This talk was delivered at the awards ceremony for the 2012 Bikuben Foundation Danish Museum Prize in Copenhagen, Denmark. Ideas about what museums are, who they serve, and the role they play in society are changing with dramatic speed, driven largely by social media and the participatory culture of global networks. Denmark supports world-class museums, with remarkable collections, expert staff, and beautiful architecture. But how can museum leaders balance the traditional concepts of organizational mission and outcomes with the disruptive possibilities being demonstrated by those who love and use museums in new ways? A text version of this presentation, with hyperlinks and footnotes, is available at http://www.slideshare.net/edsonm/michael-edson-lego-beowulf-and-the-web-of-hands-and-hearts-for-the-danish-national-museum-awards-13444266

2. “When it comes to dealing with
the big problems we face, are we
just going to be a crowd of voices,
or are we going to be a crowd of
hands?”
Jennifer Pahlka
Code for America

3. {About this talk}
• A full text version, with footnotes and links, is online at
http://www.slideshare.net/edsonm/michael-edson-lego-
beowulf-and-the-web-of-hands-and-hearts-for-the-
danish-national-museum-awards-13444266
• The video will be online soon…

4. {About this talk}
• This was the keynote at the Bikuben Foundation Danish
National Museum Awards (Bikubenfondens
Museumpriser) in Copenhagen, Denmark, June 11, 2012
(http://www.museumsprisen.dk/)
• The audience was directors and executives from Danish
museums, The Danish Heritage Agency, the Association
of Danish Museums, and other invited guests
• Special thanks to Tobias Golodnoff, Nina Hviid, Charlotte
S H Jensen, Miriam Lerkenfeld, Merete Sanderhoff, and
Jacob Wang for their help and guidance with this talk
—Michael Edson, @mpedson

5. Prelude

6. [Play video] http://youtu.be/1SGJS0VN0hE

7. Washington D.C.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rcsj/5087028899/sizes/s/in/photostream/

8. Washington D.C.
These museums set an
important example for me
about citizenship and
participatory democracy
as I was growing up
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rcsj/5087028899/sizes/s/in/photostream/

9. Washington D.C.
These museums set an But that was
important example for me before the
about citizenship and Internet
participatory democracy
as I was growing up
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rcsj/5087028899/sizes/s/in/photostream/

10. Washington D.C.
How shall we get
this work done in
society, now?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rcsj/5087028899/sizes/s/in/photostream/

11. I’m very impressed with the
professionalism, quality, and
sense of purpose in the
Danish museum community

12. But here’s how we’ve
traditionally thought about
getting achieving meaningful
outcomes…

13. Trust, money, real estate
collections, staff,
attention… Something really
good for
society

14. Trust, money, real estate
collections, staff,
attention… Something really
good for
society
Museums

15. Broadcast

16. The broadcast idiom is the
traditional 20th century way
museums accomplish our
jobs in society
Broadcast
we do they consume

17. The broadcast model gave
us great things in the 20th
century…
Broadcast
Automobiles The Hoover Dam Baywatch

18. Broadcast
But something is missing here.
The Internet is the dark matter in this equation of how to get work done.

19. More on these themes in
Come, Let us go Boldly Into the Present

20. “Extraordinary Individuals”
Global audiences forming
around niche interests

21. “No matter what business
you’re in, most of the
smart people work for
someone else”

22. One trillion hours of free time
available every year from
educated, Internet connected
people on earth
(Clay Shirky)

23. In 12 years this device will be
1,706 X more powerful than my
desktop computer

24. Billions of connected mobile
users. Voice, data, cameras,
GPS, sensors…

27. These are not new
ideas anymore

28. Broadcast is great, but it’s not a
complete model for getting
things done
Broadcast
we do they consume

29. More on these themes in
Come, Let us go Boldly Into the Present

30. Digital
Strategy!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/invattur/4013772522/sizes/l/in/photostream/

31. Digital
Strategy!
We must use
New Media!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/invattur/4013772522/sizes/l/in/photostream/

32. Yes, we must..!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/invattur/4013772522/sizes/l/in/photostream/

33. We’ve got a year
to decide…
Blah blah blah
broadcast
http://www.flickr.com/photos/invattur/4013772522/sizes/l/in/photostream/

34. http://www.flickr.com/photos/invattur/4013772522/sizes/l/in/photostream/

35. This organization is stuck
http://www.flickr.com/photos/invattur/4013772522/sizes/l/in/photostream/

36. Example
From a real
museum strategy workshop
http://www.flickr.com/photos/invattur/4013772522/sizes/l/in/photostream/

37. Strategic Goal of the museum
“Become the preeminent place
for engagement and dialogue
about national identity and the
accomplishment and
experience of citizens”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/invattur/4013772522/sizes/l/in/photostream/

38. Proposed Strategic Initiative
“Build an online collection
of 10 million portraits of
citizens and their stories,
created and uploaded
without official curation
by members of the
public.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/invattur/4013772522/sizes/l/in/photostream/

39. Proposed Strategic Initiative
“Build an online collection
of 10 million portraits of
citizens and their stories,
created and uploaded
without official curation
by members of the
public. Build a
community around this
initiative to fuel
engagement with
national history,
biography, and artistic
creativity.”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/invattur/4013772522/sizes/l/in/photostream/

40. Proposed Strategic Initiative Adopted
“Build an online collection
“Do a website about
of 10 million portraits of
citizens and their stories, family portraits”
created and uploaded
without official curation
by members of the
public. Build a
community around this
initiative to fuel
engagement with
national history,
biography, and artistic
creativity.”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/invattur/4013772522/sizes/l/in/photostream/

41. Proposed Strategic Initiative Adopted
“Build an online collection
“Do a website about
of 10 million portraits of
citizens and their stories, family portraits”
created and uploaded
without official curation
by members of the You can’t get this
public. Build a with broadcast
community around this thinking
initiative to fuel
engagement with
national history,
biography, and artistic
creativity.”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/invattur/4013772522/sizes/l/in/photostream/

42. Proposed Adopted
“Build an online collection
“Do a website about
of 10 million portraits of
citizens and their stories, family portraits”
created and uploaded
without official curation
by members of the Are you using
public. Build a the best tools to turn resources
community around this into outcomes?
initiative to fuel Does the broadcast idiom
engagement with deliver the best outcomes
for society?
national history,
biography, and artistic does this work in a
How
creativity.” traditional organization?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/invattur/4013772522/sizes/l/in/photostream/

43. http://smithsonian-webstrategy.wikispaces.com/Strategy+--
On the Wiki: +Table+of+Contents
http://smithsonian-
PDF: webstrategy.wikispaces.com/file/view/20090729_Smithsonian-Web-
New-Media-Strategy_v1.0.pdf

44. Business Model
“The Smithsonian’s basic
business model is to create
social and economic value
through the increase and
diffusion of knowledge…
Ultimately, the most valuable
business asset we can
cultivate—and the one that is
most fundamental to our core
mission—is a community of
engaged and committed
Smithsonian enthusiasts.”

45. Update the Learning Model
“This strategy is based on the
growing understanding of
learning as a hybrid of formal
education and self-directed
discovery that can be brought
together and enhanced by
online tools and
communities…. that allow our
audiences to be our partners in
the increase and diffusion of
knowledge.”

47. No Yes!

48. We assume this is us
in the middle,
the official museum
running the show
museum

49. But these connections are the most
important, the most powerful for
generating big outcomes
Hundreds, thousand, millions of
connections between people with
expertise, perspective, abilities,
passion, curiosity…

50. Maybe the most powerful
place for us is here
museum

51. Maybe the most powerful
place for us is here
museum

52. Examples

53. The Smithsonian owns
SpaceShipOne, the first
privately financed rocket
to take a human into orbit

54. Spaceship One collection page
Here’s the
on our website.
One picture. Curatorial text.
http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=A20050459000

56. On Wikipedia you get…Hyperlinks!!

57. Translated into 26
languages
(by users, with no central
coordination or control)

58. Almost 400 editors

60. Flickr is a picture sharing
website. People upload,
share, and tag their photos
There are over 9 billion
photos on Flickr

61. A search on “SpaceShipOne”
returns 2,592 photos of the rocket
ship, taken, uploaded, and tagged
(cataloged) by users, with no
central coordination or control

62. http://www.flickr.com/photos/pvogel/110579166/in/set-72057594079211111

63. Stunning images,
multiple points of
view across the
history of the
project
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pvogel/110579166/in/set-72057594079211111

64. The image belongs to
many thematic sets
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pvogel/110579166/in/set-72057594079211111

65. The image belongs to
many thematic sets
Curation!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pvogel/110579166/in/set-72057594079211111

66. Video from spaceship one
On YouTube
you can see it fly
http://youtu.be/FNXahIoXMw8

67. Which website would
you use to understand
SpaceShipOne?

68. Who has
authority and trust
in the eyes of the
public?

69. Where do people go to
find out about the world?

70. Question asked at a focus group of young
adults for the newspaper industry…
Where do you go
to find your news?

71. Answer : “If the news is
important enough,
it will find me.”

72. This is a great
homepage.
But does it really
function as your
home page?
http://natmus.dk/en

73. Or, given the abundance of
different ways to find out
about the world, is this
your homepage?

74. Solvongen
An experiment
The Solvongen—
the Trundholm Sun
Chariot—is one of the
most iconic museum How would we
object in Denmark. learn about it?

76. The Sun Chariot

77. The Sun Chariot
Horrible images!
(We could make them better. Ask the
Riksmuseet about the
Problem of the Yellow Milkmaid)

78. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Trundholm-sun-chariot/135441099821236

79. With some help, I found the
canonical collection information
page for the Sun Chariot on the
National Museum website
http://natmus.dk/en/historisk-viden/danmark/moeder-med-danmarks-oldtid/the-bronze-age/the-sun-chariot/

80. Small image window
with zoom feature
http://natmus.dk/en/historisk-viden/danmark/moeder-med-danmarks-oldtid/the-bronze-age/the-sun-chariot/

81. 2,845 views
http://natmus.dk/en/historisk-viden/danmark/moeder-med-danmarks-oldtid/the-bronze-age/the-sun-chariot/

82. Through a Google “Discussions”
search, I found a brief discussion
about the Trundholm Sun Chariot
on the Skadi Forum
http://forums.skadi.net /

83. The Skadi Forum has
40,000 members
300 topics
700,000 posts
http://forums.skadi.net /

84. Google Books
search found this
http://books.google.com/books?id=g15MdNvO5ngC&pg=PA55&dq=trundholm+sun+chariot&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ciHTT4yLA4Hh0QHWwvWYAw&ved=0CEMQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false

85. “The Trundholm Sun Chariot could easily
have been carried in someone's arms. It
was found in a peat bog in 1902,
deliberately broken into little pieces and
carefully placed there about 3,500 years
ago.”
(Lovely, human voice)

86. Don’t get me
wrong, I love
this homepage!
http://natmus.dk/en/

87. But I love this
one too, on
Pinterest
Pinterest is a
kind of image
collecting site
http://pinterest.com/nationalmuseet/

88. Search for
Search for
“Sun Chariot”
“Sun Chariot”

89. 9 National Museum
Sun Chariots
collected by users

90. This one was collected by
Sunnifa Heinreksdottir…
…In a collection called
Bronze Age
http://pinterest.com/pin/32369691041944044/

91. http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/bronze-age/

92. Images from the
Metropolitan
Museum of Art
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/bronze-age/

93. The Metropolitan
British Archaeology
Museum of Art
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/bronze-age/

94. The Metropolitan
Museum of Art
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/bronze-age/

95. The Metropolitan
Museum of Art
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/bronze-age/

96. The Metropolitan
Museum of Art
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/bronze-age/

97. “The History Blog”
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/bronze-age/

98. National Museum
of Denmark
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/bronze-age/

99. National
Museum of
Denmark

100. National
Museum of
Denmark
National
Museum of
Denmark

101. There’s the
National Museum’s
Sun Chariot

102. But it doesn’t link
back to the National
Museum!!!
Western Culture 101
Beginnings to
900 C.E.
http://people.hsc.edu/faculty-staff/maryp/Core/western_culture_101_studylinks.htm

103. Sunnifa has 40
collections on
Pinterest
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/

104. Anglo Saxon
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/

105. Rings
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/

106. Willow
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/

107. Spinning
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/

108. Spindle Whorls
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/

109. Flax
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/

110. Bronze Age
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/

111. Iron Age
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/

112. Weaving
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/

113. OMG!
She’s curating
her own museum!
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/

114. Sunnifa has collected
1146 images
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/pins/

116. Linking, sharing,
metadata and
community
“by default”

117. She follows 41
people
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/following/

118. http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/following/

119. London
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/following/

120. Portland, Oregon
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/following/

121. Kansas
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/following/

122. Cape Town
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/following/

123. Antwerp
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/following/

124. Dorset, UK
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/following/

125. Ireland
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/following/

126. “little village of
20 houses in
the North of
Germany”
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/following/

127. “little village of 1,927 followers!
20 houses in
the North of
Germany”
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/following/

128. And they each curate
and collect, follow
people, and are
followed by people
http://pinterest.com/harrasteora/following/

130. The 41 people Sunnifa follows
have 16,090 followers.
And they follow 12,485 people.

131. Sunnifa’s immediate social
network has 28,485 people in it.
AND THIS IS JUST A RANDOM
USER I FOUND!!!

132. And they do all kinds things

137. http://www.flickr.com/photos/monsted/487105795/

138. http://youtu.be/0eLJcUIxRz4 http://youtu.be/jGB1l8iuPg8
Tribute videos!

139. http://www.flickr.com/groups/historical_lego/

140. Historical Lego Group
778 members
7,157 photos
http://www.flickr.com/groups/historical_lego/

142. http://www.flickr.com/photos/shadowviking/3399432262/in/set-72157616011592049

143. Fan Fiction
engagement, curiosity,
creativity…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shadowviking/3399432262/in/set-72157616011592049

144. http://www.flickr.com/people/shadowviking/

145. Holland Michigan
USA
Would your marketing department know
that there was an audience for Viking
history in Holland, Michigan?
http://www.flickr.com/people/shadowviking/

146. http://www.flickr.com/photos/thorskegga/4941989896/in/pool-371955@N24/

147. Attention to detail:
people manufacture
historically accurate
accessories!
http://www.brickforge.com/store/product.php?productid=16217&cat=252&
page=1

148. A Viking was a member of the
Scandinavian seafaring
warriors who raided and
colonized wide areas of Europe
from the 9th to the 11th
century. If you are looking for
a more historic alternative to
the iconic horned Viking
Helmet - look no further. The
BrickForge Viking Helmet is
based on the more traditional
'Spanglehelm' design and
features a spectacle guard
around the eyes and nose. Fits
most standard minifig heads.
http://www.brickforge.com/store/product.php?productid=16217&cat=252&
page=1

149. http://www.flickr.com/people/thorskegga/

150. “Middle age eccentric woman
living in High Wycombe,
Buckinghamshire, England”
She’s in the same Flickr group as
the person from
Holland, Michigan
http://www.flickr.com/people/thorskegga/

151. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SGJS0VN
0hE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SGJS0VN0hE

152. 202,297 views!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SGJS0VN
0hE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SGJS0VN0hE

153. [Play video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zuxv510dh6w

154. 162,549 views!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zuxv510dh6w

155. 162,549 views!!
Compare with 2,845 views of
the Sun Chariot video from
the National Museum of
Denmark Site
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zuxv510dh6w

156. Does that mean this video is 57 times better
than the National Gallery video?
162,549 views!!
Not necessarily, but…
• It is not easy to achieve this
kind of scale
• How many times have we put up a video or
a blog post and wondered why nobody
Compare with 2,845 views of
cared? the Sun Chariot video from
• We should have much higher ambitions for the National Museum of
scale and impact Denmark Site

157. How do I learn
more?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zuxv510dh6w

158. Search the National
Museum site?

159. You can’t be the
authority on
everything

160. You can’t be the
authority on
everything
“Knowledge is a Mashup”
http://radar.oreilly.com/2010/08/the-
smithsonian-commons-projec.html

164. “Wikipedia is a great place
to start research, but a
terrible place to end it”
A Wikipedian

166. http://toolserver.org/~geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Battle_of_Maldon&params=51_42_55_N_0_42_3_E_type:event_region:GB

167. GeoHack links to dozens
of free maps for the site
of the Battle of Maldon
http://toolserver.org/~geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Battle_of_Maldon&params=51_42_55_N_0_42_3_E_type:event_region:GB

168. “OpenStreetMap is a free
worldwide map, created
by people like you”

170. Hundreds…thousands of
edits to this map by a
community of volunteers

171. “Harmonized tagging of
Ways of St. James
…Fixed some little
minor stuff”
April 28, 2012

172. “Updated ownership of bakery”
April 24, 2012

174. In Google Street View
we can see the
landscape and imagine
what it might have been

175. https://ssl.panoramio.com/photo/2127892

176. Panoramio lets us see
photos that have been
uploaded and positioned
on the map by users

177. (A battle monument)

178. https://ssl.panoramio.com/photo/7753503

179. We tend to dismiss the
notion that “users” can
create outstanding
content

181. But users—people—love your
museums, and they create
and share remarkable
content…
…they do remarkable things
while exploring the world

183. http://www.flickr.com/photos/thioboy/6154940942/in/set-72157627512718617

184. http://www.flickr.com/photos/thioboy/6153423014/

185. http://www.flickr.com/photos/46758972@N00/7420524502/

186. http://www.flickr.com/photos/thoughtbrain/4941565885/in/photostream/

187. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jingqunluo/3666546703

188. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jrgensen/4422340062/in/set-72157623466859743/

189. http://www.flickr.com/photos/spinello/256239150/lightbox/

190. http://www.flickr.com/photos/48561129@N04/4793799631/in/set-72157625550929974/lightbox/

191. http://www.flickr.com/photos/larspind/2750488537/in/photostream/lightbox/

192. http://www.flickr.com/photos/larspind/3376421237/in/photostream/lightbox/

194. Museums
So, what should this
equation look like?

195. a

196. “When it comes to dealing with the big
problems we face, are we just going to
be a crowd of voices, or are we going to
be a crowd of hands?”
Jennifer Pahlka
Code for America
a

197. Let’s make
the future
together

198. Mange tak!
Thank you!