Using Social Media to Build Community and Collections

I work for a local history museum that has only a rudimentary social media presence, and uses social media as an extension of traditional marketing methods. The staff is also interested in using social media and blogging to 1) engage our audience with behind-the-scenes stories and sneak peeks into artifacts, spaces, and other content that’s not featured in current exhibits and programs and 2) collect stories of the community’s history (the museum’s mission stretches from the community’s founding to the present day). Which strategies foster visitor engagement online in social media? What are the nuts-and-bolts issues of collecting oral histories and other user-generated content online?