonian isn’t helping her, and it should.


Local Conditions

Capability Maturity ModelFramework for understanding what projects you’re capable of doing

More at http://slideshare.net/edsonm


Local Conditions

Generally low process maturity across the org

More at http://slideshare.net/edsonm


Local Conditions

Strategy

Execution

StrategyProcess

Strategy

Execution

StrategyProcess

Strategy

Execution

StrategyProcess

September, 2008:“How to make Web and New Media Strategy” posted to internal blog

Workshop-to-wikiPublicFastTransparent

Strategy

Execution

StrategyProcess

• Faster than traditional committee-driven process

• Increase size of brain trust• Improve the odds for change• Improve odds for execution (public

promises not easily forgotten) • Outside champions more likely to

support “commons” goals than status-quo insiders

• Walking the Talk vis-à-vis crowdsourcing and innovation model

• “You get what you practice”

The advantages of public, fast, and transparent

This is THE most important slide (OK, I’m burying my lead, but the context is important)

Strategy

Execution

StrategyProcess

October 2008“What I Heard and What I’ll Tell Senior Management” posted to Internal Blog

Blessing and advice from practitioners:

Fast, transparent, publicGOVERNANCE!SUPPORTACTIONABLE…last chance dude

Strategy

Execution

StrategyProcess

What Actually Happened?

Internal Blog/Wiki/Listserv

152 posts to internal blog


Classic blog/wiki playbook





Steering Committee

• Breakthrough! A FAQ on a Wiki instead of a charter!!!

Steering Committee

• Breakthrough! A FAQ on a Wiki instead of a charter!!!

Q: How is the committee going to make good decisions about leading-edge technologies and the inherent positive and negative of internet trends when they are not themselves internet experts?A: It’s not going to be easy. We recognize that we aren’t experts and we may take missteps along the way. That’s why we will be seeking advice from many sources including internal practitioners and external leaders. We will also work to expand knowledge of our audiences and what actual users think of the Institution’s web and new media initiatives. The committee also recognizes the need to establish pan-Institutional working groups to address specific issues and opportunities, in much the same way as OCIO has established collaborative Technical Working Groups (TWGs) to make hardware and software decisions in recent years.

Smithsonian 2.0

Smithsonian 2.0

Process: Workshops to Wiki

Http://smithsonian-webstrategy.wikispaces.com

http://smithsonian-webstrategy.wikispaces.com/

Deliverables/Success Factors/Riskshttp://smithsonian-webstrategy.wikispaces.com/Deliverables,+Success+Factors,+Risks

http://smithsonian-webstrategy.wikispaces.com/Deliverables,+Success+Factors,+Risks

Deliverables/Success Factors/Risks• Deliverables

– Vibrant productive wiki that demonstrates– Capture current 2.0-esque activities– 10-page exec summary

• Success (how we measure it)– Deliver clear, actionable recommendations– Recommendations include viable options for moving forward with no budget increase (as well as

creating opportunities for outside funding)– Recommendations are approved– Recommendations incorporated into pan-SI strategic plan– Internal staff report high satisfaction with process (via workshop assessment survey, buzz)– Workshops fully subscribed– > 10 VIP external contributors to the wiki– > 5 SI 2.0 external participants contribute via blog/wiki– Smooth connection with pan-SI strategy process

Deliverables/Success Factors/Risks

• Risks (and mitigation)– Audience– BOGSAT (Bunch of Guys/Gals Sitting Around Talking)– Fixated on "Web 2.0“– Loss of control– Hidden agendas, inaccuracies and falsehoods– Sensitive or proprietary information is exposed to the

public



Process at-a-glance“The main intent of the workshops is to move relevant

information to the wiki where it can be openly evaluated, sifted, weighed, and considered by all.”



Real-time notes are being posted to the public wiki

in plain view




Public-Facing Wiki

• Improvement/synthesis over timeOriginal

workshop notes

Public-Facing Wiki

• Improvement/synthesis over time

Added highlight, Action Required

Public-Facing Wiki

• Improvement/synthesis over time

Attendee says “wait a minute!”

Public-Facing Wiki

• Improvement/synthesis over timeApology and re-

cast original assertion

Public-Facing Wiki

• Improvement/synthesis over timeAnother user

synthesizes core question: How do

units break out these costs?

YouTube: Voice Your Vision

http://www.youtube.com/groups_layout?name=SmithsonianVision


YouTube: Voice Your Vision



YouTube: Mashup

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTJ8u2HGtrs

Visitors, video responses, Science Commons

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTJ8u2HGtrs

Twitter: #si20

Schedule/Workflow

This part of the process became committee-centric, and took a month

longer than anticipated. My bad.

Workshop EvaluationsURL sent to every participant

Workshop Evaluations Results and “I heard you” posted to public wiki

Workshop Evaluations

Some very constructive. Some real anger/frustration too!

Comments:

Transparency—don’t blink!

Draft Strategy was out in the open May 12th… Then it

disappeared into a committee process. I was hoping to avoid this, I blinked, and it’s a slow,

patient task to open it up again. (But… should strategy-creation

be confidential, slow and patient…? Probably yes,

sometimes)

This is the SECOND most important slide (OK, I’m burying my lead again)

Paper Chase/Committee Process “silent, deep, and slow”

Paper Chase/Committee Process “silent, deep, and slow”

“Silent and Deep” necessary? No.

Slow necessary? At some point in the

process, yes.

Strategy

Execution

StrategyProcess

Three ThemesEight Goals

54 Tactical Recommendations

Leo Mullen of Navigation Arts came up with this structure

and authored the base strategy

Strategy

Execution

StrategyProcess

Three ThemesEight Goals

54 Tactical Recommendations

Note: This is all unofficial and preliminary until it’s

posted to our public Wiki:http://smithsonian-wikispaces.com

http://smithsonian-wikispaces.com/

http://smithsonian-wikispaces.com/

Strategy

Execution

StrategyProcess

Three Themes

Update the Smithsonian Digital Experience

Update the Smithsonian Learning Model

Balance Autonomy and Control within SI

Preliminary DRAFT

Strategy

Execution

StrategyProcess

Eight Goals

MissionBrandLearningExperienceInterpretationBusiness ModelTechnologyGovernance

Preliminary DRAFT

Strategy

Execution

StrategyProcess

54 Recommendations

… with 5 “do next” items

1. Post doc to wiki2. Synchronize with other

strategy efforts3. Appoint a leader4. Develop a tactical road

map5. Embrace the Smithsonian

Commons

Preliminary DRAFT

Strategy

Execution

StrategyProcess

54 Recommendations

The Smithsonian Commons as the centerpiece of the strategy: “Facilitate learning, creativity, innovation through open access to Smithsonian collections, resources, and communities.”

Preliminary DRAFT

Strategy

Execution

StrategyProcess

54 Recommendations

The Smithsonian Commons as the centerpiece of the strategy: “Facilitate learning, creativity, innovation through open access to Smithsonian collections, resources, and communities.”

Preliminary DRAFT

See http://smithsonian-webstrategy.wikispaces.com in coming weeks for Strategy

version 1.0



Strategy

Execution

StrategyProcess

Most Strategies Fail.

Gulp.

“You know Michael, we have about a 3% chance of executing

any strategy we come up with…”

-- A Talented Web Strategist

Don’t forget about us!!!

Past StrategiesSI PositionEdge Innovation/ CommonsThermoclineInnovation ModelShadow Divers & JGProcess Maturity

Local Conditions

Strategy

Execution

StrategyProcess

Michael Edson Potomac Forum Government and Transparent Web Strategy

Documents

model institution http

smithsonian commons

creative commons

worldclass institution

uncommon institution

netedsonm flickr commons

strategychange process

model of enduring wisdom