Conxa Rodà's Blog

Mobile was really alive on #m2011 !

I've just blogged on our museums' blog, highlighting two of the many interesting mobile events: Nancy Proctor 's workshop on Mobile Strategy and the Crit Mobile Room.

The first one was held in Portugal, and within the Encounter, there was a Social Media Workshop for museum professionals. In less than 2 hours  the workshop helped many to discover the potential of social networks for museums. Besides the workshop, many interesting IT projects were presented, and we had the opportunity to visit the new and awarded Museu de Portimao.

Dear colleagues,

after #askcurators day, where many of you have probably taken part, I'd like to share some thoughts / conclusions from the Museu Picasso:

 -there exists an authentic interest by the public to know more about museums

It really feels like just a few days ago that we started this blog and the museum’s active presence on social media, but — believe it or not! — we’ve just had our first anniversary!

Finally back to Barcelona, being one of the stranded Europeans (new word to me, now too familiar), I’d like to share with you some first impressions. The past week has been a great week for the Museu Picasso.

M&W, as all of us here know, means Museums and the Web. But it’s much more. Year after year it keeps improving, opening new ways for discussion, gathering museum delegates from around the world to share expertise, discuss issues, build network and, as a result, generate new ideas.

After more than two years’ hard work it’s a great pleasure to be able to offer a first online version of the database of the Picasso Museum’s catalogue, with more than two thousand works.

Yes!!!  We have finally joined Twitter, the social network that we needed to complete the first phase of  our Social Media presence, launched in May this year. Some of you are maybe wondering, but, weren't you already on Twitter? And others may ask why weren't you? Or even , why are you now?

The recent get-together in Paris as part of the ‘Rencontres Web Musées’, on 16 October, was in the purest spirit of 2.0: informal and participatory and with plenty of substance supplied not only by the panel but by many of the delegates. The setting, the Louvre. The subject: Museums and Web 2.0. The content: let me give you a brief overview, and you can check out the presentations on Slideshare.

Today is BlogDay again. Beyond many well known museum blogs such as Brooklyn, Tate Modern, IMA,Museum 2.0, etc. here are my 5 recommendations for this year's BlogDay:

Shortly after m MW Conference, back from Indianapolis, I wrote a report for my director, museum staff and other museums’ colleagues. It was even published on the Direction of Heritage of the Generalitat (Catalan Government) website, in Catalan. I thought I could have it translated into English as well, to share it with you. And so I did. And then, in the turmoil of everyday overload of work, I forgot about it. Oops. Putting papers and files in order before leaving for holidays, I realize now I never sent it. So, here you are.

Yesterday in London, Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum and Nicholas Serota, director of Tate, discussed about the Museum of the 21st Century in front of an audience of 500, at the London School of Economics. The event was coorganized with Thames & Hudson.

The last session of the conference on ‘Communicating the Museum’, that took place in Madrid on Friday 29 May 09, was devoted to new media and Web 2.0. With the participation of some 150 communication professionals from museums and cultural centres from all over Spain, the morning was made up of presentations by three speakers followed by discussion. 

Yes, it went well! I was so prepared to face some strong resistances, some questioning why we should waste time on that when we have so many important tasks to do and things of the sort, that I was surprised none of these were uttered (I twittered it but I haven’t had time for blogging until today, Sunday). I guess I was sort of relieved. But I’m very realistic too: first, people in meetings usually are cautious when they don’t really know much about the matter.

I was delighted to attend the mw09 session where four museums shared their experience of having their websites redesigned. To my surprise, the difficulties I underwent during our redesign process were almost the same (at a smaller scale, of course) as those of the big museums

(thank you Allegra, Dana, Charlotte and Joana for sharing).