The 1st Law of Hometown Dynamics: You ALWAYS go home again

By Jeff Guin

So many people fight to be something or somewhere else that what they know. That includes me. We chafe against everything we are and ever knew. We only want whatever the opposite might be. Somehow the struggle seems even more heated for those of us raised “down home” where ideals are passed-down, deepfried and embedded in concrete.

Podcast: Dale Jarvis on the art of storytelling on the World Wide Web

Dale Jarvis is a member of a diminishing class: the storyteller. Yet, he is finding ways to share his art with whole new generation by reaching out to “use the media that they are using.” Whether it’s a podcast of traditional stories told by school children or telling stories 140 characters at a time on Twitter, Jarvis explores the web to find new ways to connect folks to their heritage. In episode of Voices of the Past, we talk to Dale about the online tools he uses and what kind of impact the Web will have on the preservation of cultural heritage.

Podcast: Nina Simon on museum participation and curating a second life in the social space

Nina Simon, the blogger behind the popular Museum 2.0 site, talks about why she believes social media is the key to helping museums and heritage groups connect their constituents with their content. Among the topics covered our the time investment required for social media as well as how to use social media philosophies to better visitor experiences without necessarily using the web tools.

Preservation Today: Past Horizons Magazine, Heritage Travel Community, Smithsonian 2.0

Past Horizons Magazine now published; U.S. National Trust launches social network, Facebook marketplace page

Smithsonian holds “2.0 conference”; UNESCO looking for site evaluators for Peru heritage sites; Obama administration unveils new Whitehouse.gov site; Preservation Today starts “Friendfeed” room for heritage discussions.

Heritage Town Hall: Blogroll for 8-26-08

Welcome to the Town Hall. These are some of the most thoughtful and interesting blog discussions right now (that we know of) related to the topic of heritage preservation. Click on the headlines to read and respond to these quality posts. Feel free to jump into any of the conversations that interest you.

Five ways to promote your heritage project and help Voices of the Past be successful

Voices of the Past is a partnership effort. As the person reading content on this site, YOU are one of those partners. We’re not asking for much. Just keep us in mind when you work on a heritage-based project and upload that content to the web.

So, what is "Voices of the Past?"

By Jeff Guin
Excellent question! And the answer is evolving with the web. For now, let’s just say it started as a dream–literally and figuratively.
We’ve been hearing about Web 2.0 for a couple of years now. Like a lot of folks, I sat on the sidelines to see if it really had legs. Spectating led to [...]