Business and management articles | Cooler Insights

April 25, 2009 • Blog • 5 comments

Clay Shirky speaks at the Smithsonian (courtesy of taoboy)

After several weeks of doing some online research/surfing/bumming around and asking friends (like the ultra intelligent Kevin Lim), I managed to get a handle (well partially) on what’s happening for social media in the museum world. Here’s what I found after some digging around:

First is the discovery of a blog aggregator for museums around the world called (surprise surprise) Museum Blogs! Believe it or not, there are now some 331 museums blogs (at least those which are captured here) around the world. I am glad to see that our dearly beloved Yesterday.sg is there too! Yay.

Can We Truly Market the Arts?

April 23, 2009 • Blog • no comments

Art or sheer marketing brilliance? (Damien Hirst’s £50 million For The Love of God courtesy of Secretly Ironic)

There is an underlying tension in the field of cultural management where one has to balance between giving customers what they want and preserving artistic integrity. This is especially prevalent in what we term as the ‘high arts’ like classical music, ballet, theatre and museums.

Against the ever growing competition from lifestyle activities coupled with the ever shrinking discretionary time of today’s consumers, it appears suicidal for art organisations to hold their ground for the sake of their art. Considered by many to be a discretionary expense (compared to purchasing groceries, fuel and homes), cultural activities have never faced such tremendous competition as the present age.

Our Easter Holiday @ Melbourne City

April 19, 2009 • Blog • 5 comments

Last week, my family came over to Melbourne during the Easter vacation period and we had a great time discovering different parts of the colourful city together.

We opted for a slightly different itinerary this time around (its the second trip for my family), exploring neighbourhoods that were slightly off the beaten tourist track and enjoying what typical Melburnians would like.

Night Festival @ University of Melbourne

April 7, 2009 • Blog • 3 comments

One of the things which truly impressed me about the University of Melbourne was how active its various student organisations are. I do receive daily emails and notices in my student email about various causes to support, talks to attend, concerts to participate in, and groups to join in. Some of the student ECA groups even have job descriptions inked on their websites, complete with the mandatory hours and duties that you need to fulfill.

Whenever I walk around the campus – either en route to the library for studying or the cafeteria for lunch – I notice that there is a constant hive of activity generated by various student clubs, societies and associations. Apparently, there never is a dull moment here. Having gone out of the education system for quite a while, it was interesting to see how various causes were so actively and passionately lobbied by these idealistic youths.

Last Friday, a couple of us decided to walk to campus to check out the night market organised by various student groups. Apparently, this was an annual activity pitched at raising funds for the various societies and clubs.

Black Humour @ Melbourne International Comedy Festival

April 2, 2009 • Blog • no comments

Melbourne’s Town Hall shakes off its sobriety to host the comedy festival

Humour is huge in Melbourne, especially when the Melbourne International Comedy Festival hits home. Launched in 1987 by Barry Humphries and Peter Cook, this massive celebration of mirth is apparently the largest cultural event in Australia with close to 400,000 attendees each year.

Some of the show venues were huge, like this hall here hosting headlining international acts

Getting the Right Diagnosis

March 31, 2009 • Blog • no comments

Courtesy of mexcast

Suppose that you are feeling unwell (hopefully not!), and you go and see your regular physician. What will be the FIRST thing that he or she does?

a) Ask you questions, check your temperature/pulse/blood pressure, and conduct a series of examinations?

If Someone Slaps You on the Left Cheek…

March 29, 2009 • Public Relations • 6 comments

Don’t get into a hissy fit! (courtesy of Kevin Steele)

Life is never a bed of roses in Public Relations (PR). Especially when the negative public feedback and criticism is directed towards your organisation, products or even worse, your colleagues.

Should you simply grin and bear it? Or give it all you’ve got?

Alleys, Alcoves and Alcohol

March 27, 2009 • • no comments

Through the kind invitation of Tim Richards (who incidentally has a nice travel blog here called Aerohaveno), I had the privilege of visiting two of Melbourne’s famous street pubs and bars, located off the side streets from the junction of busy Elizabeth Street and Little Bourke Street. According to Tim, there are some 200 to 300 of these pubs and clubs located throughout the city. Like Singapore’s Boat Quay and Clarke Quay watering holes, many occupied previously disused warehouses, government buildings, and offices, and gave these cobbled recesses a new lease of life as F&B outlets.

Many of these bars are pretty modest outfits. The one I visited only had one or two staff manning the bar counter. However, they apparently have a fiercely loyal clientele, and I understand that the crowd usually moves in on Fridays and Saturdays. While these places weren’t overflowing to the gills during my bar hopping on a Wednesday night, there were a couple of customers.

Social Media in the World of Museums