Here is my website evaluation:
National Geographic: Remembering Pearl Harbor
When faced with a choice it is all too easy to choose the most accommodating selection. For instance, several months ago, when my supervisor asked me to choose and review a website out of a pre-selected list of websites, I impulsively chose a site that met my preconceived criteria for form and content. Though it was exciting to write a review for a site that matched my interests, I lost the contrary perspective. So, in an attempt to fill this gap, this evaluation will cover a website that I initially found most distasteful: National Geographic: Remembering Pearl Harbor.
The website is an online exhibit of sorts, maintained by the National Geographic Society. It seems to have been inspired by the popular appeal to the history of Pearl Harbor, due in large part to the opening of the 2001 Hollywood blockbuster, Pearl Harbor. The website features, among other things, an interactive “Attack Map,” a “Memory Book,” a “Museum Store,” and a “History” of the day that will live in infamy.
What caused my initial distaste was the prominence of crass commercialism. A good half of the front-page is dedicated to money-making ventures, including unavoidable links to National Geographic’s subscription service, a pseudo-historical comparison between Pearl Harbor the event and Pearl Harbor the movie, a link to National Geographic’s “Museum Store,” where visitors can purchase Pearl Harbor-related media, and even a direct link to the official Pearl Harbor movie website. Truthfully, it is for these reasons my first reaction to the website was one of disgust, and ultimately why I decided to review it.
Nevertheless, after perusing through the history related contents of the website I found that my initial reaction, though still justifiable, was indeed an overreaction. The “Attack Map” in particular is an impressive multi-media and interactive digital exhibition. National Geographic has effectively utilized Macromedia Flash as its vehicle for displaying a chronicle of events, interactive maps, oral histories, and animations about the attacks on Pearl Harbor immediately before World War II. It is the effective juxtaposition of closely related media that makes the animation such an immersive and intellectually rewarding experience. Combined, the “Attack Map” is more than the sum of its parts.
Another noteworthy component of the Remembering Pearl Harbor website is the “Memory Book.” Here, visitors have the opportunity to electronically submit their stories about Pearl Harbor using an online form. Specifically, it solicits visitors who were, or know someone who was, at Pearl Harbor to contribute their story. Using such a form is a revolutionary approach to collecting personal histories from a geographically and generationally disparate population. Of course there are shortcomings to collecting online – determining the authenticity of the story, for one – but sound scholarship can mitigate many of these. Already there are hundreds of stories in the online repository, each one representing a narrative that may have otherwise never been documented.
For those who want more than a personal glimpse into the history of Pearl Harbor, the website offers a more traditional collection of resources in its “History” section. There one can find a catalog of every ship and plane involved in the attacks, a timeline for Pearl Harbor and World War II, and a portal to other related material, such as lesson plans, websites, and publications. Visitors who want to learn more about Pearl Harbor will find this section helpful, but not comprehensive by any means.
Since the focal point of Remembering Pearl Harbor is the “Attack Map” – excluding, of course, the crass commercialism I mentioned before – much of National Geographic’s historical interpretation of Pearl Harbor lies therein. The animations, maps, and historical accounts are objective to the extent that interpretation is left to a minimum. In fact the only appreciable interpretation is left to the dozens of oral histories that accompany the accounts, allowing visitors to analyze the stories themselves. Some may argue that the Japanese point of view is underrepresented, but the website makes it clear that its primary focus is of the American experience in Pearl Harbor.
Navigating through the website can be daunting, especially upon the initial visit. My biggest complaint is the monopoly of space that advertisements get on the front page, to the detriment of “real,” or substantial content. Much of the left side of the front page contains sizeable, masquerading links to arguably insignificant pages, which disturbs the natural flow of navigation. (This is not to say all links on the left side are rubbish. There are some generally informative pages, but usually accompanied by an offer to subscribe to a magazine.) Once the eye is trained to acknowledge the right side of the front page, the “real” Remembering Pearl Harbor online exhibition becomes evident, and quite enlightening.
One last note: I recognize that National Geographic must make money somehow to further its mission, but being sponsored by a major movie producer crosses into dangerous territory. Capitalizing off of dubious and sensationalized history – Pearl Harbor the movie, for example – has led to political and corporate control of the past. There must be a realistic balance between corporate funding and dissemination of first-rate historical scholarship. Funding must exist, but in a mediated and transparent fashion. In the end, the Remembering Pearl Harbor website successfully strikes this balance.
Posted by Jim at September 15, 2004 09:52 PM