The fort at the end of Main Street that has given Fort Scott its’ name, is reaching out to National Park Service visitors who want an online experience.
“Fort Scott National Historic Site is participating in a nationwide survey to characterize the NPS virtual visitor population so we can better meet their virtual needs, describe visitors’ motivations, and evaluate the effectiveness of NPS digital media products,” Carl Brenner, FSNHS Program Manager for Interpretation and Resource Manager, said.
“We are part of a pilot/pre-test program consisting of a handful of National Park sites nationwide,” he said. “This survey will run four weeks, February 16 through March 14, 2021. These National Parks are making weekly posts, on each social media platform they support, to invite virtual visitors to participate in the survey once they have completed their virtual visit.”
“The virtual tour of the park is a series of 360-degree images from all of the rooms here at the site,” Brenner said. “The Virtual Visit, as it is called in the survey, is browsing the posts on each of the social media platforms to gain a deeper connection and understanding of the park.”
To take the virtual tour:
http://www.nps.gov/fosc/learn/photosmultimedia/360tours.htm
Fort Scott NHS participates on the following social media platforms:
www.instagram.com/fortscottnps
https://twitter.com/FortScottNPS
Fortscott.biz interviewed Brenner by email.
Here are the questions and responses.
What is it designed to do?
“The public expects nearly all desired information to be found quickly and easily through websites and social media channels. They also expect that organizations frequently update these assets. The National Park Service (NPS) directly manages thousands of digital media web pages, mobile app pages, and social media channels. They also supply content, directly or indirectly, for third-party providers that share digital media information with the public. Within this large digital ecosystem, millions of online users from around the world rely on these resources for a wide range of information. While NPS has an established program for measuring and monitoring physical visitation to its park units, the program for describing and evaluating virtual visitors to its online resources is still being developed.
This study is part of that development. It aims to characterize the NPS virtual visitor population so we can better meet their virtual needs, describe visitors’ motivations, and evaluate the effectiveness of NPS digital media products.”
What will be done with the results?
“Through this program, the NPS, and specifically Fort Scott NHS, can better understand and meet the needs of our virtual visitors. We will be able to better evaluate the effectiveness of our digital media products in terms of the virtual visitor experience. With this information we can better prepare visitors for future visits, increase resource protection, build a deeper understanding of the history and stories of our nation’s heritage, and build better connections to and stewards of National Park Service resources. Additionally, NPS will determine if the current allocation of resources for digital media is generating congruent virtual visitor value, and the NPS will be positioned to more strategically deploy resources where digital information needs are not being sufficiently met and/or where the highest value is being provided.”
When will the survey results be collected and analyzed?
“The evaluation of the virtual visitors’ experiences and digital media effectiveness will begin immediately following the close of the survey and we are hoping to receive results by the end of the summer.”
The fort’s contact info:
Office – 620-223-0310
Are these virtual visitors going spend virtual money in town?
Just open EVERYTHING up, like Florida did before everyone goes broke