Unit 5: Building a Web Culture

After examining different websites for design options, I understand the importance of a well designed blog; this can either make or break the blog. I say this because a poorly designed blog site can deter a potential audience from viewing your work. On the other hand, a well designed and easily accessible blog will make users more comfortable with your site. 

Kevin's blog on digital history:

I'm just experimenting on how to use my smartphone in order design my blog. I'm not the most technical person but it seems real easy. There are plenty of applications in the Apple Store that allow someone to design a blog. 

In terms of my final project I feel as if my web presence must be felt in all aspects. A well-designed webpage is a must when attracting a prominent audience. I considered making a webpage on Roc-La-Familia: The Rocafella records dynasty. I wish to include pictures, audio (if possible), background design, and tabs that make navigation easy for all viewers. I'm pretty familiar with timetost so I would love to incorporate a well though out timeline on the webpage. To sum it up, a well designed webpage or blog is appealing to the eye and is what catches the viewers attention. 

Unit 4: Evolution of the Digital Web

We are covering the evolution of the digital web this week. Below are a few websites listed in chronological order that have been created within the last 15 years.

The Valley of the Shadow (1993)

Romantic Circles (1994)

American Memory (1994)

Dickinson Electronic Archive (1994)

Amiens Cathedral Project (1996)

Life Outtacontext (2001)

Hawthorne in Salem (2002)

Hurricane Digital Memory Bank (2005)

Eye Level (2005) 

Oyez (2005)

Digital Karnak (2008)

The April 16 Archive (2007)

The Avalon Project (2008)

In Our Path (2008)

Persepolis: A Virtual Reconstruction 

Lascaux 

The level of sophistication is factored by a number of things. The date in which it was created indicates how old the archive is. Although the date of creation is important, we have to take into account how often the achieve was updated. The Valley of the Shadow, for example, was created in 1993, but updated up until 2007. This website specifically isn't as sophisticated as it could be in my opinion. On the contrast, it is easier to navigate and access information than some of the more advanced websites. The April 16 Archive isn't overwhelming, but there is a lot of accessible information that may be too much for some viewers. These websites have changed within the last 15 years as the emergence of new technology came about. There are more third party applications, such as time-toast, that can present information in a more developed manner. 

http://www.digitalhistoryarchive.com/index.html is a great website that allows someone to access digital history in an easy way. This site specifically give you access to World War documents if you choose to purchase the material.

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/ this website is actually better than the first one n my opinion. It examines history in a way that's easy to navigate. I specifically like this website because it gives great references and resources as to where the information came from.

Unit 3: The multi-talented blog

Blogs can be used to study history in various ways. The interaction between bloggers and followers allows the exchange of ideas at an increasing rate. Twitter, for example, is a social media blog that some historians use to discuss information or findings. Twitter allows people to comment, retweet, and favorite  posts that a follower may find interesting. The retweet function is phenomenal because this allows a post to spread throughout the Twitter world in seconds. I believe that this social media tool is a great way to study history because one has the potential to spread their post to the masses in seconds; right or wrong.

On the other hand, there are plenty of issues when determining the level of authority of a blogger. Anyone can create a blog and call theirselves a historian. Validity is what determines the level of authority. This is important because once a blogger loses credibility, it's hard for people to believe what is posted. The level of education is also important because this indicates that you have some sort of expertise in the field. Grammatical errors show a lack of effort in my opinion. 

To sum it up, there are multiple ways a historian can use blogs to engage in the study of history. The problem lies in how valid the information is and how credible the sources are. Historians who promote credible information shouldn't have a problem building an audience.