Mea Culpa!!!

When I went back and looked at what we were to blog about, I discovered that I did not discuss what I was supposed to discuss. I was supposed to discuss the occurrences of interactivity in historical web-sites and how good or bad I find them to be. Quite frankly, I am not a fan of any sort of interactivity that I have seen thus far. Everything that I have seen comes off as somewhat frivolous entertainment that does not tell a historical story. Even the commercial sites that are not attempting to be historical do not seem terribly engaging.


I have been to the web-site for the TV show “The Office” and while they are clearly attempting to draw in fans on another level other than just watching the show, I fail to see what it accomplishes. For instance, the web-site for the show mimics the web-site of the company Dunder-Mifflin that is featured on the show. The URL is DunderMifflinInfinity.com. As for interactivity, they provide a running Twitter feed as well as some games based on the show, but it is hard for me to believe that anyone would become so engaged with this web-site that they would patronize the show any more than they all ready do. They might perhaps try to get their friends involved, but if the like the show, they are likely to try to get their friends to watch anyway.

One of the more imaginative aspects of Dunder-Mifflin Infinity is the feature where visitors and fans of the show can create their own branch office with other fans. While this is not much different than fan clubs of the past, it does create some amount of excitement for the TV show that might not have otherwise existed.

The cartoon South Park which airs on Comedy Central includes quite a bit of interactivity within their web-site. Visitors can download desktop wall-papers, screen savers and the like. They also include some rather rudementary games, but since rudementaryism (word?) is a fundemental part of the show, the simplicity and silliness of the games seem somehow appropriate. While none of these features are particularly groundbreaking, they do mirror the overall theme of the show rather well and could possibly generate additional excitement for the show in the downtime between airings.  

As for interactivity though, it seems to me best when the technology helps the visitor further understand whatever information is being presented. I can only imagine how interesting it would be to be able to virtually walk through the Titanic both before and after the iceberg. Perhaps in the virtual environment the exhibit visitor could watch the final moments above water and ride the ship to the bottom. It would be both exciting and educational. It would both draw people to the site as well as teach them something about the wreck itself. To be honest, I haven't really seen anything out there that accomplishes this.