New Media for New Audiences: How to reach wider audiences
and improve the visitor experience
How well do you know your audiences? Are they "digital natives,"
who have grown up with new technology (probably under 25 years old)
or are they "digital immigrants," who have had to adapt
to the new media age (likely to be over 25)? Not only do we need
to think about our audiences in terms of demographics and psychological
profiles, we also need to know how they communicate, how they like
to access information, and how these habits are changing. We may
be in for some surprises. For example, a feature in the December
06 edition of The Art Newspaper describes research by the Orange
County Museum of Art in the USA which shows that podcasts are most
popular with an older generation!
The Tate is one of the museums at the forefront of taking up opportunities
offered by new media, so it's unsurprising that we've asked Will
Gompertz, Director of Tate Media, to chair the conference. He says:
It's an extremely timely subject as developments in technology
combined with mass public take-up of these services have given us
all a range of significant new tools to engage audiences. Whether
it's developing online broadband channels or 3G subscription services,
we have much to discuss and learn from each other.
Keynote speakers at the conference will give an overview of how
trends in new media and the changing expectations of an internet
generation present new challenges for museums, both in terms of
reaching audiences and enriching their experience of art and culture.
The detail of the programme is still being worked on but we'll be
covering a wide range of interests under the broad theme of New
Media for New Audiences. Ideas include:
- What are the "dos" and "don'ts" of e-marketing?
Is innovative, interactive technology the way to engage young
people?
- Which new media work for smaller museums with smaller budgets?
- Can new media help to promote or deepen understanding of permanent
collections?
- What are the commercial opportunities offered by new media?
- How can museums benefit from the fact that almost everyone has
a mobile phone?
- How can museums take advantage of user-generated content?
- Should museums share websites to maximise impact?
- Is there still a place for print?
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