Strategie di divulgazione dell’archeologia online: metodologie, strumenti e obiettivi. Dalla redazione del piano editoriale alla misurazione dei risultati

Abstract

Promoting archaeology online for the general public can be considered one of the new jobs archaeologists are called upon in present day society. Thanks to modern technologies, it is possible to reach out to different groups than those who regularly follow traditional media, such as books or television. Social media and digital platforms, in fact, disrupt the dynamics of mass media communication, changing it from a ‘one-to-many’ approach to a new ‘many-to-many’ form, in which complex networks are created and it is possible to involve a wider segment of public. Any kind of audience development strategy based on digital social media requires a carefully crafted approach with mid- to long-term goals. This paper focuses on the methodologies, the tools and the aims on which an effective communication plan for archaeological museums, institutions and research groups should be based. The paper starts with a brief overview of digital public archaeology in Italy and proceeds with a close examination of the most common social media currently used to promote archaeology online, illustrating their specific characteristics and features, and introducing ways to integrate them within a wide-ranging communication plan. The paper stresses the importance of outlining clear objectives, defining specific targets accordingly, and thus choosing the best digital platform or platforms. Finally, the paper examines some of the most useful measurement tools for social media and websites, which allow gathering and analysing quantitative data on the engagement of our online public, but also provide significant qualitative data that can help address any kind of issues in our communication and better understand our audience.