Hi everyone, great discussion on the Web vs. Real World visitors thread.
I have a related question. We have already successfully made the case to our administration and board, as part of an ongoing strategic planning process, to significantly increase our use of technology as a way of engaging our public. We have articulated several initiatives and have now been asked to provide a means to determine how successful these initiatives turn out to be. How do we know we have achieved what we hoped to? Do we articulate our goals in strictly quantitative terms (web analytics, survey results, etc.) or are there other, less tangible measures? I personally find the number-based benchmarks to be tricky. For instance, is a blog "successful" if it generates a certain number of comments? Or is a blog successful if it manages to change the museum's internal culture to be more transparent and outwardly-focused, regardless of the number of hits or comments? We are also aware that while we cannot set the bar for success too high (thus setting ourselves up to fail), we can't set it too low either (lest it be perceived as too trivial to be considered a success). I'd be interested to hear from anyone, on- or off-list, who has been through a similar process and has any advice or suggestions. Will William Real Director of Technology Initiatives Carnegie Museum of Art 4400 Forbes Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412.622.3267 412.622.3112 (fax) www.cmoa.org Join our email list for exhibition and event news: http://members.carnegiemuseums.org/email Member Exclusives! Insider e-newsletters-plus private previews, e-invites, free admission, and more when you join online: http://members.carnegiemuseums.org/SupportCMP
