Abstract

In today's hectic and challenging world of website management, it is increasingly important for cultural heritage institutions to make the most out of their presence online. No longer is it enough to maintain a single site; nowadays, the environment is fragmented and complex, made up of a multiplicity of social media presences all intermeshed in subtle and potentially confusing ways. One of the best ways of dealing with this environment is to put strategic thinking at the core of the solution. This allows web stakeholders to take control of their web presence in a holistic way and from there begin to shape and grow it in powerful, measurable ways. This timely book provides a complete guide for any institution looking to build or maintain a cultural heritage web presence. Peppered with examples and case studies of current practice from large and small cultural heritage institutions, it advises administrators and website managers on the best strategic approach, as well as offering hints and tips on best practice. The chapters cover: evaluating what you have now; building a strategic approach; content; marketing; policies and guidelines; traffic and metrics; the social web (Web 2.0 ); the website project process; away from the browser; and, bringing it all together. Scattered throughout the text can be found references to an accompanying website to this book. This offers examples, templates and other downloadable information which the reader will be able to adapt for the needs of their individual organization. This essential book offers valuable, readable and above all practical guidance on how to make a cultural heritage web presence work, both for smaller institutions who are running their website on a shoestring and for larger ones who have more extensive resources at their command.
"...offers sounds advice, tips and practical strategies that should prove useful to people in a wide range of cultural sector roles involved in managing and growing web presences." - Business Archives
Mike Ellis is a Digital Strategist at Eduserv who is particularly interested in how web and mobile technologies can help non-technical people communicate, share and create. He writes and presents extensively, runs conferences and gives workshops on various aspects of web technology. He has spent much of his working life in and around cultural heritage and other content-rich institutions, and was Head of Web at The National Museum of Science and Industry from 2000 to 2007.
"This is an important addition to the body of digital heritage literature and a strong indication not just of how far we have come in our practice but of how mature today discussion of this subject is." - Dr Ross Parry, University of Leicester