Unit 9 - Project Proposal and Chapter 5 Notes





My Project Proposal (A Summary)- The First Battle of Bull Run


I will use digital media and research to chronicle the First Battle of Bull Run in Manassas, VA fought on 21 July 1861.  This was the first major battle of the Civil War, and its Union defeat prevented an early end to the war.  I plan to use StoryMap or a similar digital tool to highlight the key locations in the battlefield, and am exploring tools/features to add in background historical information, key personalities, key terrain, etc…  A recent visit to the Bull Run Battlefield National Park inspired me to choose this topic.  Watching a film about the battle and then walking its terrain reminded me the value of seeing a location versus just reading about it.  Digital media can help enhance the reader’s understanding and appreciation of the battle, especially if they are physically unable to visit the site.
I have started researching local area libraries and colleges/universities for their local and historical news/history databases and collections.  The Digital Public Library of America (https://dp.la/) is a great resource to search across many collections and databases.  The Library of Congress' American Memory and the National Archives' Civil War collections seem to contain a lot of useful digital media.  I plan to research whether any local libraries or museums (Fairfax and Loudon) have special collections related to the battle.  The Fairfax Country Library system has database access for Ebsco and ProQuest journal databases, and a historical newspaper database.




My Thoughts on Cohen and Rosenzweig,
Chapter 5 "Building an Audience"












  • Marketing is useful in all realms, not just in business. 
  • We should not define marketing as just sales.  It is not "evil."
  • The internet is perfect for small, niche historical collections and sites.
  • Even if you're tiny, you still need to let people know you're there.
  • If a website pops up in the forest, does anyone see it?
  • Historians should aim for USEFUL and USED websites.
  • Adjust your site to meet your users' needs and interests.
  • Finding a community helps advertise your site and helps inform that community.
  • Find both conventional and unconventional means to promote your site.
  • Seek reviews and return the favor.
  • Join your community, don't just use it for clicks and links.
  • Seek ways to leverage local and national media or major events.
  • Promote your site via other blogs, and return the favor.
  • Learn how search engines work and adjust your site as needed.
  • Reputation is a better measurement of a site than its keywords or meta tags.
  • Getting someone to come back to your site is often harder than getting them to visit the first time.
  • Depending on your mission, too much "traffic" is a burden that slows down your page.  It is sometimes better to have fewer active users than a lot of transients.









Comments

  1. Professor Charles EvansSeptember 21, 2017 at 9:24 AM

    You should also look through the NVCC library databases. They are probably similar to the Fairfax library, but there might be some differences.

    ReplyDelete

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