California Association of Museums

CAM e-News Monthly Museum Poll

January Museum Poll Recap: How Tech Savvy is Your Museum?

In January, CAM asked CAM e-News subscribers about their use of internet-based programs, such as blogs or podcasts, or social networking websites, such as MySpace, Facebook, etc. We were interested in learning how these internet-based options or websites are changing how museums are sharing content and reaching new audiences. Many museums now offer podcasts or blogs on their websites and some are exploring the development of online communities.

The results of this informal poll indicate that less than half of California museums are utilizing these options, while respondents revealed a preference for tools that allow museums to share their collection or information with the public rather than on building audiences on social networking websites. The most popular technology is podcasting, with 42.9% of museums indicating that they offer them on their website. One-third (33.3%) of California museums share their collection online. More than a quarter (28.6%) provide blogs or online exhibits, while 23.8% have posted videos on YouTube. Smaller percentages of museums have utilized websites such as Wiki, MySpace, Flicker, and Facebook and no respondents indicated participation in LinkedIn, Breeze, Mashups, Second Life, or Whyville. Respondents commented that the biggest challenge is identifying, training, and sustaining staff time to maintain these websites or online programs. Meanwhile, others commented that these online offerings are not high priorities in meeting their organization's mission. Here are some comments from our subscribers:

The web is a wonderful thing. Finding someone who knows how to do the wonderful things listed above and has some knowledge of the information a museum wants to put on line can be a problem. --Karen Collins, Assistant Coordinator, IVC Desert Museum

The speed of change in techonlogy is too fast for me to keep up with, in fact there are items on your list I have no clue as to what they are. However, I would love to have our collection online, offer podcasts, a website shop. I just can not find the time or the right person to do this. --Karen Mehring, Museum Director, Folsom History Museum

For our DiscoverNikkei.org site, we are using open source tools to create an interactive site to build an international online community of users interested in the Nikkei (Japanese migrants and their communities) experience. The site is separate from our main organizational site and uses a combination of tools such as a discussion board, wiki, databases, and a custom tool that encourages our community to take an active role in documenting and sharing our community's stories. On our main janm.org site, we have added an online collection and are in the process of exploring options for incorporating more images and video. --Vicky K. Murakami-Tsuda, Web Manager, Japanese American National Museum

We've started to use YouTube to promote one of our historic cemetery tours. --Guy Ball, Project Leader

Thank you to the respondents for sharing their opinions with CAM.


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