Kajsa Hartig, Senior Advisor, Digital Interaction Nordic Museum/Nordiska museet, Stockholm, Sweden;
1. Why are you personally on social media?
As a museum professional I find that Twitter is a great way of keeping in touch with museum colleagues from around the world. The museum community is very generous and sharing, which is helpful in my daily work. But I also use social media for private purposes, like keeping in touch with friends and family. In a way it’s almost also like keeping a diary as much as participating in a conversation. And another purpose for me using social media is to take part of current news. I often read news in social media before going to a news website of TV channel.
2. Why did your museum registered for MuseumWeek?
Our museum actually got online on Twitter in 2009 because of the #AskACurator initiative. It was a great way to get our management to agree on us starting the Twitter account, as well has having our staff getting acquainted with posting in social media in a different way from Facebook. Then in 2016 we also participated in the @52museums initiative, where our social media editorial group gathered to prepare content for a whole week on Instagram. This was a very useful exercise, and a much more demanding one than our regular posting. I think museums need to work more strategically with social media content, so MuseumWeek gives an opportunity to practice planning, producing, posting as well as listening and responding. Not to mention the fantastic global conversation about museums that takes place. To be part of that is also exciting for any museum.
3. What social media accounts do you recommend for people interested in arts, museums, science and Women in Art?
I’d recommend for you to look up museums that you are interested in, and have heard of, and see what they are up to in social media. As for preferences around channels I think it is worth checking out Twitter, Instagram and Facebook as museums might use them slightly differently. It depends on who you are and what you are interested in, and of course which channels you use yourself. A good start would definitely be @52museums in Instagram where museums from around the world post each week.
Specifically aimed at women in art/museums there is for example Kvindemuseet in Aarhus (in Danish), Denmark:
I am also very fond of Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture on Instagram who share stories about women of importance
For those interested in science, the Science Museum of London have some great posts about women in history.
During MuseumWeek our museum, Nordiska museet/Nordic museum will share stories of the women at one of our sites, the Tyresö Castle where we have a new exhibition opening this summer.
