JordanStokes

3/16/16
AL493A
Description/Review

DigitalEngagementinCulture,Heritage,andtheArts

DigitalEngagementinCulture,Heritage,andtheArts,byJasperVisserandJim
Richardsonisacollaborativepublicationdesignedtoassisttheseuniqueinstitutionsin
identifyingtheirvaluesanddevelopingdigitallyengagingstrategies.Asarecommended
trendinthe2015NMCHorizonReportMuseumEdition,thisDigitalEngagement
Framework(DEF)publicationisbrokeninto8parts,beginningwithanintroductionthat
verybrieflyanswersthequestionsWhydigitalengagement?Andwhyastrategy?as
wellasexplainsthedigitalrealmwithinorganizations.
Whydigitalengagement?Becauseitsoneofthebestopportunitieswevehadin
decadestoreallyreachandengageotherpeople,workwiththemonideasthat
arebiggerthanusandgeneratevaluetogether.Digitalengagementmakes
thingspossiblethatwouldnthavebeenpossibleinthepast,oratleastvery
difficult.(VisserandRichardson)

Intheirpublication,VisserandRichardsonflipfromexplainingtheintentofthis
DEF,todefiningandoutliningthestepstocompleteit,whichmakesthispublicationhard
tofollowattimes.Whiletheirpurposeisdefined,theirlanguageandexamplesused
throughoutarentaligned,whichcanmakeitdifficultfortheiraudiencetodigest.That
beingsaid,theyneedaneditor,especiallysincetheyarewritingthisDEFfor
organizationstoutilize.
Therearetwoversionsofthisframeworkversion2andversion3.Version2
helpsorganizationsdesignthestrategies,processes,andtechnologiestoengageallof
theirstakeholdersinordertomaximizethevaluethattheycocreate.Aftermany
organizationsutilizedthisversionoftheframework,VisserandRichardsonreceived

feedbackandturnedthatfeedbackintoabrandnewversion.Muchlikeversion2,
version3allowsorganizationstoidentifythevaluecreationopportunitiesofdigital
engagement.Likewise,Version3refreshestheoriginalframeworkandaddstwobrand
newtools,theEngagementPhasesandaValueCreationModel.TheEngagement
Phasesservesasanoutlinetodeveloptheactivitiesneededinordertotakean
audiencefromreachedtoactivelyengaged.TheValueCreationModel,something
VisserandRichardsoncallthemathematicsofdigitalengagement,whereoneshould
adduptomorethantwo.Thismodeoffersthreecategories,Assets,Audiences,and
Cocreatedvalue,thatalladduptorepresentsomethinganorganizationandits
audiencecancreateandbenefitfrom.

Version2(2013)

Version2includescategoriesAssets,Audience,Objectives,Vision,Trends,
Reach,Engagement,Metrics,ChannelsandGuidelines.

OnethingIdidenjoyaboutthispublicationwasthatitwaswrittenbypeoplewho
aresharingtheirexperiences,andbuildingonthislearnasyougoprocess.Now,being
thrownintothismyself,Icanvouchthatitisalearnasyougoprocess,whichiswhy
thereisnowaversion3tothisDEF.Therefore,version2setuptheideaoftheDEF,
andversion3allowedthemtoapplytheirfeedbackfromtheirexperiencewithversion2,
andtransformtheirDEFintosomethingmorespecific.

Version3(2015)

Version3includescategoriesmuchlikeversion2,however,theyareclosely
tailoredmoretowardsculturalorganizations.ThesecategoriesareAssets,Audiences,
Objectives,Trends,CoCreatedValue,Reach,Engagement,Processes,Technology,
andfinally,Information.

Thatbeingsaid,version3oftheDEFmorecloselyguidestheendeavorsof
manyorganizationsdigitalstrategies.Theideaofcocreatedvalueispresentedin
version3,andthismeanshavingtothinkaboutthefuture.Replacingvisionwith
cocreatedvaluemorecloselyguidestheseendeavorsbecauseitallowsthemembersof
theorganizationtodefinehowtheyperceivethemutuallybeneficialvaluecreatedwhen
theiraudienceandtheirorganizationcometogether.Inshort,cocreatedvalueisthe
backboneforlongtermaudienceengagement,whichissomethingthevisionportionin
version2ofthisframeworkdidnotentail.
Theinformationcategoryinversion3allowstheorganizationtothinkaboutthe
typeofcontenttheyneed,ratherthanjumpingthegunandmeasuringthesuccessas
metricspresentsinversion2.Therefore,version3morecloselyguidestheseendeavors

becauseitallowstheorganizationtonarrowdownandthinkabouttheirstrategyina
morepracticalandapproachablewayduetothesechanges.

Ownership

Mostimportantly,nomattertheversion,thisDEFgivesownershiptoeveryonein
theorganization,notjustthepeoplewhoareimplementingit.Asstatedinthearticle,
PsychologicalOwnershipandFeelingsofPossession:ThreeFieldStudiesPredicting
EmployeeAttitudesandOrganizationalCitizenshipBehavior
fromthe
Journalof
OrganizationalBehavior

Thepsychologyofpossessionliteraturedemonstratesthatpeoplefeelpositivelyabout
tangibleandintangibletargetsofownership.Forexample,Beggan(1992)proposedthe
ideaofmereownershipeffectsbasedonempiricalanalysisofreactionstoperceptionsof
ownership.Resultsofthisstudyshowedthatpeopleevaluatedideasandobjectsmore
favorablywhentheyfeltasenseofownershipforthetarget.Inotherwords,feelingsof
psychologicalownershipleadtopositiveattitudesabouttheentity.(VanDyneandPierce
441)

Itwouldbedifficulttoreachandengageyouraudiencesifyouarentreachingout
toengageyourstafftotalkabouttheorganizationintheprocess.Collectiveknowledge
isthebasisforthisframework.Likewise,cooperation,masscol
laboration,andcollective
action,arethekeybuildingblocksinthisdigitalstrategy.Inordertocreatesomething
beneficial,itsimportantfortheorganizationasawholetocollectivelyshareknowledge
andcooperatetocometoaconsensusontheirobjectivessotheycandevelopthis
digitalstrategy.Asmentionedpreviously,VissersandRichardsonsDEFguidescultural
organizationstodojustthattobeinclusiveandgiveownershiptotheorganizationasa
whole.
Attentionisalsoafundamentalinthisoverarchingplan.HowardRheingoldstates
inhisarticle,
WhyYouNeedDigitalKnowHowWhyWeAllNeedIt
thattherehasbeen

amassiveshiftinpeoplesattentioneversincethedigitalera.TheDEFVisserand
Richardsoncreatedassistsorganizationsinnotonlycatchingorreachingpeoples
attention,butengagingthemtobeactiveintheservicestheyprovidethisisethical,yet
altruistic.Altruism,fun,community,collectiveaction,andcuriosityarealsopartsof
humansocialityandIproposethattheWebisanexistenceproofthatthese
capabilitiescanbeartificiallyextended,(Rheingold).
Rheingoldalsostatesthatasnewunderlyingrulesofthedigitalinterfaceare
constantlybeingwritten,itsimportanttoevolvewiththosechanges.Therefore,
subsequenttotheDEF,thestrategicplanningandimplementationwillneverbeastatic
document.
Regardlessoftheirneedsforaneditorandmoreusefulexamples,Visserand
Richardsonsticktotheirmission,whichistogetculturalinstitutionstousedigitalmedia
inamoreeffectiveway,(VisserandRichardson).Althoughthismissionisambitious,it
ishowever,attainableifyouuseversion3oftheirDEF.Asmentionedpreviously,
version3oftheDEFgivestheorganizationusingtheframework,ownershipofit.Noone
knowsanorganizationandwhatithastoofferbetterthanitsemployees.Byallowingthe
organizationsemployeestodeterminetheirownassets,audiences,andvaluecreated
betweenthemselvesandtheiraudience,thisdocumentgivestheorganizationasa
whole,anopportunitytocometogetherandgainownershipoftheprocessofcreating
theirdigitalengagementstrategy.Inshort,thisframeworkallowstheorganizationto
makethestrategytheirown.Therefore,Ithinkthebenefitofownershipandtheideasof
collectiveknowledgeandcollaborationarewhatmakethisdocumentsouseful.

References

Rheingold,Howard."WhyYouNeedDigitalKnowHowWhyWeAllNeedIt|The
EuropeanBusinessReview."
TheEuropeanBusinessReview.
TheEuropeanBusiness
Review,20May2012.Web.25Jan.2016.

VanDyne,Linn,andJonL.Pierce."PsychologicalOwnershipandFeelingsofPossession:
ThreeFieldStudiesPredictingEmployeeAttitudesandOrganizationalCitizenship
Behavior."
JournalofOrganizationalBehavior(
2004):43959.2004.Web.29Feb.2016.
<
www.interscience.wiley.com
>.

Visser,Jasper,andJimRichardson.
DigitalEngagementinCulture,Heritage,andtheArts.
N.p.:
n.p.,n.d.2013.Web.09Feb.2016.<
http://digitalengagementframework.com/
>.