Unit 4: The Evolution of the Digital Web

In chronological order from earliest to most recent, I believe the website order should be something like the below: 

  1. The Avalon Project
  2. American Memory 
  3. Dickinson Electronic Archive 
  4. Romantic Circles
  5. Amiens Cathedral Project
  6. Persepolis: A Virtual Reconstruction 
  7. Hurricane Digital Memory Bank
  8. Hawthorne in Salem
  9. The April 16 Archive 
  10. In Our Path 
  11. Digital Karnak
  12. Eye Level
  13. Life Outtacontext
  14. Oyez 
  15. Lascaux
Part of the issue of chronologically sorting websites by their overall look -- some of the older looking ones were created more recently! For example, the Avalon Project website lists a copyright of 2008. The website doesn't have some of the main aspects we've come to expect in websites today (clean design, useful navigation, seamless interactivity) because the website was built for a single purpose -- to house transcripts of documents relating to law, history and diplomacy, beginning around 4000 BCE.

As was discussed in chapter 1 of Rosenzweig's textbook, the “genre” of site is important.

"Is this meant to be an archive of primary sources, a presentation of a historical interpretation (whether done visually or in text), a resource for teaching, a place for discussion, an advertisement for a historical organization, or a combination of some or all of the above?" The Avalon site is meant to be an archive of primary sources, nothing more. 
Working toward more recent websites, Oyez or Lascaux have much more functionality and interactivity. The Lascaux website is able to virtually take users through the cave in multiple languages, as well as vignettes of specific cave paintings. And interestingly enough, Oyez has a sleek website, but is really just an archive like Avalon. 

The Amiens Cathedral Project reminds me of older websites the most. The navigation is relatively static, information is harder to read, and each page houses only one image. Reminds me of the days of geo cities websites. Something more like Lascaux's website would help users visualize the cathedral through pictures and a rendering, like Persepolis' website.  
The Civil War websites are especially good examples of the evolution of websites. While the Valley of the Shadow  still houses a great amount of information, the Journey Through Hallowed Ground provides a much more pleasant visual experience with intuitive navigation. 


EncyclopediaVirginia is a new (to me) website with information about key events and figures in Virginia. I appreciate that the site has both A-Z index and search functionality for quick finding, as well as a blog and a resource of virtual tours. Will keep this in mind as a resource for my final project!

Comments

  1. Professor Charles EvansJune 5, 2017 at 5:12 AM

    Well done here. Actually Oyez was a very early site (an archive sites) that has been updated along the way. I know that it went from containing just text to also now including media. As the contents of the archive changed, the site itself changed.
    Your order allows you to see a pretty clear progression of website development over the last 20 years.

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