The Pros and Cons of Participatory Projects

What is a participatory project?  It is a project that that relies on the participation of the public in order to achieve its goal.  So, why I am I talking about a subject such as this on a history blog?  The answer is simple... its the future of our profession.  I know that sounds profoundly promising, but it really is the truth.  Sure, right now participatory projects such as the Boston Bombings project or the 9/11 project are more beneficial for the Sociology world, but just imagine if we would have had something similar following the Great Chicago Fire, Trail of Tears, or Sherman's March.  There are many historians that seem to have a problem with acknowledging the importance of social reaction, they claim bias and the need to feel important will somehow curve what people will write, thus creating an imperfect view of history.  However, I could argue that there really hasn't been too many historians that have written pieces that weren't based on some sort of bias.  As humans, we are imperfect, and our brains are designed to somehow alter information that we receive through our senses in order for us to make sense of it.  The importance of these accounts go somewhat further though.  As I have said time and time again, there is a revolution happening in the field of history.  The lives of the rich and famous have become less and less important and the lives of the average citizens have come to the forefront.  Why is this?  A great example of this is slavery in the South.  Because of the importance placed on the ultra wealthy, there are many Americans that are ignorant when it comes to slave ownership in the Antebellum South.  High Schools bypass the complications that are involved with the subject and make it a black and white case.  Southerners were slave owners and Northerners were not, when in all reality, a vast majority of whites in the South never owned slaves, while there were quite a few in the Northern states that did own them.  Because of the focus that was put on the elites in our history, our field has become romanticized to an awful extent.  Just as readers of tabloids today see there obsession with the rich and famous as simply pop culture, could you perceive members of America 150 years from now thinking that the average daily life of our people consisted of living in Hollywood and doing whatever it is that the rich and famous do?  Participatory projects are a key in ensuring that this does not happen, it gives a voice to the average citizen so that down the road historians can look back and see trends in our daily lives but also in our way of thinking and reasoning.  With this digital age, nearly anything in the public is recorded, we will always have that.  But coupling this digital archive with a voice at the scene is just as important.  It lends a soul to the images recorded, and also lends cultural tendencies to it as well.  There are four different types of participatory projects, for me to go into detail on these would result in a very long blog, however you can find them at this website:

http://museumtwo.blogspot.com/2009/09/frameworks-and-lessons-from-public.html

Our voices are important to our story and to our lives, sure our stories can be stretched and changed through time, however, videos can be deleted or lost.  Oral history is still history, and it is the way that we perceive ourselves and our surroundings, and one could argue that is more important than what our favorite movie star ate for lunch today.

- Jason

The Importance of Recording Commemorations

In the earlier years of our profession, historians clung to the stories of the wealthy and famous, however, the new generations of historians have begun to document the lives of the "everyday people" in society.  Keeping a record of these commemorations gives us the chance to analyze how societies react to certain events.  The 9/11 Memorial website is a perfect example of this, while some individuals feel that these submissions should be carefully combed through for legitimacy, I feel otherwise.  These are the personal accounts from individuals and how the events that unfolded on 9/11 affected them.  I do find it somewhat amusing that the same individuals that discredit these submissions are also the individuals clinging to historic journals and take the words in them as fact.  The submissions on the memorial page are no less important than the words found in journals.

I think there are many individuals that discredit current documents and journals, but fail to realize that one day these accounts will become history.  It is crucial that we as a society document our lives so that historians in the future have the opportunity to research the events that unfold in our lives.  Imagine the vast amounts of information we would have if Facebook and Twitter were around during the Civil War.  Tragedies that occur often have varying degrees of impact on different areas of the world, but also within different cultures that exist in those different areas.  Many individuals would argue that people rarely put a full truth on their virtual profiles, however, the subjects and posts can be useful although it may not be the truth.  It often expresses what is popular at the time, and also can show trends within those popular subjects.  The more information that we are able to record, the more of an impact that information can make in the future.

Archiving Online

The material for today's readings was essentially based around online archiving and some of the issues that come with it, but also some potential success that exists because of it.  As many of us know, the internet isn't one thing or another, it is whatever each individual user decides it should be.  There is no basis, no rules, no limits... it is limitless.  This makes it overwhelming in a way, but where some are overwhelmed, others are exploring the possibilities.  By this time in the semester, and with the amount of material we've read, it is no secret that the internet holds possibilities and opportunities for historians. The question is, why are historians over thinking the internet?  Many set out analyzing and studying ways to utilize the internet, but in the end really nothing comes of it.  Archiving is simple, acquiring the necessary equipment is the hard part.  Once the equipment is purchased and set up the archiving should happen with no problem.  Yet there are individuals that explore the ways to set up searches and think of ways to store and separate it.  They dread over the possibilities of not being able to acquire the information when it is needed.  One should realize what the end goal of this archiving process is, is it for personal use or public?

Once you've quit freaking out about archiving, you can start to present and communicate the information that you have found.  The way that you will communicate this information will be based on the desired impact you want to make.  When it comes to presenting hard information, I think the best way is through data... however, if an emotional impact is what you are going for, the use of media is second to none.  There have been many projects that have collected media from tragedies such as 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.  It would be hard to mimic the effect that media has in these types of situations if you were to present it through data.  So the points I'm trying to make are this, instead of putting too much time into figuring out archiving, put that time into figuring out how to best present the material that you have researched so hard to find.  In the military we have an acronym for executing any type of mission: KISS, keep it simple stupid.  Some projects have gotten so complicated that they have failed.  Its important to learn new things, but working within your intelligence and comfortability is also essential to a successful project.

**PROJECT UPDATE**
My partner and I are in the midst of acquiring information for our project, and hope to be working with the people at Sol Legare in setting up a virtual exhibit on some of their more valuable pieces in the Seashore Farmer's Lodge Museum.

Project Update

**PROJECT UPDATE**

We seem to have run into a few snags in regards to our original plan.  At first we were going to set up an interactive website for Fort Hill Plantation on Clemson's campus, however, we received feedback from the University.  To keep things clean and civil, there were attempts to control what would be on the website, so my partner Matthew and I decided it would be best if we cut ties with the project and continue with another project.

We will be continuing on with a website for the "Seashore Farmers Lodge Museum" on the Sol Legare community off of James Island down in Charleston.  This is a fairly new museum that needs help getting established.  My partner and I have the goal of stream lining the website and instituting technology in order to allow them to educate the community on their history.  I feel that our time and effort will be much more appreciated on this project.

Acquiring photos, information, and access to the website is in the works and will hopefully begin to be sorted by this weekend.

The Importance of Oral History

Throughout the history of the world, many cultures have relied on oral history as a means of continuing heritage.  The first, and main culture, that pops out to me are the American Indians.  This is not to say that oral history is mainly prevalent in this culture, but as an American it is the culture that I am most familiar with.  Prior to the availability of paper, oral traditions were the only way that a culture could teach its history and traditions to a new generation.  But even as paper became more prevalent to these cultures, the oral history continues to reign supreme in importance.  Traditionally, this creates a bond between the teacher and the student, and it allows emphasis to be placed on certain stories.  While reading books are important, it is hard to identify with its author on a personal basis, however when someone is teaching you the past orally it is easier to interact and fully grasp the morals.

In the 1960s and 70s, oral tradition came into its own.  Affordable and portable tape recorders came on the marketplace and allowed for stories to be recorded.  This had a huge impact on history because stories from people such as the Black Panthers, Vietnam veterans, and Civil Rights activists were able to be recorded.  Some historians discredit the value of these recordings claiming that they are biased and unable to tell a full story, but when these recordings are combined I believe that they tell a complete story of what was happening during those decades.  History is often written by those that win, and I don't believe that any amount of book research can hold its own against the verbal testament of those that experienced things first hand.

In recent years, importance has begun to be placed on the "average citizen."  While many history books circle their main subject around someone of high value or stature, this is hardly an accurate representation of the times in which these individuals lived.  Many Civil War books based in the South describe sprawling plantations with a multitude of slaves, but much of the South consisted of poor white farmers that couldn't even afford one slave.  Many statistics are put out that vilify the South as bunch of slave owners, when in fact there were very few.  I wonder how these statistics would've been shown had the South won its independence from the North.

The 1960s and 70s were not the first time that first hand accounts were recorded.  Some anthropologists  in the late 19th century began collecting oral stories of American Indians and those that experienced the Civil War and slavery on phonograph cylinders.  These stories are of high value to us as a people because it adds validity and emotion to a time that is often seen in black and white, both in words on a paper and pictures.

**Project Update**
Dr. Shockley approached Matthew and I on a different project that could have a huge impact on a historic black farmers market on James Island in Charleston, SC.  We are currently reviewing the material to see if the completion of a website for the historic site could be of more value to the historic community.  I think that it would also give us more freedom to do things as we see fit.

-Jason

Creating a Web Presence You're Proud Of

These days, who we are is reflected in different shades on the internet.  Our vacation photos, favorite recipes, and our sports game picks can all be brought up via the web.  In this new age of information, it is important that we present to the world the way that we want to be seen.  When new employers are doing a check on you as a potential new employee, the last thing you want them to see is photos from a spring break trip to Cancun when you were 21.  So we must monitor and edit our virtual lives so that it doesn't come back to bite us when applying for a job that will better your situation.  On the same note, we don't want potential employers to google our name and be met with a blank search result.  With technology advancing, it is important that we pad our virtual resume to reflect the potential that we as historians have.  While history is often related to books and dozens of pads of paper that combine to present an even bigger book, it is time that we realize that heavy research and writing books is not the only way to make an impact on our field.

First, one must get rid of those nasty little secrets that will haunt our future employment if they aren't properly stowed away.  Brian Croxall of ProfHacker gives us some tips on cleaning up that Facebook account that you and your friends might find amusing, but ultimately will prevent you from getting that nice corner office with a view.  To successfully accomplish this visit:

http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/six-steps-for-checking-your-facebook-privacy/30402

Now that we have that nasty Facebook account cleaned up and hidden, now it is time to start padding the online resume.  Some historians really dig their heels into the ground when it comes to moving away from intense research and book writing to do an online article.  Push that out of your mind, like it or not, this is what the times calls for.  There will be those individuals that continue to disagree and feel that we are losing touch with our true calling when it comes to history.  I tend to disagree with these people, for me, history is a way of showing were we came from in order for us to learn from it.  I love showing people how history has impacted our everyday life, and these people aren't going to want to sit down and go into drone mode over a 600 page book.  The world has become a much more concise place with the invention of social media and the ability to do very specific searches that recall very specific information.  So, when you someone types in your name, it is important that your Facebook account not be the only thing that pops up.  Some sites that one should sign up for and fill out properly are:

www.academia.edu
www.linkedin.com

Take some time and fill out profiles for these sights.  This gives employers and other people seeking out your professional aspirations an opportunity to know you on a professional level rather than at a personal level.

The key to the internet is making a resource for yourself.  It is a great opportunity to be able to get research off of your bookshelves and stored electronically.  This is great for easy recall but also gives you an ability to share information easily.  Large databases of easily attainable information is crucial to allowing yourself the ability to quickly and effectively produce quality historical information, but at the same time, it gives an individual the opportunity to publish themselves and to become a resource without jumping through the hoops that a publishing agency requires.  So get your name out there, make it professional, and reap the rewards that technology has to offer.

**PROJECT UPDATE**
The website design has been laid out and now comes the time for web design.  I've done this in high school, lets just hope that I can recall everything I learned... it's only been 11 years.

Text Analysis

This week we will be talking about text analysis in class, also known as text mining.  This is simply the process of deriving high quality information from text.  But how does this benefit us in our field of history, and how do you even start this process?  Ted Underwood gives a simple account of what text analysis can do and how to get started in his article Where To Start With Text Mining. 

To begin to gather data, you will first need to have a good selection of quality readable information.  As Underwood mentions in his article, a great deal of this information can be found on JSTOR.  JSTOR is short for Journal Storage, founded in 1995, this is a massive storage of academic journals, primary sources, and now books are beginning to find their way into the collection.  Around 80% of this is usable data that does not need to be translated, however, there are some readings that you cannot pull text directly from due to its limited transferability due to poor scan quality of the actual text.  There are several programs being developed that can correct this problem, which brings the amount of transferability up to 98% in some cases.

The result of the text mining and the quantitative methods that it requires can benefit us in several ways, the result can be a number of different ways to categorize information, contrast the vocabulary of different texts, trace the history of different words or phrases over time, cluster features associated in different documents, entity extraction, and visualization of data.  This information can help historians understand what a word or phrase has meant in the past and how that information has changed.  In short, a word used today could've meant something totally different 80 years ago.  This information helps us research-wise to insure that we are fully understanding the past when we read it in historical accounts.

After Google launched its web search API in 2002, Roy Rosenweig took it upon himself to develop a similar search tool that could be used on documents in a "document classification," or a large number of texts and syllabi.  This ability to search a large number of documents pertaining to a subject would allow us as researchers a quick and easy tool to search for a phrase used in these documents.  Clemson's library and many of its databases utilize this technology and has made it quite simple to search amongst the hundreds of thousands of documents stored within the databases.

Utilizing the information extracted from these documents that are researched, historians can then develop visualization.  This is particularly important for the younger generations, as people today have a significantly less attention span when it comes to reading data as generations past.  With the development of technology, there is no need to have people read through large amounts of information when a visual aid can provide the same information in a single picture.  This also helps historians convey history in a simple and concise manner that will make a larger impact on the reader.  Finally, I feel like history is being brought to life and making it much more understandable to people outside of the history profession.  This in turn is making much more interested in history, instead of dreading the class because all they see is dates, people, and places.

**UPDATE ON DIGITAL HISTORY PROJECT**
The groundwork has been laid to get the Fort Hill project in motion.  Information is being developed so that this particular site can be viewed digitally and can provide research assistance to individuals that cannot make the trek to Clemson's campus.  This in turn can provide Clemson with the ability to advertise its history on the internet, bringing attention to some of the things Clemson has to offer.

Mapping the world, or our perspective?

Looking at a map can tell an individual many things, it can depict changes in terrain, show roads, and identify cities, but what else does it tell us?  After reading How Maps Lie by Leah Fleckenstein, I have a whole new perspective on maps and their meanings.  To say all new perspective, I have to be honest, the only perspective I've ever had on maps was utilizing them to commute through states and cities, and to manage the terrain in Iraq and Afghanistan.  After joining the military, I should've recognized the difference that maps can make from one person or another.  For example, if you were to tell an Iraqi that has lived in Al Anbar Province his entire life to take Route Michigan to Camp Korean Village, he would look at you as if you were mad.  The simple act of renaming towns and streets can change a persons perspective on a place, whether one admits it or not.

The entire process of developing a map can be both arduous and time consuming, however, the due diligence must be done in order for accuracy to be achieved.  Over the years maps have become more and more sophisticated and the ability to manufacture these maps have become easier and easier thanks to satellite capabilities.  But how can these maps of the past help us determine the pop culture of the time it was written?  The ability to manipulate maps has been perfected over the years, especially during times of war.  Utilizing a map and using certain colors the map maker can imply falsities and can trick people into believing one thing versus the truth.  The Nazis utilized this very practice to gain favor within Germany.

I'm more interested in utilizing maps in order to show the progression of a society.  Using things such as maps and graphs have given historians the ability to visually transmit history.  We've only been in this class for a few weeks, and I've already found new ways of showing history to individuals that may not be as interested in it.  As we continue class, my partner and I have narrowed down our project and it will include an elaborate view of Fort Hill Plantation, and will (hopefully) allow people outside the state to visually see the house and its progression over the years.  Many pictures will be taken in the weeks to come, and I need to meet with a web designer to figure out the process of making the project a success. I will post pictures of the progression as I see fit, after all, I don't want to ruin the surprise.  Stay tuned.

-Jason

The Space Between: The Importance of a Historian and Geographer Collaboration

Today is 9/11 and I can't help but have most of my thoughts instinctively focused towards the events that happened on this day twelve years ago.  My Facebook feed is littered with digital documentation of that day and its after effects that it had on the lives of many Americans.  While I can distinctively recall my exact location when I first saw what was happening on the news, I can't help but turn my perspective to how important this digital collection will be to humanity when I'm in the ground and merely a memory to those in my family.  These videos and audio files have documented in great length the history of that day, the first time in history that an event like this has been documented in such great detail.

The role of the historian and the role of the geographer are rarely seen as one in the same.  While historians slave over journal entries and newspaper articles, geographers are deeply imbedding themselves in vast amounts of information from days throughout history.  Both of these professions have the same goal, to tell the story of the world, but the two go at it from two entirely different points of view.  Historians seem to latch themselves to the personal lives of people that have lived, while geographers steer themselves in the direction of the state of the world the people lived in.  The question that begs an answer is, why aren't there more collaborative teams that are composed of historians and geographers?

While the two professions often find a common ground in large facilities such as the Smithsonian Institute and large colleges, the benefits of this common ground are not fully being integrated into the educational syllabus of the schools and colleges.  In high school I took geography one year, which was mainly comprised of the shape of the states and where rivers are, the following year I took a history class that was comprised of memorizing states, dates, and names.  Is it any wonder that our education of the past is sorely lacking?  When I first started college, I quickly realized just how much I'd been cheated.  As years pass and historians of newer generations make their way into professor positions around the country, the focus of many history departments has departed from the "memorization" game and has headed into the "cause and effect" game.  An individual might be able to learn dates, places, and names, but to be educated on the importance of this information is more important.  In the age of smart phones and tablets, a specific date an event occurred can be searched and found in a matter of seconds.

Technology has afforded these two professions a second chance at happiness.  Historic maps can now be imbedded in a program that can stream seamlessly with Google Maps.  Sure, the technology is new and there are a few bugs to work out, but imagine the importance of this system once the vast amounts of information is imputed.  Imagine the ability to scroll over a building in NYC and having the ability to click on it, which would bring up the building's history in regards to pictures, dates, building permits, and other historic information.  Imagine having the ability to run a program that shows westward expansion to your children visually.  Imagine having the ability to see the geographic changes of the world combined with personal stories and information of its residents.  While the technology is a long way off as of now, but it is never too early to start.  When you see something from a singular point of view, its like looking at life in 2D.  However, looking at something from multiple points of view utilizing the full extent of knowledge, suddenly you are looking at life in 3D.  Geographers have the ability to do there job without historians, however, I don't feel that historians can do there job without geographers.  The importance of the vast data is too relevant to be ignored.

-Jason Barrett

Utilizing Technology in Research

As another week of reading has passed, the focus of the readings have shifted from questioning the validity of the digital revolution amongst historians to embracing it... kind of.  The advantages of digital equipment when it comes to cataloging and copying is undeniable.  Instead of spending hours copying information on a copier (and wasting a tremendous amount of trees), we can now take a picture of the page with its bibliography information and have it stored digitally.  The benefits are simple, no more crowded offices with stacks of paper lying everywhere and an easy to recall system utilizing key words.  To a younger crowd, this is studying 101, but to an older generation this may be a wake up call that today things can be a bit easier when one is willing to embrace the technology.  Some people tend to dig there heels into the dirt when it comes to this, they genuinely find comfort in the stacks of books and the piles of paper littered with Post-It notes and page markers.  While I myself have to admit that it is easier for me to flip through the papers and lay them out in an order on a table, I also must admit that spending the day at the copy machine isn't all that fun.  There will be give and take, and there will definitely be an adjustment phase to utilizing the technology properly.  Bear with me, it may not be as bad as you think.

In an online article ( http://www.historians.org/perspectives/issues/2005/0501/0501arc1.cfm ) authors Kirklin Bateman, Sheila Brennan, Douglas Mudd, and Paula Petrik take a 101 type approach to utilizing technology to your benefit when researching.  This is a great article, what I find to be astonishing is that even though it was written in 2005, it seems to already be somewhat outdated.  In the article it presses the reader to make an investment in a few items that will make their lives easier when it comes to using technology to their benefit while doing research.  These items include a digital camera with several presets, a tripod, and a flat bed scanner that connects to ones laptop.  These all make great sense and can be very helpful, however, a bit cumbersome.  Why would I need all this equipment when there are cell phones such as the Nokia Lumia 1020 that houses a 41 megapixel camera?  The technology of cell phones today, coupled with the use of apps such as Evernote, make researching and saving information so easy, that the idea of lugging around a camera, tripod, and/or scanner... much less hundreds of pieces of paper seems ridiculous.  One big point that I found the article hits on is the importance of tagging information when you save it.  One a normal computer when you save images you need to come up with a system that will allow you to easily recall the image.  Such as putting the author of a book and the subject (i.e. Johnson_AndrewJackson), one possible downfall to this is simply forgetting your tag system that you have set up.  Again, this problem can be fixed with Evernote, simply tag something "History" and Evernote will file it under history, it also reads authors names and digitally scans the words from the picture to make them searchable as well.  So simply searching "Andrew Jackson Battle of New Orleans" under your "History" tags will bring up all saved pictures pertaining to Andrew Jackson and the Battle of New Orleans.  Technology is not as hard and demanding as some make it out to be, this is the whole reason for apps, to make technology user friendly.

The question is, how do we catalog all of this data and use it to its full potential?  The answer is simple, sharing.  The problem is creating a system that this information can be shared on.  While forums on the internet are an easy way for certified members to share information, the difficulty lies in the exhaustive searches that accompany these forums.  Hours can be spent searching for a particular answer, so limitations must be set.  High definition pictures can be a life saver when it comes to researching a particular piece of art or historic document when one can not readily fly across the country and make physical contact with the item.  Although it is easy to research a document, wouldn't it be nice to have a website that one could go to and search for a high def version of a document?  There are multiple sights that specialize in certain events or certain people, the Youtube effect can be very rewarding when it comes to research.  The Youtube effect is simple, you research a topic and similar topics are brought up in a suggestion bar.  These may be subjects that are associated with the searched topic, that an individual hadn't even thought to research.  The amount of information on the internet is vast, and to organize this would be exhaustive, but I don't believe that the creators of Youtube ever realized that one day over 100 hours of video are uploaded every minute.  Its possible that the history community is focused enough that a similar website could be created, if we could quit arguing long enough to get it going.

I'm beginning to really focus on my research project, and I must admit, it is a bit exhausting.  I have a multitude of great ideas, the problem is figuring out how to effectively project them digitally without piggy-backing off of an existing idea.  As with anything, it would be great to be the first at something.  I'm strongly considering doing something that will tie into my internship at Hunt Cabin in the South Carolina Botanical Gardens.  I've already done a documentary, but I think it would be awesome to go a bit deeper into what it takes to maintain and restore a historic building.  I will update my progress on this as the days go by.

-Jason Barrett

The Beginning of a Revolution

With this being my first posting for the blog, I would first like to point out that while I may seem critical of some of the writings that we are required to read for this class, it does not mean that the information isn't valuable.  As with many things in history, many aspects of life (and history for that matter) are continually evolving and changing.  The challenge with history is evolving with the technology and effectively utilizing the information to pass it down to the next generation.  With the invention of the internet came a whole new level of information accessibility, this is both a blessing and a curse.  It is a blessing in the sense that all of this information is available at the click of a button or the press of a screen, however, the curse lies in the ease and ability to post false information.  Perhaps its the fact that I belong to a younger generation, but I find it amusing when older historians "discover" this new found technology in the internet.  As historians we must be ready and willing to continually evolve with technology.  While some may hold onto the traditional practices of research by digging through book after book in search of information, this is hardly practical.  Still, there are some historians that find nostalgia in this archaic way of research.  This is not to say that learning this type of research isn't necessary, as there are many history based books that are hidden in the dark corners of the library that may be useful to a subject, however historians should be proficient in the ways of modern research.

While reading Digital History: A Guide to Gather, Preserving, and Presenting the Past on the Web by Daniel Cohen and Roy Rozenzweig I found an interesting statement in the first chapter in reference to accessibility to historic information.  They bring up the good point that many universities keep their syllabi and its information locked up through websites such as Blackboard and JSTOR.  While historians scramble to fight the fires of a profession that seems to be slowly dying, they are hoarding their information and trying to squeeze the last drop of money from it.  History is not dying, history is going through a changing of the guard with a new generation and new technology at its helm.  Cohen and Rozenzweig go on to criticize search engines for their lack of detail in regards to properly categorizing information as the AHA thinks it should be categorized.  I must disagree, the internet isn't a book that you can just open and find a chapter, an individual must learn how to work it.  As with most things in life, the internet is what you put into it.  Don't expect to type in a broad subject such as Ancient Greece and expect to have the information you want pop up in the first search suggestion.  You must learn to utilize key words in order to acquire the desired information.

Cohen and Rozenzweig do go a great deal into the uses of technology within the historian profession.  I was particularly happy with their example of the Smithsonian Institute and the successes that they have had utilizing technology to further advance the love of history amongst the masses.  Today's technology not only advances the interaction of people with history in a museum study, it is also a great tool when it comes to advertising.  Facebook and Youtube are great examples of websites that can be used to spread information about an event, not only are these services free but the amount of people that they can potentially reach is amazing in comparison to newspaper adds.  The internet has afforded people of all professions to communicate at such an easy and fast level that there is no reason for new ideas to escape underutilized.

Interchange: The Promise of Digital History is a conversation based article on the Journal of American History website.  While the conversation is intriguing to me as a historian, as a regular person I felt the conversation to be a bit over exaggerated in the sense of the effort that went into developing a definition for digital history.  Perhaps in the early 1990s, this conversation would be defining a revolution in the realm of historians, however today, digital history is history.  So many digital applications are used in the every day life of a historian that the conversation seems a bit deep for the subject.  After I read it the second time, I did realize the value that this article held.  This conversation is important to us as historians because it describes, quite possibly, the greatest advancement in the field of history since the first story of life was painted on a wall.  A crucial part of the historian's practice was researching through books, pictures, and paintings; now this information exists but not on a physical level.  In present day, historians can share information and pictures at such a level of detail that it actually challenges the benefit of physically touching the object or reading the book in person.  The question is, what does this mean to us as historians?

Historians in present day are almost forced into a world of cohesion and teamwork.  At the heart of history is the desire to tell a story of how we as a people arrived to this very hour in our lives.  The pioneers of digital history afforded this new generation of historians the ability to take history and its importance to the next level, but it is up to this new generation of historians to hold up their end of the bargain.  A network of accessibility and sharing of information must be perfected in order to stay relevant in today's society.  We as historians understand the value of this information, but in the age of new apps and advancing technology, we must find a way to make it relevant to our children.  They must understand that a giant tea party in Boston changed the course of the world, and that a piece of paper nailed to a church door in England changed the course of religion.  It is our responsibility as historians to get kids interested in the past, so that they can understand how to make the future brighter.

Reading the articles regarding the start of the digital history revolution showed how a core group of historians operating outside the comfort zone of their profession could create a revolution.  It was great reading the evolution of paper to digital, and the misfires that happened along the way.  This affords us the opportunity to take those mistakes and develop something better.  While the relevance of books may be around for years to come, it is important to realize that people today want more information faster, and these articles give insight to possibilities of making this goal feasible.

-Jason Barrett