Dear Jane (and everyone),

Thank you for sharing the 24 Hour Museum survey of cultural websites.

This sort of year-on-year comparative survey is incredibly useful, especially for those of us that are trying to understand (or are trying to build a case for) the long-term funding and sustainability of on-line museum provision.  Knowing how many are coming, where they are going and how long they are staying certainly helps. (Knowing that the 'average visit' is less than 4 minutes on your site certainly focuses the mind - even if its just on how meaningful this statistic actually is.)

And Jane you are right to point out (as Alice Grant's research for the CCF has done) the scarcity - still - of this sort data in the public domain.  Indeed, one of the key themes that came out in the panel session that closed this year's UK Museums and the Web conference (a panel with representatives from the BM, Tate, NHM, V&A, National Archives) was the value in sharing this sort of data and working openly and collaboratively to build a clearer picture of how the sector's web sites are being used.

And yet, we all know that in this regard, the really crucial data is qualitative as well, rather than just quantitative.  WHY are these users choosing to access museum web sites - to research, to browse, to 'lurk', to source information prior to a visit, to play, to learn, to contribute, to collaborate ...?  Or (as George MacDonald famously once said) are our sites just an 'information utility', like running water or a gas supply that users just choose to turn on in their everyday lives now and again for a variety of mundane reasons?  And WHO is with these users when they are having these experiences (co-learners, family, friends ... all of the above) - or, in contrast to an on-site experience, is the on-line museum experience a largely independent activity?  And WHERE are they - at home (in the kitchen, in a bedroom, in a study ... ?), at work (for work, during a lunch break?), in the classroom, on the move ... ?  Surely all this matters as well?  It matters to what we choose to provide on-line and it matters to the way we do it.

For instance, it is interesting that education instructions that provide 'distance learning' give a large amount of attention to understanding the circumstances (literally the physical and social setting) that the learner may be in whilst they learn. Distance Learning provision (whether on screen or through the post in a box) is then generated with this in mind - especially the idea that in DL it is the institution that enters the space of the learner, rather than the other way around.  (Interestingly, in contrast, most museum web sites work from the assumption that - even on-line - the learner has 'entered' the space of the museum.  Perhaps what's notable about what the 24HM is trying to do with its City Guides (talked about at the last mcg meeting in Birmingham) is its localisation and situatedness - the tone seems to be more of "we're coming to you", rather than "congratulations, you've made it to us".)

I would be keen to hear from list members on how far they think we are to building this sort of picture of our on-line users in the sector.  Perhaps I'm being really unfair and, in fact, at an institutional level we have a very sophisticated image of why/where/how people are using our sites (and why we have them), and maybe the only issue is we just need to get a little better at sharing this information.

Ross Parry.
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Dr. Ross Parry
Lecturer in Museums and New Media
Department of Museum Studies
University of Leicester
103-5 Princess Road East
Leicester, LE1 7LG, UK
+44 (0)116 252 3963 (general office)
+44 (0)116 252 3964 (direct line)
+44 (0)116 252 3960 (fax)
www.le.ac.uk/museumstudies/

-----Original Message-----
From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
Jane Finnis
Sent: 24 August 2004 12:02
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: 24 Hour Museum survey of cultural websites


Dear colleague

Last year, the 24 Hour Museum undertook its second survey of web statistics for UK cultural websites. The final versions of this survey is available as a downloadable pdf from our website:

2003: http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/etc/formuseums/TXT21448_gfx_en.html
2002: http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/etc/formuseums/TXT17762_gfx_en.html

The surveys make very interesting reading and have generated a lot of interest from the sector. Very little information of this type is being collected and shared and many people have requested from us details about how to measure the success of their websites and online resources.

The 24 Hour Museum have decided to carry out another survey this year, looking at the same six months as in 2003 (Jan to June), in order to get comparable results. The performance indicators are drawn from the NOF guidelines plus one extra one we have added.

If you keep records of your website statistics, we would extremely grateful if you would help us by taking the time to complete the short questionnaire at the bottom of this email and return it to us by 30 September. We are hoping to collate and compare results from a wide variety of museums and galleries - large and small, regional and national.

We would like to share our findings within the Museums & Galleries sector, but if you would prefer us to keep your information confidential, we will of course keep your response anonymous. The final survey will be circulated to all those who took part, and published on the 24 Hour Museum website. 

Please get in touch if you have any questions. Thanks very much for your help, we look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes, Kristen

____________________________________________________________________________

24 Hour Museum Sector Web Statistics Survey: 1st January to 30th June 2004

Name of your Institution:
URL:
Date site launched:

Please complete the five categories below with figures for the six months of 1st January to 30th June 2004 wherever possible. If statistics are only available for part of this period, please mark the period these refer to. Where information is not available please just leave your answer blank.

1. Total number of user / visitor Sessions
2. Average duration of user session
3. Total number of page impressions
4. Average page impressions per user session
5. Total number of unique users

Are you happy for 24 Hour Museum to share this information with museum & gallery sector partners?

Thanks for your help!

Please return your completed from to mailto:[log in to unmask]


Jane Finnis
Director
24 Hour Museum
01273 820044
www.24hourmuseum.org.uk
www.show.me.uk