#ITP28 Report and Social Media Reflections
Written by George Peckham, ITP Assistant
In February 2021 we launched #ITP28. This was a 28-day social media campaign which challenged ITP colleagues to share updates every day in the month of February. Participants were encouraged to post images and stories about themselves, their work, their experiences of lockdown and working from home, and their experiences of the ITP. Each day had its own prompt or ‘theme’ which gave the participants a schedule to follow throughout the month.
The aim of #ITP28 was to help the ITP global network feel better connected to their international colleagues, learn more about each other and exchange knowledge and memories. It was also hoped that the campaign would result in increased engagement across ITP years as well as across countries and regions.
The response to #ITP28 was fantastic! Over the course of February, there were 630 unique posts from 59 members of the ITP global network. 50 ITP fellows participated in #ITP28 from 25 different countries. It was especially great to see the network interacting within each others’ posts, sharing positive responses and encouragement.
You can read our full report on the results of #ITP28 by clicking here.
Feedback from #ITP28 was overwhelmingly positive. In response to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the ITP has focussed on projects that could be delivered online. These initiatives aimed to maintain the ITP global network and remain connected to ITP alumni despite physical limitations on travel and programming. We know that many of our ITP network colleagues were also experiencing museum closures and national lockdowns caused by the pandemic, which placed an even greater importance on sharing and networking opportunities.
Social media has always been an important part of the ITP’s communication strategy. The social platforms that we use are invaluable tools for staying in communication with members of our global network throughout the year.
The past 12-months has emphasised the importance of our online communication. While international travel is restricted, communicating online has become to only means of staying engaged with the global network.
As a result we have made more of an effort to do more projects online. We host regular online subject specialist sessions; our recent legacy projects, such as ITP Futures and our Film Series focus on sharing knowledge with our network online. Submissions to the ITP blog from our fellows has notably increased in 2021 too. So far 15 blog posts this year have been written by ITP fellows.
A small sample of the many wonderful #ITP28 images that were shared!
We plan to launch more social media campaigns and challenges like #ITP28 in the near future. The new online projects that we have started in response to the disruption of the last 12-months will remain a part of the ITP’s annual programming beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thank you to everyone who got involved in #ITP28. I hope you enjoyed the challenge and feel better connected to the ITP online community as a result. And thank you to everyone who has got involved in all our online projects over the last year. Despite the physical limitations on travel and interaction, I believe that social media and online communications have helped us feel more connected to the network than ever.
We welcome any and all feedback or suggestions on what we share online. If you have any ideas, or would like to write an ITP blog, please do contact us.
itp@britishmuseum.org