Community

I examined the History-Net virtual community on the 1960's. This forum for "discussion of the history and legacy of the 1960's, both nationally and internationally" is of relatively recent vintage, having been launched in March this year. The list editor, Michael Lumish of Penn State, said in his introductory note that the forum would "provide book reviews, calls for papers, conference announcements, and job announcements" -- in addition to the discussions. The forum does seem to provide a readily accessible resource for professors, filmmakers, museum curators, and website designers to promote their work. For example, Icarus Films submitted an item promoting its film on a Finnish electronic music innovator. There also seems to be much discussion of recommendable books for classes on the Sixties. In addition, there have been several book reviews for the forum on books about the 60's, including David Greenberg's "Nixon's Shadow: The History of an Image." The forum seems to be mostly for professors of history. One query from a graduate student to recommend sources for public reactions to the poet Robert Frost's death received no feedback. Perhaps the professors did not want to do the student's research for her. However, a website creator's query about the phrase "equal rights for whites" sparked several responses about the white backlash to the civil rights movement. Interestingly, the first couple of months of the listserv were very busy, but November of this year received the fewest number of submissions. It is too early to say whether there has already been a reduction in interest in the forum or whether this is anomalous. I don't think there has been enough time to create a suitable sample to make that judgment. Perhaps professors are busy at the end of their semester and are less interested in posting to the forum. There was somewhat of a fall-off in the summer months (perhaps understandable with many schools not in session) and interest did seem to pick up in the fall of this year. I think that the forum serves a purpose that other media cannot provide as easily. Theoretically, you could email everybody in a community, but that would clog your email box and would not be easily accessible for a new member. It is relatively easy to post a message, read the discussions, and stay current on developments in the field of Sixties history. In fact, I think this online community is precisely why the precursor of the Internet was created in the late Sixties -- as a way for a community of researchers to share information. Online communities by scholars harken back to the original purpose of the Internet. I think the people who are members of the listserv have in fact created a community -- of researchers, scholars, teachers, and other interested in the history of the Sixties. I think the listserv will remain useful to its subscribers, but it is too early to say whether interest will abate as time goes by. Even if interest wanes, the forum will retain its usefulness to those who wish to post messages to the scholarly community interested in the 1960's.