• The idea that webpages are indistinguishable is interesting. I suppose distinguishing one history page from another could be hard, but distinguishing a scholarly website from an entertainment website is easy. Take this gaming news website for an example, and compare it to the Library of Congress. They clearly have a different feel to them – one to offer entertainment, the other to offer scholarly works.

Or so it appears. The truth about these “pages” is that they involve just as much human input as a papyrus or pamphlet, even if they can be reproduced virtually without limit or cost once created.

• Obviously, webpages take plenty of effort and can be made to be clearly distinguishable.
• One issue when creating new pages is keeping it relavent.

A web page, on the other hand, can fall prey to unique electronic fates: it can be deleted, altered, or corrupted, or become technologically obsolete.

• Sometimes a webpage isn’t just technologically obsolete, but is the victim of archaic design. This can make the website as equally unusable as if the software required to run it was no longer widely available.
• I appreciate the emphasis that people who write history on the web only need to have as much expertise, or utilize as much capability, as is appropriate for their goal. For example, a site designed for teaching children the history of the Roman empire would probably benefit from interactive activities and lots of pictures, while another one that was disertation on Julius Caesar’s rise to power would probably be more formal.
• The simplicity of a website, as well as it’s “open code” is something that’s very interesting, especially as it is relatable to historians work. Websites aren’t initimidating. That’s the point.
• The next page just reemphasizes that websites shouldn’t intimidate you. As such, rather than focusing on the technical aspects of a website, focus more on its genre and focus – what you’re going to write about, in what manner, etc.
• Essentially, most history web pages are simple to compose, but if you need help, there is a myriad of programs you can purchase to assist you.
• While it is nice to know that running your own website is not such a daunting task as it may seem, my only question about this reading assignment is one of relavence. It is nice to know about XML, the different types of software such as dreamweaver, Windows Media, etc., but outside of having a passive understand that this is how many sites run, what relevance does it have to this course? Are we going to learn how to use these programs? Perhaps we won’t learn how to use them, but instead understand how to acquire them and ways we can learn to use them in the future. Either way, the chapter itself does not delve into such questions, but they’re natural questions that need answering.