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.