We’re really stoked that National Services Te Paerangi, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, has asked Boost to facilitate four workshops around the county to introduce museums to the benefits and practical realities of using social media to promote themselves and grow their networks online.
The workshops are called How to Promote Your Museum Using Online Tools. They will cover:
- an overview of social media tools
- what they offer and who they target
- how to use them to build audiences and professional networks.
Participants will get the chance to:
- get hints and tips on using social media effectively and avoiding pitfalls
- see examples of how museums – big and small – are using social media
- discuss approaches you might use for your organisation
- build confidence to use and contribute to the growing body of practice around social media.
The one-day workshops are taking place at these locations and times:
- 6 October 2009 – Whanganui Regional Museum, Whanganui – register here
- 15 October – Whakatane REAP Centre, Whakatane – register here
- 22 October – Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Dunedin – register here
- 30 October – Westport – details and registration to be confirmed
Watch the fun unfold on a blog specially prepared for the workshops. It contains relevant links, tools and examples and – hopefully – participants’ thoughts and ideas on what social media can do for them and their organisations.
Walter McGinnis from Katipo and Michaela Bodesheim from Buller District Library have been in touch about a useful tool for museums and libraries.
They recommend the ‘kete’ open source software as a digital repository for storing and organising digitised materials – images, audio, videos and documents of all kinds.
Importantly, your community can also contribute material to the repository. There’s also functionality such as discussions and collaborative authoring.
The kete has been set up for community groups, including libraries and museums, in cooperation with the National Library.
Examples include:
Horowhenua Library Trust: http://horowhenua.kete.net.nz/
Waikato Museum: http://ketehamilton.peoplesnetworknz.info/waikato_museum
Chinese Digital Community: http://chinesecommunity.org.nz
Find out more about the kete here: http://kete.net.nz