WordPress as a Public History Platform

On Thursday, April 18 at 8:30 a.m. in Ballroom A, I have the pleasure of joining Erin Bell, Jeffrey McClurken, and Tom Scheinfeldt in a discussion of how public historians are using and adapting WordPress software to teach, disseminate, and do public history. The types of issues we’d like to discuss range from practical basics (e.g., what plug-ins have you found useful) to deeper implications (e.g., how do the digital platforms we use influence the production of history).

In addition to the pre-conference conversation taking place on History@Work (please comment!) and the session itself, I’d like to propose a THATCamp NCPH session along similar lines.

For instance, we’ve recently started using EditFlow with our WordPress-based project, a re-envisioned collaborative state encyclopedia called  ConnecticutHistory.org. And I’d love to hear from others who are using this or other tools to manage the content development workflow within WordPress rather than external to it. For example, until recently, our editing and finalization of entries took place in MicroSoft Word and material wasn’t brought into WordPress until it was complete save for images. There are pros and cons to both approaches, particularly if one is managing external authors who are not familiar with WordPress or if the internal project team is hesitant to grant backside access to outside contributors.

So, if your public history project or course uses WordPress software—or if you’ve been wondering if it might work for your needs—let me know if a session along these lines is of interest.