History on the Web

For this assignment, we were asked to visit four history-related web sites. Of the four, I must admit that I had heard of only two of them: The History Channel web site and the National Museum of American History web site. I have been to these two sites in the past, but had never contemplated their approach to history on the Internet. I think this is because of the age in which we live. Everything is digital and literally available at the click of a button. I envision that there will come a time when historians will not have to physically go to the Archives for their research because all of the primary source documents they are seeking will be available online, perhaps in .pdf format. There are both positive and negative implications to the digital age. On the positive side, a historian (or starving grad student like myself) whose archive of interest is across the country will never have to incur the costs associated with traveling to sources. Sitting before one’s own computer in Washington, D.C., the archives of the Hoover Institute in Palo Alto, California are simply a click away, as opposed to a six-hour plane ride for six-hundred dollars. In addition, research time will be virtually cut in half, allowing for a quicker output of scholarly literature. On the downside, historians, especially young up-and-coming scholars, may become too dependent on technology and unprepared if confronted with actual hard copies or books. I see it everyday on my job in a large law firm in Washington. Newly-hired law school graduates are so trained to find their case law online that when they are forced to venture into our law library, they have a “deer-in-the-headlights” look about them. It is quite amusing, but also rather sad. The danger for new historians lies in a potential lack of archival research skills.

However, the study of history is not just primary source documents. History can be tourism dollars and general revenue. The subject of history may also be elevated to the status of “my favorite subject” by grade school students, who generally offer recess and lunch as their favorite subjects in school. With both pros and cons in mind, I visited these four history-related web sites.

I will start with the commercial sites first. As previously noted, I have been to www.historychannel.com before. To be honest, I am not a fan of the History Channel itself. The nature of their programs leave a lot to be desired in terms of history as far as I am concerned. I do not think that all-day marathons on UFO sightings and investigating the existence of Bigfoot constitute good history. The web site, therefore, did not disappoint in terms of its content. For one thing, it is too reliant on videos for my taste. A video would launch on just about every page I clicked on whether or not I wanted to see it. This site was undoubtedly designed for main stream Americans or high school student who simply want “highlights” of historical events and who would easily become bored if forced to read an abundance of text. In addition, historical time periods are not easily found and there are no links to documents, and simply no links period. The web designers probably hoped their site would be “one stop shopping” for all things history, including DVDs of the videos that perpetually pop up on every page. If I misplaced my TV Guide and wanted to know whether yet another UFO show would be on the History Channel on a particular night, I would probably visit this site. Also, if I was a secondary school teacher trying to excite my students, or at least hold their interest in a class, I might employ this web site in my class. This site represents a more new-aged, multimedia approach to history.

Likewise, www.americanhistory.si.edu/index.cfm does exactly what it is supposed to do: inform the general public about the museum. Even though admission to the museum is free, tourism generates revenue. The Smithsonian Institution wants tourists and school groups to come to Washington, D.C. to their museum. The museum Gift Shop sells “historical” souvenirs, the cafeteria sells lunch and the more visitors the museum can attract, the more numbers they have to show to Congress when it comes time to carving out their slice of the federal budget. I do think the link for educators is invaluable because it encourages teachers to make history fun and educational for students. In addition, visiting the museum itself is “hands on history.” A Civil War-era rifle is abstract unless one can actually see it up close. The museum encourages, and in fact depends on, this concept of history. One drawback for me is that the web site does not link to any additional history-related sites. Nevertheless, the site itself is relatively well-done and I am looking forward to a new and improved web site to match the newly renovated museum.

The third web site, www.dohistory.org/ starts to venture into the realm in which I am most comfortable: primary source documents. Created by Film Study Center, Harvard University, and hosted by Center for History and New Media, George Mason University, the site introduces students to the process of historical research. The topic of the web site is Martha Ballad, a diarists and mid-wife from the eighteenth-century. I had never heard of her before and must admit that I was intrigued by the thought that her diary had been transcribed. The transcribers did a wonderful job, as their transcription and explanation for decoding the diary are very helpful. Most likely, this web site was designed with high school and undergraduate students in mind. The link to the History Toolkit simplifies the process and the importance of using primary sources, avoiding the technical and overly-scholarly sounding vernacular that is often associated with the study of history. This web site is indicative of the times, as an eighteenth-century source is digitized, utilized and interpreted while the actual physical specimen is preserved. The web site also serves as an example of history coming to the historian. High school students in Texas, for example, are exposed to historical documents located in the Maine State Library. History is literally at one’s fingertips.

I have saved the best web site for last. www.valley.vcdh.virginia.edu is an incredible web site! I had never been to this site before, but was quite impressed with everything on it. From the layout to the web site’s contents, this site is indicative of the future. So many primary sources are available, searchable and printable! One aspect of this site stood out from the other three web sites. Whereas the Smithsonian’s web site was probably designed by the multimedia department or perhaps a public relations firm, The Valley of the Shadows web site was designed by upper-level graduate students and historians and targeted towards the serious scholar. The site exudes a professionalism not seen in the other 3 sites. The site is navigable, searchable and informative without overwhelming the scholar. Historians William Thomas and Edward Ayers acknowledge that “networked information resources have come to play a large role in the work of historians; most of us have become accustomed to augmenting our library research and professional discussion through digital means.” As technology advances and more documents are digitized, historians will not simply augment their library research through digital discussions, but will come to rely more and more on digital resources for scholarship.

Blogging the Nation

Hello Nats and Orioles fans! This is a member of Red Sox Nation speaking! But I am not just another fan. I would label myself as slightly obsessed with Red Sox baseball. As the daughter of a softball Hall of Famer, my affinity for the sport is genetic, so my addiction is not entirely my own fault. I will spare you the thousands of reasons for my devotion to the Red Sox. Two World Series championships in the last three years speak for themselves and there is no disputing which team is the best in baseball. My Red Sox wall calendar tells me there is less than a month before the start of spring training, so I am oiling my glove, pressing my replica player’s jersey and counting the days until the official start of the ‘ol ballgame.

In the meantime, I am keeping up with the latest team news from the official web site of the Red Sox as well as through the Boston Globe. Red Sox Nation is also full of bloggers, diehard fans like me who cannot bear to be separated from their beloved team even during the off-season. Among the Red Sox faithful who enjoys staying connected to cyber-fans is Red Sox right-handed pitcher Curt Schilling. He is the creator of 38pitches.com, a blog he started to raise awareness of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and Malignant Melanoma, of which his wife Shonda is a survivor. The blog also serves as a forum for Red Sox and baseball fans as well as computer gamers. The blog is aptly named, as Schilling wears number thirty-eight for the Red Sox. Schilling is also one of the more outspoken members of the Red Sox organization. Where fellow players remain silent on issues unless asked for their opinion by the media, Schilling comments on what is happening in his life, the game of baseball and the world at large. The blog has allowed him to put his opinions into writing and gives fans the opportunity to respond. He is passionate about his family, his profession and his philanthropic causes, so without a doubt, the blog reflects his views on the things that are important to him. He invites readers to comment on his postings and even to disagree with him. The opportunity to “speak” to Curt Schilling through the medium of the blog is pretty thrilling to this Red Sox fan!

In the past week, I have been following 38pitches.com a little closer than usual in order to determine whether the site makes a good “pitch,” or throws a curve ball that leaves readers guessing. To begin with, the layout of the blog makes it a user-friendly site, as tabs at the top of the page link to separate pages about the blog, Schilling’s philanthropies and his newly-created 38 Studios, an entertainment and game development company that Schilling hopes to advance further in his life after baseball. Along the side of the homepage are the categories for Schilling’s postings: 38 Studios; Baseball; Family; Games; General; Life; Sports; and Websites. “General” and “Life” seem to house the same postings, however, and I am not sure what the purpose is for two identical categories. In addition, the blog is enhanced by an Archive dating back to March 2007. Readers who want to relive the glories of the 2007 Red Sox season can revisit Schilling’s posts in order to get the right-hander’s perspective.

The blog is not updated daily by Schilling. He does not have a desk job that allows him to comment regularly as a journalist might be able to. With spring training followed by a 25-week season, Schilling is a busy man, although he does admit that he finds it easier to post on the road than when the Red Sox are playing at home in Boston. While this reader would like daily updates, I can appreciate the complexity of Schilling’s schedule and savor the comments he is able to post, especially during the regular season. Given the busy state of Schilling’s life, the blog is surprisingly well written. I must admit that when I first got on the site, I was skeptical as to whether the postings were actually authored by Schilling. He has enough money and enough of an entourage to allow for a ghost-written blog. But taking into account his penchant for speaking his mind to the media, I figured Schilling would also do as much on his blog. The postings do read like someone more comfortable with the spoken word rather than the written word and lack the polish of a professional writer. The posts are simply Schilling being Schilling. And, the ease with which commentators can post their own comments to a Schilling post via WordPress account makes this blog a home run to this devoted fan!

GO RED SOX!!