There are gender wars, and then there are casualties. It wasn’t until 2011 that the behemoth toymaker LEGO acknowledged girls’ desire to build with bricks, even though the company had long before made a seemingly effortless pivot to co-branding, video games, and major motion pictures. So it’s little wonder that girls face all-too-real obstacles when […]
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It is getting easier and cheaper for cultural and scientific organizations make mobile, handheld tours. According to Nielsen, 40% of Americans with mobile phones are carrying smartphones; of those 40% run Android, and 28% have an Apple iPhone. This is a huge market, and by 2012, approximately half your audience could use your app from the smartphone in their pocket. Or, you can loan iPod Touches to visitors on site.
Keeping it simple
Apps just need to be good enough. No need to get too fancy or reinvent the wheel. While custom apps run from $25-100k, many vendors will create an app for you for less than $25k, and some for well under $5k. 
This is a summary of the vendors offering apps for less than $25k at yesterday’s 3rd Museums & Mobile online conference. (more…)
Cloud computing is a metaphorical term for hosted services on the Internet. This can be infrastructure (i.e., raw equipment), platforms (e.g., operating systems, basic software like databases or web servers), or software (e.g., content managements systems, social networking software). Typically, it is sold on metered basis, like a utility charges for water.
So you want to create a niche social network? And you’ve read the prior post on overall issues to consider? Here’s an overview of over a dozen software platforms you might consider. (more…)
Museums and archives manage information about their collections, facilitate interdepartmental communication, and make collections available to the public using collection management software. Here’s a rundown of the collection management systems being 
Today, Nancy Proctor, the head of mobile strategy and initiatives for the Smithsonian Institution, gave an online talk about Smithsonian’s mobile strategy.
Here are key points and comments Nancy shared about developing mobile products… (more…)
Museums are going mobile, and many companies are eager to help. At yesterday’s Museums & Mobile 2011 online conference, several vendors promoted their wares. This is a summary of products, approaches, and some alternatives… (more…)
Expense of web design
May 2nd, 2006 by IDEA
Separating a site’s design from its content makes a re-design less costly. Problem It’s expensive to pay for the services of a web designer, and doubly expensive if you decide to change the site’s design at some point during the site’s life cycle. Solution Separate a website’s content, design, and structure, so the design can
Technological tools can routinely prune obsolete web site content. Problem As a website grows, it tends to accumulate outdated content that detracts from the site’s effectiveness. Like wilted sunflowers, outdated content can detract from the attractiveness and usefulness of your web site. Solution Content management software allows a project to set content expiration dates and
Utilizing common tools and hosting solutions can minimize web site expenses. The technical complexities of running web servers can be costly – but you do not need to do it yourself. Problem Hosting and maintaining a website is expensive and can be cost-prohibitive for many projects. Solution Utilize remote hosting and a content management software