Week 4 Digital History Assignment

The Valley of the Shadow or The Valley Project is a digital archive of primary sources that documents the lives and people in August County, Virginia, and Franklin County, Pennsylvania during the era of the American Civil War. The creators of this website take a unique approach to examining the Civil War. Rather than create a site that covers the entire scope of the Civil War, the designers focus on microhistory. Examining Civil War history at the local level offers a fresh perspective on the War. Anyone interested in the Civil War can easily research the endless amount of books and websites dedicated to the subject. However, The Valley Project may be the only website, which analyzes the effects of the War on the citizens of these two counties. The benefit of taking this microhistory approach to history and the internet is that the user does not become overwhelmed with information and topics. Many times larger, more complex websites cover too many topics, which causes the user to get lost in the navigation and become sidetracked from the original reason for research. The Valley Project largely avoids the possibility of this occurring.

Similar to the subject of the website, The Valley Project homepage is simple and effective. With one graphic and a large box reading “Enter,” the homepage briefly describes the sites’ contents. The page explains the focus of the site, accessible materials, and the significance of studying the citizens of August and Franklin counties. The following webpage remains consistent with the homepage offering the user three diagrams to choose from. Within each octagon shaped diagram the user can click and view numerous pieces of evidence ranging from letters and diaries to census and tax records. This allows the user to embrace the more human element of the War or examine the economics of each county.

The Valley Project is not for someone new to the subject of the Civil War. The user should already possess knowledge of John Brown and the raid at Harper’s Ferry, as well as other specific incidents relating to the War. However, those interested in local history of ordinary citizens who have been largely forgotten in Civil War history will largely benefit from the Project. Perhaps the greatest attribute of this site is that it reminds the user of the amount of human beings affected by the Civil War.

While The Valley Project, created by the University of Virginia, appears largely academic, The History Channel website screams corporate America. However, while The History Channel may lack detail and variety it contains plenty of technological enhancements. As The Valley Project examines microhistory and the human element of the Civil War, The History Channel website takes a macrohistory approach focusing on popular themes, events, and individuals throughout history. Once the user types in the address www.historychannel.com, information and graphics appear in every corner of the website. Advertisements for films and insurance companies dominate half of the homepage. This immediately brings a commercial feel to the site.

One of the websites’ best features is the interactive and video component. Before navigating from the homepage users can view a variety of video clips. However, the focus on black history appears condescending and patronizing. Clearly after February The History Channel’s homepage will change focus. This raises another issue, which is the inconsistency of the site. Where The Valley Project remains dedicated to the citizens in August and Franklin counties, The History Channel constantly changes.

Another problem of The History Channel is the search function. For example, conducting a search on John Brown only produces encyclopedia entries, many of which have nothing to do with Brown or Harper’s Ferry. Moreover, searching for United States history results in a video clip of John F. Kennedy and links discussing his assassination. While the search function needs improvement The History Channel takes full advantage of new technology. The site offers podcasts, interactive timelines, audio, video, and broadband. In short, while The History Channel lacks the scholarly element and content of The Valley Project it embraces the interactive approach to history and provides the user a broad perspective on the subject of history.

DoHistory.org attempts to combine the best elements of The Valley Project and The History Channel. However the site falls short in both cases. DoHistory simply contains too many options and information with little direction and much confusion. DoHistory's creators explain that the goal of the site is to highlight the history of “ordinary” people and teach users how to interpret fragments that survive from any period in history. Like The Valley Project, DoHistory tries to focus on microhistory using interactive tools and a variety of search options. A benefit of DoHistory is rather than simply presenting evidence the user is shown the process of conducting research.

However DoHistory remains too confusing for most to enjoy. The historical experience of the user is not as important as the level of computer knowledge. The homepage contains thirty six hyperlinks. Absent from the homepage is any description as to the nature of the site. DoHistory is also a vague domain name. Therefore a user may never reach the inside of the site because there is nothing on the homepage explaining the sites’ focus and importance. The site never explains why the user should be interested in the subject, Martha Ballard, whereas The Valley Project connects the citizens of their study to the Civil War.

Clearly DoHistory is designed to demonstrate the value of thorough research. It is a teaching site for beginning historians or those simply interested in a fun project. However unless the user is computer savvy DoHistory is a missed opportunity for the creators. While the concept is inventive and a unique way to use the internet for history the creators may have benefited more by starting with less and creating a more advanced project as a compliment.

Whether micro or macro, John Brown or Martha Ballard, clearly there exists no one standard way to present history on the internet. History remains a broad topic and people will vary in their historical interests making it essential to have many options on the internet. The academic, the history buff, and the child may not visit the same sites. However, if all of the sites and their creators use the internet as a tool to promote, teach, and spread history while teaching users to remain critical and question sources then the internet will have a place in the history profession for a long time to come.