Clio Wired (History 696)

Why, you may ask, does HistoryWired beat Julia Child's Kitchen? Well, don't ask. I just picked one. But I will tell you why and how I feel HistoryWired uses new media most effectively. So here it goes... HistoryWired is like the ultimate time line. What I really liked was the interactivity with the time line, the categories, and the images and short descriptions that went along with the myriad of squares. Not only do you get a pop up window with a title and short description, but yellow lines link the object back to a number of categories, and a bar appears on the time line to ensure that the user is able to place the object in time. When the categories are clicked, then all of the squares below light up to show they match. The time line's ends can be changed to incorporate a more selective period of history, and the objects outside this time frame are darkened, leaving only the applicable objects viewable. There's a short description of only a few of the neat-o things this site does to incorporate new media. A check mark in the square you just visited reminds you what you have already seen, and helps you organize your search through the large amount of objects. The main reason I feel this site provides an effective way to use new media, is because other forms of displaying an objects' relation to time and other objects are not as easily viewed, categorized and automatically displayed as they are with this site.