Different Approachs to the Same Goal: History for the Masses

The impact of the internet on everyday society cannot be denied, especially in the research capacity of society worldwide. What was once locked away deep in the recesses of libraries and collected works scattered throughout the world available only to the most academic of minds, are now but a few key strokes and clicks away for the common man to peruse and gather information from. The manner in which this information is presented and displayed is just as varied. The websites of The Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil war, The History Channel, Do History, and The National Museum of American History’s website all take very different approaches in sharing the information they choose to focus on with the rest of the world, and depending on the manner in which the user is attempting to use the information can work for their benefit or their detriment.
The website for this National Museum of American history, while extremely pleasing visually and well designed graphically to the level that one would expect for such a prestigious institution lacks proper historical background information on some of the items displayed and special series they present. This is not necessarily a bad thing because not every single person who visits the website is looking for all of the historical information related to the items displayed and the special presentations the museum may have. It must be kept in mind that the website serves as an advertising tool to provide more information to potential visitors with more information about the museum and what’s inside of it. It can help visitors in planning their visit and basic information about what to know about the items they will see in the museum.
Do History however takes a much more intensive approach to a specific topic that the National Museum of American History did not. By using the entire website to focus solely on Martha Ballard the user has essentially all information possible from one site. This includes a variety of primary source documents, background information, books, films, and contact lists to facilitate the finding of additional research or asking questions. For any person searching for a wealth of information without the desire to have to travel to many sites and go through many links to find what they are looking for this is a wonderful site to use. This is an extremely academic oriented site and more has more than acceptable and trustworthy resources available right from the get-go.
This History Channel is a bit of a unique hybrid of the previously two mentioned sites because while it is visually pleasing, well designed for advertisement of an institution, it has a bit more historical information and background information on the topic it chooses to focus on. The site while primarily focusing on the advertisement of television shows broadcasted on The History Channel, and the tapes and DVD’s that go with them, it provides a strong amount of background information. While the commercial nature of the site might turn away the serious academic for fear of poor credibility in terms of sources of information used, the everyday user will find a wealth of the most interesting information presented in an exciting format that makes history come alive.
The Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil war website is more along the lines of a serious academic nature but is a lacks the layout and warmth that even Do History established. This site focuses on the very specific experiences of two counties before, during, and after the Civil War. This includes maps, letters, photos, records, and diary excerpts. In terms of specific content the site is far superior to any of the websites that were previously covered. It focuses solely on those two communities and goes into extreme depth them. It should also be noted that the creator of this site is an establish historian, hosted by the Virginia Center for Digital History who has equally impeccable credentials.
While like the internet in general these sites all have multiple purposes, but it should be recognized that not each site meets all of needs of every single person that might come across that site, which is an important fact to be kept in mind during website design. Each of these websites has their weak and strong points, all with different approaches to portray their message. It must be kept in mind that one is not necessarily better than the other but that each serves a specific purpose, while all of them keeping in the realm of making history more accessible to the masses.