Module 5: The information age and the sources you have so close, yet so far away

There's so much information out there on the web. Some more reachable than others, and some more valuable than others. You can search for most anything on the internet and this day in age, it seems like the go-to search engine is Google. If you have a question and don't know the answer, typically the first thing you would do is Google it! I remember being in elementary school... even early middle school and any projects or research history, biography, or anything that required extensive research that was due for class was all done on an encyclopedia. I'd go home, and on a shelf there would be a dusty full set of Encyclopedia books in Alphabetical orders. Those books were so useful, sometimes boring, but useful! They've also become so underrated and to my knowledge, almost extinct! I feel like I lost a sense of my childhood and may actually consider finding a full, intact edition to add to my at home library. Anyhow, everything has changed so much since we've come into such a progressing digital age. So much so, that not even Google can find what your looking for all the time. There's so many great, informational resources that don't get enough credit therefore aren't generated in basic searches enough. In order to really get the best information in relation to history, utilizing the search engines with the most relatable information is your best bet. For instance, if your wanting to know the history of your county, searching your local libraries and colleges would bring about way more direct information than a Google search would. I decided to do a little research and see what I found relevant at a few different sites. 

I've looked a bit at a local library site, Prince William Public Libraries  and browsed a bit to see what was there. Initially it was a bit confusing, but I found my way.  I stumbled upon what I had previously mentioned that was offered to my daughter in elementary school which was an entire digital library that could be used anywhere! As long as you had your library card, you were free to enter and browse the hundreds of topics and information at your fingertips. I also found other resource information ranging  from The New York Times Historical Newspaper Collection, to biographies, and baking. You're able to view ancestry information for Virginians and also download all your state documents in one place. What I thought was neat about this site was that you could read, listen, or watch many resources in their digital section, and each of those categories had a sub category to choose from. If I were looking for information from a Newspaper, this would be a great source the find that. They had many digitized newspaper collections which includes the date ranges of publications which helps take some of the guess work out. 

Next, I headed over to the NOVA Campus library to see what I could find and what was the most interesting to me. There were of course the typical college research guides listed by subject and a multimedia section to access video, audio, and images, but my favorite was the College history section called Nova Historical Collections. This area of the digital catalog allows the viewer to have access to information such as annual reports, yearbooks from previous years, and commencement programs. What I wasn't thrilled about was that I wasn't able to actually click any of the listed information and didn't have an easy time finding it utilizing the search option. I'll have to spend more time navigating that feature and find where it leads me to. Overall, their database is decently large and the site is user friendly and offers tons of educational material to your fingertips. It was also a bonus that I didn't have to login to access the titles that I clicked on to try out either. If your looking for college resources or even history on any specific college, going directly to that website seems to be the most valuable way to go.

Since I live in Virginia, I thought the next best stop to check out some digital media would be the The Library of Virginia. They've got their main page in subsections based on who you are and what your looking to achieve by visiting the site- I like that, simple and not wasting much time with what I need.  I went on to look at the Virginia Memory section which was super intriguing. I went under the Making History section and entered the Transcribe subsection which opened a world that collided the past and the present. I say collided because it allowed the preservation of the past while using the digital technology of the present to make it exceptionally easy to view something that you wouldn't so easily be able to read and definitely much more complex to get your actual hands on.  I was fascinated with the historical transcripts. I was able to bring them in, close and personal, and really take in the beauty of the original writing.  If you appreciate the context of this type of history in such detail, head over to your local state library, or any state library and see if you are also able to find digitized historical material like this. I've always leaned more towards biography, and non-fictional reads, so I can enthusiastically say, I will be returning to this site and searching many more state libraries to see if I can find more transcriptions or handwritten documents like I did today. 

Module 4: Culture and design of the internet

Upon the readings from Rosenzweig this unit and many different web pages, I've noted that there are many different do's and don'ts when creating your own blog or website. Most of what I've read and learned, I would have never even thought of when creating my own space on an internet platform. It seems there isn't enough material, literature wise, in regards to academic or basic web design even though web design has been in the works for over a decade and is ever-growing. You will find some books, however, they're geared more towards commercial design. 

If you've browsed the internet like me, you've seen that each page is created towards the person who's created it, or so you thought. I've learned that most successful pages do well based on a few rules that have been made to keep the reader entertained and returning & making your page for you, isn't on the agenda. The site, 4 key principles of web design, has some really great basic starter points when wanting to dive into the culture of creating your own entity in the web world. It seems that the most important takeaways from both Rosenzweig's readings and the collective internet files is mostly similar: Create a basic & simple page for your viewer, not yourself. Consider the different media and information your outsourcing as they can be deleted, altered, or compromised at any time. Make sure the links that are attached to your page are decent rather than optimal to keep your viewer browsing and interested- after all, you want repeat readers. Keep your page clean, neat, and basic-appealing to the eye-you want to be sure your page not only attracts those with similarities but also those who you wouldn't consider your typical viewer. Make sure the focus and intent doesn't inhibit the reader to distort historical understanding or alter any artistic views. Be sure to keep those that are colorblind in mind! Wow! Those were some great tips that I would have never considered especially the colorblind one. I'm a mom and tend to think I plan ahead and think of everyone and everything but I see, I'm lacking on the internet 101!

With these tips in mind, I went back and completely changed the theme/style of my page (which is still a work in process, FYI! 😉). I changed all my fonts to align better with the 101 basics I learned, however,  I'm still not sure those are totally accurate but I'm learning!  I changed some color schemes on hyperlinks as they were pretty dull colored so there wouldn't be any issues reading them no matter the eye situation. I played around with the layout a bit  and didn't implement many changes, but I think as I continue to utilize the blog more, I will have a much easier time molding it into what it should be. I'm also still finding it a bit bulky as far as the wording aligns so I will make changes and adjust it as I go but I really wanted to get a feel for how a third blog would look before I did so. If you're just starting out and joining me on this adventure, don't be surprised to see some great, educated, changes and an amazing finished product (hopefully) by the last module!

Module 3: Multi-talented blogs and online historical findings

 The history of multi-talented blogs, such as website blogs, strict topic blog sites, and social media forums, aren't new to me as an avid user of digital media, but being able to indulge myself in the history and back story of how these become sources divided is quite interesting. The details that differentiate the many types of digital media we encounter on a daily basis, and how were looking & utilizing these sources of information is extremely informative. I'm not sure about you but I've never put much thought on the way the context of the media is really setup as opposed to just viewing the information that I'm given. 

I found an interesting blog called Civil War Memory which is written by a passionate Bostonian, Kevin Levin  ("No, the name does not rhyme")- he's also a little funny too! This blog is setup for the reader to  initially recognize all Kevin's notable accomplishments and background information as if he's offering a menu but without the prices. His blog also offers many topics of discussion regarding history of the civil war and surrounding interest. The setup is initially more of a sales type and geared towards him being 'for hire' for a future event. This is a true blog that initiates a goal in the beginning before viewing any of his postings which tells me a little about the audience he intends to attract.       

Another blog I've reviewed is similar to Kevin's blog;  It's just a basic blog, not differentiated as a website or another type of  media, but it has no intention to solicit services to the reader. This blog is called Women of History  created and ran by Melisende/ Musings on Melisende. This blog is exactly what the title suggests and to me, nothing short of amazing! This was definitely geared towards someone like myself who has major interests in learning about accomplished woman in history. It's setup is easy to navigate, eye-catching with great photos attached to her blog postings, and offers the reader capabilities to find a wide variety of wonderful information and context in one place. Both Kevin and Melisende have a blog and the same intention on capturing a specific audience, however, they are setup entirely different and in my opinion, the latter is the most straight forward and allows the reader to jump right in and indulge the information.   

I also appreciated the context of an entirely different blog that I reviewed and loved the way the reader captures the audience. As opposed to many other blogs that have a broad range of topics under one umbrella, or one that offers the reader the opportunity to speak at an event, this blog is setup as a story-line; How brilliant is that! The blog is called WW1: Experiences of an English Soldier  and it is written by the grandson of, Private Harry Lamin, who was born in England and enlisted to fight in the first World War. Harry's grandson was handed down all Harry's letters that were saved by the receiving family members during Harrys time serving in the War and instead of letting them sit, he put them to use. This blog is setup as a memoir and each individual post and is a dictation of an actual, handwritten encountered letter the Private himself! I can't tell you how excited that makes me as a reader to have the opportunity to experience something so personal! So initially, in order to continue to follow the story, you'd have to patiently wait until the next blog was posted. Since this blog was written many years ago, we now have the capabilities to go back and read it all at once which is still exciting in my opinion. This blog has gained many followers and I can see why. Each of the blogs offers their own individual goals, topics, and layouts to display their purpose. All of these bloggers are so different but they share a huge commonality which is sharing the passion of being a blogger.     

I've hopped off the web browser for a bit and decided to check out some different styles of blogging on social media. I headed over to good old Facebook to see what kind of historical blogs I could find and see how interactive they were. The hardest part about joining any digital media these days is that even though the site or group is there and created, it's been forgotten about. I've noticed this happens quite frequently on social media platforms such as Facebook.  Facebooks allows anyone that wants to create a group to do so without any initial, boundary-leading, screening process. Although it does end up archiving after a certain period of time when it's idle, it doesn't prevent it from catching those that are only offering context into their groups once every two weeks or so. For me, the forum between a social media blog and web based blogs differ in that social media has a platform to allow hundreds of thousands of bloggers in one group to offer input with the capabilities to post at their leisure.

Anyhow, during my hunt on Facebook, I joined the Facebook page called 'World Ancient History' which is a collection of posts from many attributers and is very active. The rules were solid which was seller for me; No conspiracy theories, information must be attached on each post with it's origin in time of history, and must be before the 1600's. The post consists of artifacts, architectural structures, tribes, you name it! This site offers plenty to look at and requires pictures for each post which makes it much more appealing to the eye! It's strict, had good guidelines and offers great moderation.

The next group I followed was more of a laid-back, possibly semi-factual group that separates itself from the categorized history groups to a different community of people and their histories. The group is called 'Haunted History of Kentucky". I joined this group as way to experience a different kind of history blogging. It allows me to compare the type of viewers from more of a traditional historian blog to a more laid back type of blog. This group only has one rule and that's to be courteous so I'm sure some of the posts aren't being reviewed much either. There is definitely some really great info as there's always a certain feeling you get when you think of hauntings. I can't guarantee all the history is factual but that's part of anything you do now on the internet!

The fact that there is access to so much data at our fingertips is amazing. Learning who is targeting who and why is also neat when you look beyond the headline. In my searches, I think that I've found plenty more non-factual information from the social media platforms than I did the web-based blogs and even tend to wonder when I see something if it's even part of history.

Module 2: My takes from the local digital library scene and The Rosenzweigs Reading

I've never actually taken the time to find, or even explore many local digital library history sites; In fact, I wasn't even aware there was such a scene. I remember when my daughter was in elementary school several years ago and she was given this little book mark in one of her paperback books that she rented for the summer and when we got home we realized it had information on it for her to access an online, free library of electronic books. I was actually excited! Reading has come along way and this was the first I've heard of children having digital access (censored-age limited reading). 

I've now browsed many local digital libraries and found more than just books. I've found collections of archived history documents, photos, genealogical information and the history of the many years all around me. I am absolutely in love with the access I have at my fingertips and could see myself quite easily falling down a rabbit hole of research. I'm one of the many mom's who have many questions about the land I live on, what happened during "this time" in my own hometown who's felt like the resources seem so out of reach that their left undiscovered. I can tell you now, this makes those answers much more reachable especially with digital history not being limited to just a computer, I can utilize these online libraries and resources right from my smartphone. 

After reviewing the links and resources I've had at my fingertips, I can better analyze the takeaways from the Rosenzweig's readings that I've done. He has so many great and valid points. He talks about and discuss some of the positives and negatives on the web in regards to preserving digital history and the one I most align with is when he discuss the less structured and less controlled environments that are being created on the internet and the lack of preservation of the digital creations. I noticed on many of the local links, the sites weren't updated and many redirected you to either an archived site or another link to access... what was wrong with the original site to recreate or archive? That goes with his thought about preservation; What could have been lost when the site was shut down?. He also talks about the suggestive interactive benefits of the web based on the digital media enthusiasts but goes on to discuss how it may actually create counterproductivity because one may search for hours and be less productive physically. I appreciate the way he analyzes the many aspects of the gathering, preserving, and presenting of the history on the web and find it a new way to view the many places of I have access to online.