The Usefulness of Websites for Historical Research - Essay Example

The Usefulness of Websites for Historical Research: A Critical Examination The Usefulness of Websites for Historical Research: A Critical Examination The Internet is an infamous, significantly useful and considerably essential tool in today's world. The uses which are available through the Internet are practically endless, and it would be hard to imagine the world without it. Through keyword-driven Internet research using search engines such as Google, millions of people worldwide have access to a vast and incredibly diverse amount of online information. When compared to encyclopedias, for instance, the Internet has enabled a sudden and extreme decentralization of information and data. A website is a collection of web pages, which will be accessed from a common root URL called the homepage, and usually reside on the same physical server. A website may be the work of an individual, a business, or any other type of organization for that matter, which is typically dedicated to some particular topic or purpose. Websites are extremely useful in the studying of various research topics. However when it comes to historical research, there are certain values and limitations of websites for studying this history. The aim of this paper is to examine and assess these values and limitations, in order to come to a clearer and more knowledgeable understanding on how accurate and useful websites truly are for studying history. By examining six websites in particular, we can base our results on how successful the average website is when used for studying history. Basing our historical research around the Civil War, the websites which will be used in this study will be as follows: 1. Thinkquest 2. The Civil War Home Page 3. Civil War Home 4. Tripod 5. The History Place 6. Civil War By thoroughly examining these six websites, we can come to a critical assessment of how accessible and resourceful the average website is in historical research. This is what will be dissertated in the following. Thinkquest The immediate content of this website was professional and direct, with the home page offering separate corresponding timelines to choose from. Information such as: Civil War experience, Civil War timeline, Civil War battles, and Civil War people were also available to choose from on the home page; giving the visitor a vast array of options to choose from. In terms of visual presentation, it was accurately appropriate for the topic, and good design allowed for easy access through this site. There was in fact even a design labeled as the 'best graphic on site' in the 'Civil War Experience' page.1 Thinkquest offered a vast exhibition of useful information in regards to the Civil War, and even offered a 'Fun Fact of the day'; random factual occurrences which relate to the Civil War. The corresponding timelines offered accurate and incredibly informational timelines on the Civil War, and were significantly useful directional tools in terms of accessing around the website. In terms of what was negative about this site, or what more could have been done, the only true factor would be in regards to the actual design layout of the page. Although all the information was easily accessible, the visible attractiveness of it could certainly be updated and laid out more efficiently. However, as a website for allocating and using resourceful information on the Civil War, it can certainly be considered overall as positive. The Civil War Home Page This website was easily the most informational, graphically pleasing, and overall positive out of the six. The home page itself contained more educational and resourceful information that might even be expected; while still remaining to be pleasing to the eye. The layout and content of the site was done so in a way most certainly methodologically in order to allow visitors an easily accessible and highly information tour through the site. The immediate presentation of the website was not the only positive element; after selecting any of the numerous offered links to separate pages, the simple flow and easily understandable dialogue of the site continues, with a link offering practically any and every imaginable topic on the Civil War. In terms of informational purposes, this site was incredibly helpful. Some of the educational items offered on this website are as follows: Battle reports from the official records of the Union and Confederate Armies written by the Commanding Generals; Interactive pages, which includes a message board; Full-size images of real-life graphics of the Civil War; Civil War battle maps; Genealogy and research of Civil War soldiers and sailors; An online living history, reenacting and personal collections gallery containing photos from units, individuals, sutlers and personal collections; and even offers links to other most requested research and image sites.2 The overall presentation and content of this site was incredibly useful and resourceful in the historical research of the Civil War. This website is definitely the most valuable out of the six researched in this paper, and there is next to nothing that would really need any changing at all. Easily accessible, visibly pleasing, with updated and informational resources and a proper layout; this site was definitely the most favored. Civil War Home The immediate impression of this website was that it could definitely use some work; although there was certainly resourceful information allocated on the home page, it was barren and entirely unappealing in terms of the visual evaluation. There are only a little over twenty links offered to separate pages, although the information on these pages is incredibly resourceful and informational, such as the information in Chapter I, where there is a descriptive analysis on how the war began.3 There is no further reading options available on this site, and the unorganized layout makes it rather difficult to navigate throughout the website. As well, the fact that the last time the website was updated was in 2003, gives a clear impression of why the site could certainly use some improvement. Overall, there are definitely numerous more things that could be fixed up on this site as opposed to already positive things. A new lay out, easily understandable and thus accessible design scheme in order to allow visitors easy navigation, and a significant amount more of useful information would be an essential beginning. Tripod The immediate impression of this website was that although there was much resourceful information offered on the Civil War, it was spread unorganized and it was incredibly difficult to navigate throughout the site. The design scheme was most certainly lacking, and the overall appearance was not professional or entertaining. Considering that a proper lay out and design scheme is one of the top reasons a visitor will remain on a website; these are certainly relevant and essential to a good site. The content on this site was certainly lacking and unorganized so that it required a much more significant amount of time simply to find what was wanted. With this, the overall presentation of the site was incredibly drab, uninteresting, and particularly uninformative. One positive thing about this website was the incredible number of further reading offered; links from the home page directed to other pages which directed to even other pages, which allows the visitor many opportunities to find what they are looking for, as well as allowing the information to be narrowed down to precisely what a person is searching for. A good example is that of 'Causes of the Civil War'.4 One positive factor on this site was that the author left personal messages to the visitors, one stating that: "I am now in the process of deleting outdated links and adding new ones. This is a huge task (Sometimes I wonder how I found the time to assemble this outline nine years ago). It's amazing how many websites become outdated in a mere decade. I've updated my e-mail address and welcome any suggestions you have in regards to good links for subjects. Can't say I'll incorporate every one of them, but I appreciate suggestions..."5 The personalization that this author added to his website is significantly important, and the fact of his allowance of visitors to give their own input into what they would like to see researched on the site is another positive choice made by the author. Applications like these let the visitor know that not only is the author of the site continuing to attempt to update it, but that they are also continuously involved and interested in their own site. The History Place This website again, although incredibly full of information, was laid out in a fashion that made it incredibly difficult to navigate through. The immediate content offered is that of a corresponding timeline of the Civil War, which included graphics of "The Monitor at dock, showing damage from the battle."6 The available categories to choose from on the home page are as follows: Fort Sumter Attacked, First Bull Run, Shiloh, Second Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Cold Harbor, March to the Sea, Lee Surrenders, Lincoln Shot. After choosing one of these offered selections, you are taken down the home page to the appropriate area. This shows that there is certainly not much available in terms of links and further offered reading, which are both incredibly useful tools in terms of historical research. The overall content and presentation of this site was incredibly dull and drab, and the information was quite lacking. The Civil War itself was not described in detail, nor was there any allowance of proper historical research on the subject. In order to attain an even remotely successful site, the author of this website should basically start from the ground up, incorporating at least more relevant and resourceful information on the Civil War. Civil War This Civil War website was definitely one of the most questionable in terms of resourcefulness and quality out of the six discussed. Although the information available was in fact quite predominant and resourceful; for example the 245 photos available in the Civil War Image Gallery.7 Selections available on the home page main menu are as follows: search, book store, video store, battles, interactive battle map, photo gallery, places, people, timeline, women in the war, music, documents, official record, forum, links, old forum archives, and even access to contact the author(s) of the site. So this in itself is an incredible amount of information and even fun activities offered in the learning of the Civil War; with creative and unique offerings such as the video store, where one can purchase out of 89 offered movies based on the Civil War.8 This site was incredibly useful in the allocation of resources in the historical research of the Civil War, and as well was incredibly easy to navigate through. There is even a music section available, which offers 'Rallying Songs of the South'.9 Available subtopics in this category include: Songs of the North, Songs of the South, Musical Recordings, and about AmeriMusic. Overall, this site allowed for easy navigation, offered various links to creative and at the same time incredibly resourceful and informative data, and was definitely one of the most useful in the studying of the Civil War out of the chosen six websites. Through the examination and assessment of these six websites, we have been given a clearer and more knowledgeable averaged opinion on the resourcefulness of websites in the historical research of the Civil War. Visible presentation alone, out of these six chosen websites, for the most part this area of the dynamic was lacking. And although the information is on the Civil War, which one might argue should not require attractive or updated graphics or visuals; the fact is that these websites are the entirety of each particular websites' authors' marketing tools. In that regard, the actual subject of a website is irrelevant in that all websites should be properly designed in order to attract more visitors. In regards to the values and limitations of these websites for studying the history of the Civil War, the allocated information was, for the most part, positive. Although often scattered or untidy, overall these websites proved to be significantly resourceful in the studying of the Civil War. References Civil War. (2005). Civil War. Retrieved April 27, 2006, from http://www.civilwar.com/ Civil War Home. (2003). The American Civil War Overview. Retrieved April 27, 2006, from http://www.civilwarhome.com/overview.htm The Civil War Home Page. (2006). The Civil War. Retrieved April 27, 2006, from http://www.civil-war.net/ The History Place. (1996). The U.S. Civil War 1861-1865. Retrieved April 27, 2006, from http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/index.html Thinkquest. (2006). Civil War. Retrieved April 27, 2006, from http://library.thinkquest.org/3055/netscape/index.html Tripod. (2006). Outline of the Civil War From Great American History. Retrieved April 27, 2006, from http://members.tripod.com/greatamericanhistory/gr02007.htm Read More