Dear Bridget, 

I was really glad to read both your email and your blog about Logging On. I
think the time has come for some proper reflection on Culture Online, so
that hopefully one could better learn how to construct or inform these
large-scale programmes in future. 

For me, Culture Online was a tale of opportunities missed and money wasted.
Although I would share in your wish not to denigrate any of the individual
projects, there is no doubt that Culture Online represented a significant
strategic moment which should have had a far more profound impact than it
did. 

The fact that it did not is an eloquent illustration of the difference
between the underlying motivations of politicians and practitioners. Our
sector needs, indeed is crying out for, sustained investment in core
infrastructure and skills. In less political terms, we need money for boxes,
wires and the skills to use them and market the resulting services
effectively. It is this, and this alone that is going to prepare us fully to
become a player in the digital marketplace. 

From a political perspective, Culture Online was a dream project. It was
high-profile, it involved a sexy team of ex-broadcasters and New Media gurus
and it promised to 'break the mould' and 'create a new paradigm'. I have
often heard DCMS refer to it as a much-loved project, at least partly for
the awards and profile it garnered them, but also partly because of the
reflected cool of the creative industries. 

In reality, though, sector-wide change isn't something you can just 'do' to
people. Good change management is about working with people, understanding
their needs and potential and helping them to achieve it. Culture Online
always had the feeling of happening 'near' the culture sector rather than in
it - a feeling which was exacerbated by the commissioning model, and which
echoes through 'Projects Etc'.

Now - I am aware of the risk of appearing reactionary and old-school about
this, but Culture Online really should have been an opportunity to bring the
spirit of the enterprise culture into the online delivery of museums. We
certainly all have much to learn about creating market-competitive, high
quality services, but they way to learn it is not by seeing what small
number of already well-equipped players can do with a sudden injection of
cash.

I remain deeply concerned about the sustainability of these projects. Having
reviewed the Culture Online-funded sites over the past 6 months, several of
them are either broken or in stasis. Of those that are not, it is hard to
see the business model by which the host organisations will sustain the
necessary investment in costly infrastructure (such as mobile phone
gateways).

Of all of these projects, I would single out the 24 Hour Museum (as you have
in your blog) as an exception. The 24HM is a shining example of what our
sector can achieve even under budget constraints, and strategically the
sector as a whole benefits from the public profile they bring. The City
Heritage Guides are a good product, well-made and can be sustained and
developed in future.

So in answer to your original question, a future Culture Online would indeed
feature fewer projects. I would very much hope that the majority of its
money would be spent not on websites or services, but on simple intelligent
things which would benefit the community as a whole. Sector-wide market
research, for example, or a consistent benchmark for statistics. Business
models for sustainability which included example contracts and costs for
legal advice. Guidelines and design principles for everyone to follow, even
nice, portable widgets like Google maps which everyone could implement in
their own sites, thus raising the game for the many, not the few. 

The challenge to our sector remains great, and vital, and I am afraid that
from my perspective Culture Online did not get us very much further than we
were already.

Happy to be contradicted though!

Nick 




Nick Poole
Chief Executive
MDA
The Spectrum Building
The Michael Young Centre
Purbeck Road
Cambridge
CB2 2PD
 
Tel 01223 415 760
 
www.mda.org.uk
www.collectionslink.org.uk
www.culturalpropertyadvice.gov.uk
 
MDA (Europe) Ltd. Registered company number 13000565.
 

-----Original Message-----
From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Bridget McKenzie
Sent: 25 June 2007 09:19
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Logging On (review of Culture Online)

Has anyone read Logging On: Culture, Participation and the Web by John
Holden of DEMOS? http://www.demos.co.uk/publications/loggingon

It's a reflection on Culture Online, asking questions about future
directions. I wrote a rather opinionated blog post about it, rather late at
night. See here: http://bridgetmckenzie.blogspot.com/

In the cold light of morning I'm not sure that I'm quite right and would
appreciate your views on Culture Online, off list if you don't want to make
them public, or perhaps as comments in my blog. Otherwise, I hope the
question could make an interesting debate on the list:

What do you think a future Culture Online should be? 

Please note - no criticism of any individuals and their efforts is intended
in my post. I think everyone involved did their best to make some very good
websites, but that there are political planning issues not addressed in John
Holden's report. 

Bridget McKenzie
Director, Flow Associates
441 New Cross Road, 
SE14 6TA
07890 540178
0208 691 6803
e: [log in to unmask]
www.flowassociates.com 

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