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By Roger Smith - May 2001
Roger Smith, the founder and director of this highly successful international Webzine, shares his experiences of online publications and the rationale for establishing a museum-based compendium site. Global Museum is currently read in 88 countries and maintains a weekly mailbase of more then six thousand museum professionals and those with an interest in museums [1] [2]. Global Museum remains a free Webzine available to all and has developed a style that that encourages and maintains a loyal readership. Global Museum aims for immediacy of communication rather than in-depth analysis of museological issues. As a Webzine its role is to be a one-stop shop for museum news, views, vacancies and products without being perceived to be overtly commercial, which it is not.
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Where do all the best ideas start? Usually, with an entrepreneurial thread or an observation that simply won’t go away.
In the case of Global Museum the gestation period from observation to action took several months. As the then Chairman of ICOM’s Marketing and Public relations Committee (ICOM MPR) one of the challenges I faced was to communicate with several hundred members in many countries. The traditional forms of communication often meant that notices of importance and articles of interest took far too long a period to reach those for whom they were intended. Having worked in a variety of museums over many years and at various levels of the profession, I was quick to appreciate that there was a marketing opportunity and a niche that could be catered for.
This might at first glance suggest an altogether mercenary approach. It is true that like many other bidding e-entrepreneurs, an Amazon.com bookshop affiliation provided the seed funding to get things underway, but to reach a discerning audience needs more than ecommerce activity.
Global Museum commenced as an email newsletter – an ezine. As the publisher’s Web skills developed so did the publication until it reach its current status as a fully-fledged Webzine. Adopting a business like approach for this endeavour has meant that Global Museum has never lost its primary focus. It would be my suggestion to anyone contemplating any form of publication (and especially an online initiative) that they undertake a thorough business and market planning process. Equally, I would suggest that one is not too modest in one’s ambitions in this regard but that such enthusiasm and vision needs to tempered by reality. The world is after all littered with dot.com carcasses!
Global Museum has this vision: To be the international museum compendium site on the Internet.
Our Mission: is to provide services and up-to-date cultural and scientific information to the international museum profession, and to those with an interest in museums.
We are achieving this mission by:
In regards to the latter goal, it should be noted that Global Museum is in essence a nonprofit activity and very much a ‘labour of love’ even though it is guided by business rules. As publisher, I readily understood that before going for support grant funding, it would be necessary to build site credibility backed by thorough statistical and market analysis.
Global Museum is published from Auckland, New Zealand. The time zone differences between the country of origin and the Webzine’s readership works to its advantage. The nature of the Internet and contemporary technology means that the physical address is largely immaterial to the success of such initiatives. I am also happy to reveal for the first time that, unlike its competitors, Global Museum does not have a Cecil B DeMille ‘cast of thousands’ in support. It is a solo operation supported by an understanding wife and a study full of computer equipment!
With anticipated future grant support this scenario will change modestly and one of the ideals is to create multilingual versions on a monthly basis. Global Museum’s readership demographic shows considerable interest from its North American audience with a growing readership from the European Union. It is probably opportune also to restate that the Webzine welcomes news releases from all museums and would like to think that readers of Cultivate Interactive might convey this opportunity to their local museums and governing authorities.
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| The Global Museum site |
As a weekly online publication Global Museum maintains sophisticated search options to keep abreast of museum news from around the world. The stories are collated mid week and subject to editorial review so that a stimulating balance of stories is presented to the readership. Wherever possible we attempt to encourage participation and feedback. Two examples of this are the introduction a humorous caption contest and the use of real-time chat technology. Regular online polls of the readership contribute to site development and we have found that the best ideas come from the users. The Webzine quite deliberately sacrifices some downloading time for a highly visual and graphic style. While such a determination doesn’t necessarily receive universal acclimation, the growing increase in the speed of Internet access largely negates any inconvenience in the medium term. This visual profile also assists in the market delineation between Global Museum and its competitors.
Global Museum sections include: International news, career and resume postings service, an international museum studies database, museum product listings, a dedicated international travel service in association with a reputable travel and accredited provider, an online bookshop and virtual mall, a museum resources database with direct file downloads and links of interest, a forum section and much more.
Job and other postings are maintained on a daily basis and the physical design and publishing takes place in-house. Complimentary to this activity is an active and ongoing promotional campaign for the Webzine using search engine placement software and directory placements. Writing for the Internet is of course a specialist activity especially when one considers that the average viewing time for a Web page is a mere 57 seconds.
The various sections of the Webzine are treated differently. Some, such as the International News and Careers sections, are more dynamic in content while others such as the Museum Studies database listing tend to be of a more annual nature.
The lesson to be learnt from publishing online is that technology should serve to support the communication not rule it. With this philosophy in mind, Global Museum is constructed using Net Object Fusion software and is based on style templates that can be easily modified. Being image-rich, the Webzine pages require careful image editing and selection. The pages are published to the server and a news alert ‘teaser’ composed. This announcement is then dispatched to the subscriber base as an email message giving headline details of the current edition.
Online user surveys confirm patronage of the various site sections and we retain a policy of always following up user suggestions as to how the site might be improved and expanded.
As a reader you might naturally expect the owner of a Webzine to be naturally biased in favour of his project’s success. It is probably appropriate to record a small selection of unsolicited reader comment and site review in support of the above. These endorsements are the sort of statements that enhance the credibility of the Web site and it would be my suggestion to all Web publishers that they consider including them in their content and promotion. Naturally all such statements must be attributed and not of a fictitious nature. Here are a couple of Global Museum examples:
“I did a survey of international museum Web sites in February of this year as part of my work for the Public Relations department at Museum Victoria, Australia, and I would have to say that the Global Museum website is easily one of the best. It is easy to navigate and is a pleasure to use due to the layout, which contributes to the usability as well as to the aesthetic of the site. The content appeals and is of relevance to both museum professionals and the general public, and the material is always current and regularly updated. I would certainly rate this site very highly; I use it on a regular basis and would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone, irrespective of their level of involvement in the museum industry.” Melinda Viksne, Public Relations, Museum Victoria, Australia
“Published by Roger Smith, Global Museum is a free weekly newsletter gathering information from a large pool of museums located all over the world. With a clean, uncluttered layout, Global Museum acts as a wonderful resource of current information. From bizarre and unbelievable news to noteworthy historical facts, this newsletter will plug you into information that is just slightly off the beaten media track. You might be surprised to read some of the articles that didn't make worldwide headlines” List-A-Day.Com review
Global Museum is an ongoing success because it has creatively used the medium of the Web as a communication device. Successful Web sites and in particular online publications need to exemplify the basics, namely that the Web is all about relationship building and engaging an audience, adopting a ‘user- driven’ philosophy and writing in a style (and selecting content) that both challenges and entertains.
Global Museum is quite deliberately not a traditional museum journal. The Webzine at aims at immediacy and providing a selection of online services of interest to its readership. The Webzine is proactive in presenting stories from around the world and has adopted a magazine format style.
The future looks bright for the Webzine. It has seen competitors come and go in the three years of its existence and has been constantly refreshing both style and content to meet the expectations of a discerning audience. Because Global Museum is not directly affiliated with any non-govermental organisation or museum organisation it has been able to retain its editorial independence, unencumbered by the demands of stakeholders or a paying membership. It is this clarity and lack of vested interest that allows it to challenge traditional views and preconceptions.
Global Museum has remained nimble its ability to identify and capitalise upon opportunity and interest, an essential element in producing a successful online publication.
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Roger Smith
Director
Global Museum International
2/70 St Johns Road
Meadowbank
Auckland
New Zealand
director@globalmuseum.org
<
http://www4.wave.co.nz/~jollyroger/president/president.htm
l>
Phone: +64 9 578 1011
Fax: +64 021 695322
Roger Smith is the former Chair of ICOM MPR and ICOM New Zealand. His career path includes museum directorships, executive directorships and consultancies, marketing and public relations. He is the founder and publisher of Global Museum and has recently moved from the physical management of museums back into education, where he is employed as Manager – Web Centre for the Auckland University of Technology. Roger has chaired and given keynote addresses at Museum conferences in Washington DC, Stavanger, Cologne and Calcutta.
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For citation purposes:
Smith, R. "Global Museum: a Personal Vision that became an Online Success", Cultivate Interactive, issue
4, 7 May 2001
URL: <http://www.cultivate-int.org/issue4/global/>
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