Advice for #heritage #museums colleagues tackling digital engagement for the 1st time during #COVID2019 - a thread. If "do something digital" is your current task, DO NOT PANIC. Here are 8 top tips to get you started...
[GIF: Spongebob & Patrick panicking] 1/10

1) YOU DON'T HAVE A DIGITAL AUDIENCE - you have many different audiences who use digital in different ways. Use the audience knowledge you have onsite and apply it online. "Home parent" is a new audience, but it's not the only one!
[GIF: Minions with different personalities] 2/10

2) CONTENT IS KING - this is even more important in the current climate. What do you want to say? Why do you want to say it? Why would (one of your) audiences want to hear it? How could (one of your) audiences get involved? Ask yourself key questions
[GIF: Wearing a crown] 3/10

3) PICK YOUR TOOL - "doing digital" is not a thing, as every #digital colleague will tell you. Time to work out which tools work for YOUR org - is my website infrastructure good enough for what I need? Is social best for us? And if so, which one?
[GIF: Holding tools] 4/10

4) BE PRACTICAL - don't make your #digital colleagues cry by bringing ideas that require huge budgets, whole restructures of websites and things that cost money. Be creative but also work with what you have.
[GIF: Empty wallet] 5/10

5) STRATEGY - You've got an idea & it can practically work - but does it fit into the bigger picture? In this time of panic, come back to your org's mission/values and sense check new ideas. After all, TIME is as big a resource as any!
[GIF: Let's talk strategy] 6/10

6) TEST & LEARN - my friends, this is your new get out of jail free card. If it fits in your strategy to start new things and experiment, make sure you understand if they are working. If they do, great. If they don't, test & learn is all you need to say...
[GIF: Experiment] 7/10

7) COPYRIGHT - I know you're excited but remember there are legal restrictions to what you can do. AN IMAGE ON GOOGLE ISN'T YOURS TO USE. Ok, I've got that out my system. Check everything you didn't create yourself!
[GIF: Don't use my art] 8/10

8) SECTOR HELP - believe it or not, there are lots of us out there that do the thinking you do EVERY DAY, we even have careers out of it! Try to shut me up about #digitalliteracy! Ask us and embrace up-skilling. Big shout out to @DLNET & @ukmcg
[GIF: Ask more questions] 9/10

FINAL THOUGHTS: Be kind to your #digital colleagues - their workload has tripled, their orgs are depending on their work to keep it afloat & they want to make sure they are doing the best for now & the future. Virtual hugs appreciated! 10/10