First and foremost, a massive thank you to everyone who took part in #MuseumSelfie.  ALL credit and an incredible heart-felt thank you to all the social media managers (or related title) that encouraged and inspired their visitors to take part.  Without you, the hashtag would not have been successful.

I’d like to thank each and everyone person who had fun and got involved with #MuseumSelfie day 2015.  The number one question I get is why do I do it? The response: because majority of the public globally enjoy it.  Going from the stats ran by Sree Sreenivasan and Kulturkonsorten there was A LOT of people/museums taking part.

The coverage and messages received have been overwhelming positive with a dash of negativity (see HyperAllergic who labels me ‘the official ringleader of this vast criminal enterprise’ that is #MuseumSelfie).  CNN coverage was lovely as they actually took the time to call and interview me.

Although some say that social media is ‘old technology’ it still works to reach communities and visitors.  I find it interesting that although social media has been around for years, many forget that new people sign up every day and we need to ensure that we provide platforms for them to join in and experience the fun.  These hashtags gives museums excuses to sway a tad outside their policy of 2 tweets a day and majority have said the response is overwhelmingly positive as far as numbers going up.

If someone said to me 2-3 years ago that the Director of Boston Museum of Fine Art would be taking a selfie of himself and sharing it on Twitter, I would have laughed. Did I hope things like this would happen?  Of course – did I think it would, of course not.  Goes to prove it never hurts to dream big.

I started my day posting this message:

‪#‎MuseumSelfie‬ Day
a) yes it’s a thing.
b) it helps get non-traditional visitors to museums
c) It’s a bit of fun – who cares that it’s not a ‘true’ selfie. Are they smiling & enjoying it? Good.
d) This will not solve any problems, stop analysing it.
e) Just enjoy it or mute it but don’t complain, it’s one day.
f) The tag is #MuseumSelfie but if you use ‪#‎MuseumSelfieDay‬ or make up your own, it’s all good. No one will scorn you.
g) Just get involved.

Stats:

[Jan 22 07:38 Paris Time]

Credit: Sree & Hashtracking

27000+ tweets
169,600,000+ impressions
13000+ contributors
57,600,000+ reach

[Jan 21 evening]
@MuseumSelfieDay Twitter + 1400
MuseumSelfieDay Instagram + 160

There are no favorites! (but…)

I was at Museum Connection conference so improvised with Chateaude Versailles who were incredibly understanding when I asked them to help pull this #MuesumSelfie off.

And also this one from Philadelphia Museum of Art…. Come on – it’s Rocky!

I am once again seriously humbled by all the people- globally-who have taken the time to get involved with #MuseumSelfie today.  THANK YOU!

My Favorite quote is from Hyperallergic (haters gonna hate ;-)):

@mardixon of @MuseumSelfieDay, the official ringleader of this vast criminal enterprise, reported that the #MuseumSelfie hashtag had already received 43 million impressions and over 6,500 tweets from more than 3,700 accounts — and all this before most of the Americas awoke. What will become of this social media hippogriff that combines our venerable temples of art and the Ouroboros selfie cycle? Even Sylvester Stallone can’t save us in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Taking photos with art may never be the same. I plead with you to resist the urge. #NoMuseumSelfie

BBC didn’t like it either.

Press:
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/21/living/feat-museum-selfie-irpt/index.html
http://www.theguardian.com/culture-professionals-network/gallery/2015/jan/21/museum-selfie-day-2015-in-pictures
http://news.artnet.com/in-brief/did-you-know-its-museum-selfie-day-226251
http://smilekaluga.ru/kaluzhskiy-muzey-izobrazitelnyih-iskusstv-primet-uchastie-v-mezhdunarodnoy-aktsii-museumselfie/
http://izh.kp.ru/online/news/1952999/
http://betaboston.com/news/2015/01/21/do-selfies-and-smartphones-belong-in-museums-many-curators-say-yes/
http://www.napolitoday.it/eventi/museum-selfie-day.html
http://www.interris.it/2015/01/21/35974/cronache/cultura/oggi-museumselfie-day-lautoscatto-diventa-culturale.html
http://actualites.sympatico.ca/culture/selfies-museum-selfie-day
http://firenze.repubblica.it/tempo-libero/articoli/arte-e-fotografia/2015/01/21/foto/autoscatti_con_l_arte_anche_a_firenze_museumselfie-105446067/1/#2
http://hyperallergic.com/176347/the-museumselfie-scourge-is-upon-us/
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150121-the-scourge-of-the-selfie
http://www.elnuevodia.com/tardedeselfiesenelmuseo-1932326.html/

We Survived Museum Selfie Day: A Pictorial Appraisal of a New Art Holiday http://bit.ly/1AUOANn

#MuseumSelfie Day: una giornata dedicata ai selfie con le opere d’arte http://www.artsblog.it/post/78932/museumselfie-day via @artsblogit

Steve Martin makes surprise visit to London, Ont., museum http://www.cbc.ca/1.2928217

#MuseumSelfie day: your pictures | via @Telegraph http://fw.to/On6peeh