Week 9

Check out one or more of the podcasts listed below or one of your choice.  Write a blog post about how podcasting can be used to extend a public history audience.

So for this week, we had to choose a podcast to listen to. I chose Past & Present from Colonial Williamsburg. The podcast  I listened to is linked below. I personally listen to podcast on the regular, just never history related ones. I think its a great avenue to delve into a topic in greater depth.  With a podcast, while anyone can listen to it, a person with an actual interest is going to be more inclined to listen meaning the listener has some background information or education in the topic or field. Simply meaning that you can speak in more depth about the topic without worrying about your audience not understanding.

Podcasting is a great resource for public historians. You can listen to them anywhere meaning direct access at all times. You can run your own  to increase internet presence or be invited to speak as scholar on one. If you work for a particular institution, like Colonial Williamsburg does, you can delve into period related topics  more in depth or for the first time. It also includes the listeners to be active in the conversation since communication through social media exists while the podcast is recording. All in all I’m excited to find more podcast to listen  to on the regular. I hope that more institutions embrace this new form of media to expand their reach.

 

George Washington’s Wallet

What was in George Washington’s wallet? Long before the establishment of a standard American currency, there was trade, barter and credit. How were these financial activities handled with the myriad coins and metals in circulation?