weisner

One of the most interesting aspects to the copyright issue and the web is that of increased responsibility as both the author and publisher. In the chapter of Digital History on “owning the past”, Rosenzweig and Cohen discuss how the web changes issues of copyright. Accessiblity is one angle which I didn’t think about, especially from the standpoint of an author. You hear about issues of plagerism and how the internet has made it easier for students or authors to plagerize. On the flip side, it is also true that the internet makes it easier to track instances of plagerism. But I never really considered how copyright issues were blurred, not just changed. The authors mention that while passing out copies of a poem in class is a violation of copyright, the consequences are much more severe if that same posting is noticed on the internet. Is the violation worse only because it can be traced? Or because it is much more accessible?

Additionally, Rosenzweig and Cohen mention that the responsibility falls heavier on one who publishes on the web. There are no lawyers run interference. That extra responsibility is a scary thought! However, I’m glad there are some “loopholes”, as you could call them. The flexibility of the web allows an author to run a few more risks, or toe the line more closely, because changes can be made quickly and easily. This arguement about the “ease” of solving copyright issues makes me feel a little better about my project! Additionally, as the book points out, our sites are not really targets because of their small scale. I guess I’ll worry more about these issues should I decide to tackle larger projects. It’s nice to have to knowledge at least!

The site I’ve chosen is the official website for the Kentucky Derby. Ok, so it’s a little bit random.  Allow me to explain my choice. The site itself is probably not the most attractive layout you will ever see. In fact, the front page is crammed with information so it may seem a little bit overwhelming. However, it’s actually easy to navigate and has all the information you would ever want about horseracing and Derby in particular. I like horseracing and I follow it pretty closely, especially in the few weeks leading up to Derby. So first and foremost, it is designed to be a great resource and lays out the information right up front. You can easily navigate to updates, follow developing stories, watch recaps, read newspaper columns and editorials, look up history and find out information about actually attending. I’ve been to Derby the past few years and the site is a huge help. Additionally, it has video, audio clips, interviews, and photos, along with the textual information.  It’s colorful, interesting and interactive.

After forumulating my project proposal, I found much of this chapter of Digital History to be incredibly helpful. For example, the section on Text discusses issues such as font style and length of text.  While font style seems to be such a tiny detail, there are some good insights about contrast and the use of specific styles. Additionally, this section addresses academic sites and the length of text which should be included. “Chunking” of text is an accepted strategy and it is widely believed that short passages of text are best used on educational sites. The audience has a short attention span and dislikes to read text on screen.  More recently, longer text passages have become more prominent, as screen technology improves. This seems to bode well for my plan to present my site as a blog. There will be a decent amount of text but it will be easy to load, will quickly capture interest and allow for easy reading.

The section on images and multimedia also offers some small, helpful suggestions.  Using a thumbnail image allows the site to load quickly, and the designer can place the images close together for comparison and contrast.  Smaller images might look better in a blog post and I like the idea of using a small thumbnail as a link to another location. However, I think that a full size image showing up on the page as soon as the viewer arrives at the site has a strong impact as well.  Colors and image size are great ways to help emphasize a point, but it’s also important not to get caught up in the “bells and whistles” and end up with something tacky.

As a sidenote, it is really helpful to be able to view the examples within the Digital History sections. It is something that I’ve taken for granted throughout the reading, but it really came through in this chapter. The details about color, font and text are much better understood when one can view them online as opposed to reading a book and having to imagine an example.

As another sidenote - I have never really given much thought to web standards before reading this chapter and the discussion about adhering to web standards. There are ten very convincing reasons to learn the standards, especially Number Six, which mentions providing a foundation for accessibility.  The final section of our Digital History chapter discusses accessibility as well. I had never heard of Sections 508 or 504 before this reading. I would like to discuss their ramifications to the digital world more in class!

People connect with history when it is presented in a personal and engaging fashion.  This is the critical concept that underlies my project proposal.  For my semester project, I propose to build a website that will center on the personal narrative of a German immigrant.  Henry Sobcek, a distant cousin, grew up in Germany and fought under Hitler during World War II.  After the war, he worked for British intelligence and later settled in the United States.  His narrative will ideally allow visitors to my site to form a personal connection with an individual, fostering a better understanding of a specific period in history.

My website will be directed at students, specifically towards a middle school aged audience.  It is at this point that students are exposed to a curriculum that includes information on World War II and immigration.  Ideally, my site will be utilized within one of these broader units.  I want the students to take from my site a deeper understanding of these two historical events.  I have already interviewed Henry and collected a great deal of oral history.  Based on this information, I will conduct further research on the people, places and events that Henry discussed.  Although his story will be the focus of my website, it will be used in conjunction with my background research on Germany, World War II and immigration.  Any images and maps will come from the internet and will therefore already be digitized.

I plan to organize the information in chronological order by tracing the events of Henry’s life.  I will give some brief background information on Henry’s childhood in Poland and Germany.  I will then address his military service in the Hitler youth groups and later the Nazi army.  Finally, I will discuss his immigration to the United States after the war.  At this point, I am tentatively planning on using a blog as my basic web building tool.  Each post will represent a different point in Henry’s life and will contain the basic narrative, photographs and maps.  It would be easy for students to navigate and contribute to the personal aspect of the site.

The creation of this website has multiple benefits for me, personally and professionally.  On a personal level, it is a great opportunity for me to interview Henry and document his story.  I have grown up hearing about his life, yet no one in my family has ever written it down.  On a professional level, I am interested in working in the area of education after I receive my degree.  This website allows me to gather material with an educational purpose, while learning how to interpret the historical information for a younger audience.

• I enjoyed browsing through the websites associated with American Quarterly, and the topic of Hypertext Scholarship in American Studies. Rosenzweig’s essay on hypertext scholarship provided a great synopsis of the project, and the positive or negative consequences related to publishing academic essays online. I think one of the largest benefits to using new technology is the interaction with the text and images. This interaction was largely showcased in the websites posted for this week. For example, I really enjoyed playing with the essay about comic strips. The viewer can read briefly over the information, just like an academic paper. However, you can also interact with the strips by clicking on them for a larger view and a link to more in depth text. This is a way to present much more information about a topic. An author is not quite so concerned with spatial limitations on a website as opposed to a written paper. Additionally, an interactive essay/project is just more interesting!

• However, Rosenzweig does mention some serious drawbacks/problems with hypertext. While articles online from American Quarterly may be more accessible, they may also come with a usage fee. Additionally, there are technical concerns about the presentation of a page and making sure the format is the same on all web browsers. However, there are other problems which go outside of the technical realm. An audience must adapt to a new method of reading comprehension when an essay/article is presented in hypertext. Rosenzweig discusses the idea of “standards” which allow a scholar to immediately pick out a thesis, supporting evidence and sources after only a quick appraisal. However, information in hypertext is clearly laid out differently. This also relates to “reader expectations” and the idea that there is so much information on the site, the viewer cannot possibly read it all. At what point should he or she stop? When is it enough? I feel like I’ve encountered this problem before, especially in this class which is so heavily based on websites and online articles. When have I skimmed over or browsed through an article or site a sufficient amount? Although these concerns are real, they mostly involve a willingness to work outside the standard format or box. Scholars and students alike are going to have to adapt to new ways of learning…

• I briefly wanted to mention David Bell’s article A Bookless Future: What the Internet is Doing to Scholarship. Bell brings up numerous points in his article and I especially enjoyed the section on why reading text on the computer screen is so uncomfortable. I’m glad I’m not alone in feeling this way. But his thoughts on the democratizing effect of the internet were really insightful. It’s amazing that researchers in any part of the world basically have access to the same material, as long as they possess a computer. You are no longer at an immediate disadvantage by living far away from cities with important resources (i.e. the Library of Congress). Although there is a benefit to having all of D.C. at my fingertips, I find that a lot of the research I need to do for a project can be found online as well. It’s amazing how much that can even the playing field.